Youngblood Brass Band
Encyclopedia
The Youngblood Brass Band is a brass band
from Oregon, Wisconsin
, United States that was started by students at Oregon High School
in 1995 when they were known as the One Lard Biskit Brass Band with the name changed to the current name in 1998.
Nat McIntosh and snare drum
mer/lyricist D.H. Skogen, both went to Oregon and first played together in 1994. The band came together in 1995 as the One Lard Biskit Brass Band, subsequently releasing the album Better Recognize locally. The Youngblood name dates from 1998, the year the group put out their first album, Word On The Street. In 2000 Youngblood released Unlearn, which featured appearances by Talib Kweli
, Mike Ladd
, DJ Skooly and Ike Willis
. Unlearn, which like Word On The Street was released independently, garnered the band significant attention and led to them being signed to Ozone Music NYC. The band's first album for Ozone, called center:level:roar, came out in 2003. They tour consistently in the United States and Europe, and in 2005 released a live album entitled live. places. on their Layered Music record label. Their newest album, Is That a Riot? (2006) was supported by multiple international tours and festival appearances. The band is also known for frequent educational visits to a range of public and private institutions.
brass band sound with influences from jazz music, improvised music, a decidedly punk ethos, and a strong hip hop
component. More than many New Orleans groups, the Youngblood band focuses on tight ensemble playing and pushing the boundaries of brass band music beyond its traditional genre, which allows them, even when performing live, to provide solid, diverse backing for Skogen's rapping
and McIntosh's virtousic sousaphone work. Unable to be classified as either jazz, hip-hop, punk or any other existing genre, the band coined the term Riot Jazz. The band acknowledge the debt their music owes to the New Orleans bands, however, with performances of traditional tunes such as "Chinatown, My Chinatown
", which they included on their Unlearn album.
In 2004, sousaphonist and primary arranger Nat McIntosh left the group. As Nat's music was a "main component of the band's sound since inception", his departure marked a change in sound for Youngblood Brass Band, as chronicled by the release of Live. Places
.
, another genre-bending group of experimental rock
ers that also count D.H. Skogen as a member).
* recorded by One Lard Biskit Brass Band
Brass band
A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting entirely of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands , but are usually more correctly termed military bands, concert...
from Oregon, Wisconsin
Oregon, Wisconsin
Oregon is a village in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. The current population of Oregon is 9498. It is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area and is a suburb of Madison. The village is located mostly within the Town of Oregon....
, United States that was started by students at Oregon High School
Oregon High School (Wisconsin)
Oregon High School is a North Central Accredited High School since 1969 located in Oregon, Wisconsin in the United States. It is part of the Oregon School District. It has a student population of 1233. It is a member of the Badger Conference...
in 1995 when they were known as the One Lard Biskit Brass Band with the name changed to the current name in 1998.
History
The band's founding members, sousaphonistSousaphone
The sousaphone is a type of tuba that is widely employed in marching bands. Designed so that it fits around the body of the musician and is supported by the left shoulder, the sousaphone may be readily played while being carried...
Nat McIntosh and snare drum
Snare drum
The snare drum or side drum is a melodic percussion instrument with strands of snares made of curled metal wire, metal cable, plastic cable, or gut cords stretched across the drumhead, typically the bottom. Pipe and tabor and some military snare drums often have a second set of snares on the bottom...
mer/lyricist D.H. Skogen, both went to Oregon and first played together in 1994. The band came together in 1995 as the One Lard Biskit Brass Band, subsequently releasing the album Better Recognize locally. The Youngblood name dates from 1998, the year the group put out their first album, Word On The Street. In 2000 Youngblood released Unlearn, which featured appearances by Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli Greene , better known as Talib Kweli, is an American hip-hop artist and poet from Brooklyn, New York. His first name in Arabic means "student" or "seeker" ; his in Swahili means "true"...
, Mike Ladd
Mike Ladd
Mike Ladd is a hip-hop MC and producer. As an MC, he practices spoken-word and is known for his poetic lyrics. As a producer, he is known as the owner of the Likemadd label.-Biography:...
, DJ Skooly and Ike Willis
Ike Willis
Ike Willis is a singer and guitarist who was a regular sideman for Frank Zappa, first joining Zappa's band for the fall 1978 tour and remaining in the band for several years. He did not tour with Zappa in 1981 and 1982 for personal reasons, but returned to touring with Zappa for his final two...
. Unlearn, which like Word On The Street was released independently, garnered the band significant attention and led to them being signed to Ozone Music NYC. The band's first album for Ozone, called center:level:roar, came out in 2003. They tour consistently in the United States and Europe, and in 2005 released a live album entitled live. places. on their Layered Music record label. Their newest album, Is That a Riot? (2006) was supported by multiple international tours and festival appearances. The band is also known for frequent educational visits to a range of public and private institutions.
Musical style
The Youngblood Brass Band combines the inspiration they took from the traditional New OrleansNew Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
brass band sound with influences from jazz music, improvised music, a decidedly punk ethos, and a strong hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
component. More than many New Orleans groups, the Youngblood band focuses on tight ensemble playing and pushing the boundaries of brass band music beyond its traditional genre, which allows them, even when performing live, to provide solid, diverse backing for Skogen's rapping
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
and McIntosh's virtousic sousaphone work. Unable to be classified as either jazz, hip-hop, punk or any other existing genre, the band coined the term Riot Jazz. The band acknowledge the debt their music owes to the New Orleans bands, however, with performances of traditional tunes such as "Chinatown, My Chinatown
Chinatown, My Chinatown
"Chinatown, My Chinatown" is a popular song written by William Jerome and Jean Schwartz in 1910.Jerome and Schwartz incorporated Chinese musical forms into Western music for the melody...
", which they included on their Unlearn album.
In 2004, sousaphonist and primary arranger Nat McIntosh left the group. As Nat's music was a "main component of the band's sound since inception", his departure marked a change in sound for Youngblood Brass Band, as chronicled by the release of Live. Places
Live. Places. (album)
Live. Places. is a 2005 live album by the Youngblood Brass Band, released to commemorate the last time "primary music writer and arranger" Nat McIntosh toured with the band as sousaphonist.-Track listing:#"Brooklyn"#"Crazy Intro"#"Avalanche"...
.
Educational work
Band members credit "really good public school system arts-education programs" for inspiring their love of music, and they make an effort to play for schools as well as at clubs and larger venues. Under the aegis of the Layered Arts Collective, which band members co-founded, they also present musical lectures where in addition to performing they speak about the history of brass bands and hip-hop. Layered also promotes free workshops for local Wisconsin youth, brings in national touring musicians and functions as label/publishing house for their family of artists (including CougarCougar (band)
Cougar is an instrumental post-rock band from Madison, Wisconsin formed in 2003. Formerly on the Madison-based record label Layered Music , Cougar is now signed to London label Ninja Tune...
, another genre-bending group of experimental rock
Experimental rock
Experimental rock or avant-garde rock is a type of music based on rock which experiments with the basic elements of the genre, or which pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique....
ers that also count D.H. Skogen as a member).
Members
Youngblood's lineup features- D.H. Skogen- percussion/vocalsRappingRapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
- Tom Reschke - percussion
- Moses Patrou - percussion
- Conor Elmes - percussion
- Nat McIntosh - sousaphoneSousaphoneThe sousaphone is a type of tuba that is widely employed in marching bands. Designed so that it fits around the body of the musician and is supported by the left shoulder, the sousaphone may be readily played while being carried...
- Charley Wagner - trumpet
- Mike Boman - trumpet
- Tony Barba - saxophones
- Zach Lucas - saxophones
- Joe Goltz - tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
- Matt Hanzelka - trombone
Albums
- Better RecognizeBetter RecognizeBetter Recognize is an album recorded in 1997, by Youngblood Brass Band .-Track listing:#"Better Recognize" - 4:55#"Dancing Men" - 4:15#"Mr...
* (1997) - Word on the StreetWord on the Street (album)Word on the Street is an album recorded in 1998 by Youngblood Brass Band.-Track listing:# "New Blood"# "Jumpin' the Buck"# "Word on the Street"# "Get Out Da Way"# "I Hope"# "Yimutha"# "Crescent City"# "Almost Never"...
(1998) - Unlearn (2000)
- Center:Level:RoarCenter:Level:RoarCenter:Level:Roar is an album recorded in 2003 by the Youngblood Brass Band.- Track listing :# "To Come Together"# "Round One"# "Culture:Envy:War"# "Brooklyn"# "Diaspora"# "Human Nature Pt. 2"# "Thursday"# "The Movement"# "Avalanche"...
(2003) - Live. Places.Live. Places. (album)Live. Places. is a 2005 live album by the Youngblood Brass Band, released to commemorate the last time "primary music writer and arranger" Nat McIntosh toured with the band as sousaphonist.-Track listing:#"Brooklyn"#"Crazy Intro"#"Avalanche"...
(2005) - Is That a Riot?Is That a Riot?Is That a Riot? is an album recorded in 2006 by the Youngblood Brass Band.-Track listing:# "March"# "Nuclear Summer"# "Waiver"# "But You Can't Run"# "Pala Minima"# "JEM"# "Dead Man Stomping"# "Ake"# "Is That a Riot?"# "Bone Refinery"...
(2006)
* recorded by One Lard Biskit Brass Band