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The Radiators got started on January 28, 1978 during a rehearsal in the garage of one of the band members; by the late '80s, they had become one of New Orleans' most popular rock & roll bands, serving up a smorgasbord of musical styles that included blues, R&B, funk, and rootsy rock & roll. Founding members keyboardist/vocalist Ed Volker and guitarist/vocalist Camile Baudoin began playing together in the 1960s. Drummer Frank Bua began working with the two in 1970, and guitarist Dave Malone and bassist Reggie Scanlan played with other New Orleans bands until they formed as the Rhapsodizers in the mid-'70s. They changed their name to the Radiators in 1978 and released their debut, Work Done on Premises, two years later on their own Croaker Records. Heat Generation followed in 1982, and the band began to develop a loyal following in the Crescent City by the time percussionist Glenn Sears joined in early '80s, making them a sextet. The Radiators developed a reputation for intense, lengthy marathon-like live shows that would last three hours or more, akin to what the Allman Brothers and Little Feat were doing; their shows became highlights of the annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and word of their reputation spread. ~ Richard Skelly, All Music Guide
The Radiators, still with the original five members, have been bringing their New Orleans-inspired music to the rest of the world for 28 years. The Rads have released more than a dozen albums and are extremely proud of their latest: Dreaming Out Loud (SCI Fidelity 2006). They maintain a strong, loyal fan base and are on the road relentlessly.
Courtesy www.theradiators.org
The sheer force of four trombones playing simultaneously was to be their calling card. New Orleans is well known for its excess and it should be no surprise that their musicians are prone to overindulge a bit. Still, when Mark Mullins and Craig Klein formed the trombone blitzkreig of Bonerama, skeptics and traditionalists raised their voices in puritanical protest. A funk-rock troupe of trombone players had never been done, even in the ‘anything goes' environs of New Orleans. Who did these guys think they were? Isn't one trombone loud enough? Mark Mullins and Craig Klein didn't think so.
The initial stirrings of the trombone cavalcade known as Bonerama began in 1998, when Mullins and Klein found themselves with some rare time off from their steady gig in Harry Connick Jr's big band. Though both have exposed their fine jazz abilities, Mullins and Klein didn't envision a jazz trombone assemblage. Instead, the Bonerama sound was to deliver pure horn muscle - Rock ‘n' roll along with the second-line funk of their New Orleans roots.
Gathering up a dizzying display of trombone talent, Mullins and Klein quickly brought fellow honking peers Steve Suter, Brian O'Neill and Rick Trolsen into the fold. Augmenting their horn attack came the imaginative and dynamic sousaphone player, Matt Perrine, the edgy experimental guitar of Bert Cotton, and the entrenched rhythmic pocket of drummer Chad Gilmore (though New Orleans drumming heroes Russell Batiste, Doug Belote and Kevin O'Day have been known to step behind the kit on occasion). After several well-received local gigs, a noticeable buzz began to form around the Bonerama sound as one that defied typical labels. A thunderous funk attack might suddenly turn into an acid rock meltdown. Their unpredictability was infectious…
As much as these successful tours have helped spread the trombone gospel to music fans around the country, it has been the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival that truly launched the band. Their performances at Jazz Fest have caused quite a stir, even garnering the attention of David Fricke, Rolling Stone editor, and quite possibly the most influential rock critic in the country. In his widely admired "On the Edge" column, Fricke lauded the band's powerful musical presence calling them "the ultimate in brass balls...five trombones blowing power chords and punchy riffs like true air guitars." Not surprisingly, their Live at the Old Point CD has been a top-seller at the festival for three straight years.
In September 2006, the band recorded several live shows at New Orleans's beloved Tipitina's. The plan is to release these recordings in the spring of '07.
Courtesy www.bonerama.net |
