The band initially shaped in 2017 in Athens as members of the Ohio College College of Music however have since relocated to Columbus. The eight-piece all brass band, save for one drummer, launched their latest full-length album, Repilot, over quarantine — which isn’t any small feat.
The unique members nonetheless within the band are: Frankie Wantuch, Ben Baker, Ben Stingo and Seth Alexander. Since shifting to Columbus, the band added 4 new members: Taylor Leonard, Ian Harrah, Chris Hines and Jocelyn Smallwood.
The identify Largemouth Brass Band is a pun on the fish, the Largemouth bass.
“(The identify) is only a silly pun that we got here up with on the primary day of rehearsal once we had determined who was within the band,” Seth Alexander, who performs the drums, stated. “It does not imply what it used to. It is now turning into the identify of our entity, as an alternative of only a dumb pun.”
The group favors references that go even additional than their identify. Repilot, the identify of the band’s album, isn’t truly a phrase.
“I received it from an episode of Neighborhood. They only made it up for that episode,” Ben Baker, who performs the tenor saxophone, the baritone saxophone and the bass clarinet, stated.
Very like the Neighborhood episode, the band is reintroducing themselves.
“We’ve got restructured the best way the band is: not solely in personnel, however in musical model, in precise location, in our basic understanding of what the band is and the way we play dwell reveals,” Alexander stated. “All the things received restructured, reformalized, re-whatevered. [Repilot] type of kicks off our new model of music.”
The band rebranded its brand and received a brand new web site the place it sends out month-to-month, if not biweekly, newsletters to its followers. The brand new brand and the album artwork have been completed by Sara Krivicich, an Ohio artist, Alexander stated.
The album itself is made up of 10 tracks, 5 of which Baker wrote. The songs have been written earlier than the pandemic, however have been recorded mid-pandemic.
“It was actually necessary for me to get my music on the market since half of it was from me,” Baker stated. “This can be a method that I can current myself to the world. That is my music. I hope individuals take pleasure in it and in the event that they take pleasure in it, I can write extra. And possibly individuals will need extra.”
The general album has an upbeat tone.
“I believe we simply have numerous enjoyable enjoying collectively,” Ian Harrah, who performs trumpet, stated.
Nonetheless, recording within the midst of the pandemic did produce some issues.
“We have been most likely within the absolute worst state of affairs we might be in as a result of we’re a band of eight individuals and 7 of us have principally these big tubes the place we’re blowing air and spit via,” Baker stated. “It is like precisely what you are not purported to do. We needed to principally cut up the album up as a result of we could not have the entire band in there on a regular basis.”
The rhythm part would file first with a few horns, after which the opposite devices would are available in and file over prime, Frankie Wantuch, who performs the alto saxophone, stated. Nonetheless, all the band got here in to file Spirit as a result of, “You possibly can’t minimize round that,” Baker stated.
Though the album is new, the band members wrote the songs just a little over a 12 months in the past.
“I would say round final winter and final fall of 2019, we determined to make an album as a result of we have been writing a number of new tunes,” Alexander stated. “We set a deadline for anybody [who was going to] write a brand new tune…and that deadline was reached by December 2020.”
Wanting again, Baker stated it’s virtually arduous to hearken to the tunes as a result of they’re a 12 months previous.
“A 12 months in shut-down, at dwelling practising,” Baker stated. “I believe if we had our method, we’d file the album once more. We have all practiced since then, we have rehearsed. We all know the music higher. I believe that is what makes the album itself. It is just a little bit sloppy, however that is type of the concept. With brass band music generally, that is the concept, it is sloppy, numerous it’s improvised, nevertheless it’s tight, significant, it is coming from an sincere place.”
For the brand new band members, that is the primary album that they’ve written songs for.
“That is my first album that has music that I composed on it,” Harrah stated. “I have been writing music for a very long time, however I’ve by no means had an entire slew of individuals enjoying it and an precise audio engineer serving to us put it collectively. So it is actually enjoyable; I used to be grateful to get to do it.”
Since shifting to Columbus, the band has performed bigger venues like Brothers Drake Meadery, Strongwater Meals and Spirits, the Jazz & Rib Fest and the Cincinnati Fringe Pageant.
However they didn’t begin that method. In Athens, the band would play avenue music – actually on the road. The bandmates first began recording covers, which impressed them to jot down their first album.
“(Repilot) is de facto who we’re when it comes to the music we play,” Wantuch stated. “Bands are ever altering over time. I am actually excited for the way we sound and what we’re saying, musically. I believe the primary factor that our voice says is to only have enjoyable and be carefree.”
Wanting ahead, the band needs to play extra outdoors reveals. If the pandemic improves, the group is planning on having a busy summer time and fall season.
“Be looking out for presumably new music movies with these songs [and] undoubtedly some new collaborations,” Alexander stated.
Each member of Largemouth Brass Band is proud to be part of one thing so particular.
“We simply wanna get our identify on the market as a result of we’re so pleased with what now we have put collectively,” Wantuch stated. “It is necessary to be supporting your native artists, and it would not price a dime to share a submit. We simply need everybody to be as hyped as we’re.”
In addition they every really feel so fortunate that they’ve one another to go on this musical journey.
“While you’re in a band, you are principally a small household or group of buddies,” Alexander stated. “And ever since then, it is labored out fairly effectively. So we type of lucked out.”
