Mardi Gras Party with Brass Queens & John The Martyr

DOORS 7PM | SHOW 8PM

It's going down on Fat Tuesday with an evening of NOLA funk & soul by John the Martyr and high energy brass band tunes from the Bras Queens. Don your masks, grab your beads, and get ready to dance! Of course, it's not Fat Tuesday without hurricanes and beignets or a giant community second line. Les bon temps rouler!
General Admission
$20 ADV, $25 DOOR
$40 Royal Treatment*

*Make your night extra special by giving yourself the Royal Treatment, which includes admission, a Hurricane, an order of beignets and complimentary coat check

BRASS QUEENS
Brass Queens is a female-led, New York-based brass band that has been dominating the brass band scene since 2019.

Finding that they shared similar frustrations about the emerging brass band scene in New York City, co-founders Alex Harris and Ally Chapel came together to form a group dedicated to showcasing the talents of female musicians in a landscape that was dominated by male musicians and bandleaders. After debuting in March 2019, Brass Queens grew to be a fixture in the local music scene and was dubbed "the hardest working band in town" by their peers. The Queens gained a dedicated following through outdoor performances on the streets of Brooklyn and playing pop-up events in their community through the pandemic. Now, a core value of the band is to play for as many audiences as possible to increase the visibility of female musicians.

Recent highlights include Carnegie Hall, New York City Pride, and multiple performances with the living icon, David Byrne. The band tours regularly across the country and internationally, headlining club shows and appearing on festival stages such as the Telluride Jazz Festival, Winnipeg International Jazz Festival, Ottawa Jazz Festival, MusikFest, and Floyd Fest. They have also made multiple appearances at Northlands Music Festival, Exit Zero Jazz Festival, and will return by popular demand to headline the Duck Jazz Festival in North Carolina. Brass Queens has played major events like The Met Gala and for notable clients including New Balance, Chanel, Saks Fifth Avenue, Tiffany & Co., Bombas, Perrier, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. They have also performed on national television on Good Morning America, at legendary New York venues like The Capitol Theater (opening for The Meters) and Town Hall (David Byrne’s “Amazing Humans Doing Amazing Things!” Variety Show), with multiple shows at Blue Note Jazz Club, and Brooklyn Bowl. They are also the 2023 winners of We Love NYC’s Rider's Choice Award, after the people of New York voted the Queens as their favorite of the MTA’s Music Under New York’s roster of subway performers.

The band has developed a signature style that sits right at the intersection of the Big Apple and the Big Easy. Their sound is deeply inspired by and pays homage to the New Orleans brass band tradition while injecting the upbeat, multifaceted energy of their New York home into each performance. The result is a nonstop party: a Brass Queens show will have you singing along to classic pop hits, dancing your heart out to reggaeton, and feeling like you've been transported to Frenchman Street. In February 2021, Brass Queens released their debut EP Royal Street, which takes listeners on a six-song journey beginning in the heart of New York City with a cover of Cameo’s Candy, down to Royal St. with their take on a New Orleans traditional, Little Liza Jane. In November 2023, the band released their first full-length album titled Black & Gold, which is an ode to the Brass Queen’s incredible early fanbase who supported the band from the virtual performances and socially-distanced street corners during the COVID-19 pandemic, to the crowded clubs and packed venues of today. Less than a year later, Brass Queens released their second full-length album and their first album of all-original music titled Hot Tub Sessions Vol. I.
JOHN THE MARTYR

Harlem meets New Orleans with undeniably soulful results on John The Martyr's self-titled debut album.

The 10-member troupe certainly has a unique story. It's fronted by 71-year-old New York singer Bill Hudson, who boasts a deep R&B and doo-wop pedigree. His chief collaborators are young NOLA players Kyle Ridley, Dustin DiSalvo and Chris Hines, who had moved north to make music in the melting pot. And melt they have, with a band that also includes a German saxophonist (Martin Seller), a Japanese violinist (Kiho Yutaka) and players from around North America. "I think the task was to not try to define, but let’s embrace whatever it sounds like without the label. That's the magic," Hudson tells Billboard. "It's kind of a gumbo -- just a bunch of different ingredients stirred together and the fruition of what we all sound like when it does."

JTM began when Ridley heard Hudson singing with a doo-wop group in a Manhattan subway. The guitarist initially "wanted to capture their voice, somehow" but soon honed-in on Hudson in particular. "When I heard Bill sing lead, that was a whole other level," Ridley recalls. "When I heard Bill sing lead on some lyrics I wrote, I thought, 'That sounds really cool'." After a subsequent show at the Mercury Lounge with an early version of the band, "we never looked back. I don't think I ever could have predicted this set-up, or this band. If I could've planned it, I probably would have screwed it up.

"It's gone through a lot of iterations," Ridley adds, "but it's finally gotten to the point where it's a real family, a great hang. It's surprising to see so many people from different countries, different backgrounds and different styles of music being able to come together around Bill's voice and not only find a balance, musically, but be able to just have a great time -- and laugh our faces off together."

JTM -- named after an old church parish on New York's Upper East Side where Ridley once stored equipment -- has been building buzz the past few years, culminating in rave reviews at this year's South By Southwest. Ridley and Hudson consider the 11-track John The Martyr album (which will be released on vinyl for Record Store Day, April 13, and digitally on June 14) to be something of a calling card showcasing a variety of classic soul influences with an emphasis on the smooth in tracks such as "Brighter Day" and "Channeled," along with a bit of slinky muscle on "Time" (coming out as a single April 3). Plus, there's the anthemic rock dynamics of "Fury," the pulsing drive on "Working Man" and the the fluid interchange of JTM's instrumental corps on "Schmoopie."

Most exciting to Ridley, however, is what's to come. "I wrote probably six or seven of the songs on the album before I met Bill...or had the band together," he says. "Now I feel like with the whole band, together, we have all these people who are so talented we're figuring out how to harness it all, really. Other people have songs and there's things that can come from jam sessions. So if anybody digs the first album that's awesome, but wait 'til there's more than one or two people working on it. That's where it'll get exciting."

And Hudson, an unapologetic lifer with no regrets, is happy to be along for the ride. "This is the furthest point I've reached in the music," he says. "When you're chasing your passion, you don't know where it's gonna lead you. A lot of people who don't get fruition leave after a few years. I always had a secular job but always kept that fervor for my music. Four years ago I met a couple of kids, and now here we are. A lot of things unfold that are unforeseen. I don't know what the next step is going to be or what it's going to lead to; That's just part of the mystery and the excitement that comes along with it."

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