Bring your appetite!
Brooklyn’s most beloved and chaotic brass ensemble will march into a Bushwick venue on June 22 to launch its latest record, titled “Running Through with the Sadness.” The saxophone player for the Hungry March Band said that the new album captures the orchestra’s energetic live sound, in part because the members recorded their individual parts over a backing track of the whole band, letting them get lost in the music.
“You could crank up the full sound of the band, do your part, and totally get into it,” said Jason Candler, who also produced the album. “It’s a different sounding record than having the band record at once in a room.”
Hungry March Band will play songs from the new album at the release party at Bushwick’s Market Hotel. The record showcases the band’s eclectic and diverse influences, opening with “Ghost Puppy,” a super-fast number that builds from a drum roll at the start. Other songs are more melodic and slower, including “Whichawhicha,” which shows the ensemble’s ska influences.
The band formed in 1997 to play at the Coney Island Mermaid Parade, and its style has evolved over the years, said Candler. The group began with a very strong Balkan influence, and later began to incorporate Latin sounds as different members joined the group, which usually has about 18 performers.
“We have people in the band who are like musicologists, they learned about different styles and brought them in,” he said. “It’s an ever-changing, amorphous band.”
Candler is excited to finally play the album’s songs for Brooklyn, because of the hours and hours he poured into mixing and producing the tracks.
“Recording 18 people takes longer than you think,” he said.
At the Market Hotel show, most of the band members will fit on the stage, but some will dance among the crowd. One of the group’s founding members said that she is particularly excited about the show because they group will play alongside opening acts the Ladrones and tubafresh, which can help widen the appeal of brass music.
“We really draw inspiration from the strength of New York,” said band leader Sara Valentine. “It’s great to combine their styles with ours.”
Hungry March Band at Market Hotel (1140 Myrtle Ave. between Jefferson and Troutman streets in Bushwick, www.faceb
