New Orleans favorites to play at Flatbread, Martha’s Vineyard

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— Photo courtesy of Donna Santiago, Hypersoul LLC

Jazz, hip hop, 70s funk. Fans of any, or all three, of these music genres have something to be excited about.

The Stooges Brass Band from New Orleans will make a first time appearance on the Vineyard this weekend and, when you combine the above musical styles, and deliver the sound in the form of a 12-piece brass band from party central, you can be assured that you’re in for a high energy, dance-inspiring good time.

The Stooges show, at Flatbread Company this Sunday, August 19, will be among a series of three concerts this month brought to the Island by Nectars Presents, an offshoot of Nectars nightclub of Burlington, Vt. Nectars operated a club here at the site of the former Hot Tin Roof for three summers up until last year. Flatbread Company, who originally shared the space with the nightclub, remained in the location and has become a very popular seasonal business, serving pizza and salads with an organic bent. Nectars Presents is a relatively new venture. It’s a booking and promotion arm of the popular Vermont nightclub that hosts shows at venues throughout New England.

According to Sam Hoffman, director of marketing and promotions for Nectars and Nectars Presents, “For the past two years or so we’ve been building the Nectars Presents brand.” The three shows on the Vineyard will mark their first ventures here.

This past Tuesday, Aug. 14, Nectars Presents hosted reggae band The Wailers at The Lampost in Oak Bluffs. The Wailers have performed on the Island every summer for many years, and they have a long history with the Vermont-based Nectars.

Tonight, August 16, Ben Taylor will headline a benefit at Dreamland in Oak Bluffs for Rockhouse Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to building and maintaining educational facilities in Negril, Jamaica. This is the third year in a row that Nectars has hosted a benefit for the organization with Mr. Taylor. Ben Taylor, the son of Carly Simon and James Taylor is a successful singer/songwriter in his own right with a large following all over the U.S. and abroad. This show will be his only appearance on the Island this summer.

The Stooges show on Sunday caps off the series. This will be the brass band’s first time performing on the Vineyard and their first concert for Nectars.

The Stooges are far more than a traditional brass band. Not only is their sound unique, they have also extended beyond street and festival performance to make a name for themselves as a popular club band, appearing throughout the U.S. and beyond. Their high voltage performances, which include group vocals and impressive choreography, have won them fans in a number of musical genres.

This past spring, the Stooges’ appearance at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, where they were joined by West Coast hip-hop artist TQ, garnered accolades from both audience members and critics. In 2011, the Stooges earned the title of Red Bull Street Kings in a competition among other local brass bands and they were awarded a recording session in Los Angeles. Last year, the band was named Best Contemporary Brass Band at the Big Easy Music Awards. They have appeared at a number of festivals across the country and abroad, including Bonaroo Music and Arts Festival in Tennessee and the Edinburgh Jazz Festival. Among those that the band has shared the stage with are artists as diverse as Ray Charles, Black Star (Mos Def & Talib Kweli), Jessica Simpson, and Jadakiss.

The band just returned from a two week tour through Pakistan where they were employed by the U.S. Embassy as cultural ambassadors. They have been together since 1996, when a number of graduates of the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts got together to perform on the streets. Since then, the group has gone through over 30 different musicians, many of whom have gone on to successful solo careers or joined other types of musical units.

Music: The Stooges Brass Band, 9 pm, Sunday, Aug. 19, Flatbread Company, airport. $20; $15 in advance. 21+. 508-693-1137; flatbreadcompany.com.