BrassZilla
BrassZilla's music can be best described as "hip shakin' beer jazz".
BrassZilla
Bob DeBoer, trumpet
Zach Zins, trombone
Hal Longley, sousaphone
Andy Deckard, drums and percussion
BrassZilla was founded by multi-instrumentalist Hal Longley, along with Zach Zins and Bob DeBoer, in 2011 as a way for the trio to explore their love of jazz, funk, blues, and other forms of music while touring in the U.S. and Europe with the Minneapolis rock band Chooglin'. Longley and DeBoer met in the 7th Street Entry basement during the 2005 cover song contest and afterwards took part in the first iteration of the band Eleganza. All three horn players took part in Eleganza's rendering of Exile on Main Street, which was ranked the fourth best live show of 2018 in the Star Tribune.
The three brass players began to slowly develop a sound in the following years but did not emerge as a "band" until the addition of drummer/percussionist Andy Deckard, who sparked them in new directions by setting a variety of tonal environments and easy-going pockets in which the horns could thrive. BrassZilla has two full-length recordings, "Bronzy" and "All Day Music All Night".
The group has a plethora of new original songs, mainly composed by band leader Hal Longley, which are likely to see the studio soon. Longley brings his interest in a wide variety of musical genres to BrassZilla's original songs and doesn't limit his focus to anchoring the bass and rhythm of the band (which his sousaphone surely does) but often plays lead melodies and solos in BrassZilla. Longley, along with Deckard, truly provide the backbone for the many changes in tone and style that BrassZilla produce.
Deckard, a graduate of the Berklee College of Music, toured and recorded with No Man (Roger Miller from Mission of Burma) as a two-piece band in the late 1980's and early 1990's. Deckard was also a founding member of Boston's art/noise group Out of Band Experience. After settling in Minnesota, Deckard toured Europe, Canada and the U.S. with the Minneapolis band Boneclub and toured Ireland multiple times with Tea and Sympathy (Alicia Corbett). Deckard's jazz chops are more on display with BrassZilla, as his knowledge of Brazilian and other Latin/Funk/NOLA influences often come to the fore.
Trombonist Zach Zins provides the more aggressive and bluesy part of the BrassZilla sound, sometimes evoking images of Vaudeville or late-night juke joints. Zins met and played with Deckard in the Minneapolis rock band 10w40 in the mid-2000's, leading to the future BrassZilla connection. Zins has recorded with several Minnesota bands, including Cloud Cult and Billy Dankert.
Trumpeter Bob DeBoer provides the more melodic and atmospheric part of the band's sound. DeBoer began playing with GST in 2001 after a 20-year hiatus from trumpet playing since participating in the jazz program at the University of Minnesota, Duluth, under George "Doc" Hitt, and has played with numerous local musicians and bands since then.
Longley currently leads two other bands: Century Brass, who play 19th century brass band music mainly at historic sites, and his tuba quartet 2By2Bas. He also composes and arranges for the Minneapolis Trombone Choir. Deckard plays with bands KJV (King James Version) and Powderfinger, among other projects, and DeBoer plays regularly with Jazz Outlaws, who collaborate with local dance troupe Rhythmically Speaking in presenting Vince Guaraldi's "A Charlie Brown Christmas."
BrassZilla was interviewed by City Pages in 2013.
BrassZilla: Toddlers and drunkards don't dance to look cool
Here are some samples of our music:
BrassZilla has recordings available for purchase online in either CD or download only format.
Booking contact:
Harold Longley
612-325-3258
brasszilla@brasszilla.net
For upcoming events, see our schedule on www.facebook.com/BrassZilla
Press photos
BrassZilla Main photo
BrassZilla Attacks photo
BrassZilla Scrum photo
BrassZilla color logo
BrassZilla CloseUps photo (photo credit: Dan Michener)