THE HORNS OF PLENTY
Pile of Bones puts New Orleans spin on St. Patrick’s
Hear It Live is a closer look at songs and their performer. Hear the Pile of Bones Brass Band’s upbeat stylings when they perform on St. Patrick’s Day (a.k.a. Tuesday, March 17) in Regina.
THE ARTIST
The Pile of Bones Brass Band has been a staple in Regina for more than a decade. The party band is inspired by traditional New Orleans brass bands.
“It’s like you can’t not tap your foot or get out of your chair when you hear this music. It’s just very gripping that way,” said lead vocalist Richie Pollack, who also plays harmonica.
The band’s lineup sort of depends on who’s around. One of its longtime members, Cheney Lambert, lives in Edmonton. Guitarist Collin Middleton lives in Regina, but plays in several other bands.
At this upcoming show, you can probably count on seeing Al Mcwilliams (trumpet), Bryce Wiles (bass drum), Colin Neufeld (trombone), Joel Lareau (trombone), Karl Valiaho (tenor sax), and Ty Hammer (snare drum).
Other members have come and gone from the band, but the current lineup basically dates back to 2010. Pollack said he’d like to see younger musicians show some interest.
“Some of those brass bands down south have been around for decades and there’s generations of players that have come through the ranks.
“And it would be really cool to see that kind of longevity with the Pile up here, too.”
THE MUSIC
Pile of Bones plays mostly cover songs. Some are traditional Mardi Gras songs — titles including “Go To The Mardi Gras,” “Laissez les bon temps rouler,” and “Big Chief.” Hank Williams’ song “Jambalaya” is also a standard.
But the band also revamps pop songs like LTD’S funky “Back In Love Again,” Dr. John’s R&B song “Right Place Wrong Time,” Charles Bradley’s soulful “Ain’t It A Sin,” and even “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” from Mary Poppins.
“We want to play tunes that we like, and that we think are kind of hip, and we think people will get. Some of the stuff we do is pretty obscure, but it all works out in the end,” said Pollack.
“The opportunities for a horn section (in Regina) can be a little limited at times, where if you’re not part of the symphony, you’re going to be playing most likely in a rhythm and blues or some kind of funk-disco type band. And this is just another thing that adds to that,” Pollack added.
“The traditional music is very catchy, it’s very easy on the palate. It’s not heavy jazz; you don’t have to sit there and do math to listen to it. So there’s a real fun vibe to it.”
LISTEN NOW
There are a few Youtube videos of the band, but no official recordings.
The band would like to record, but Pollack said it’s not feasible cost-wise: “It’s not like we’re one guy that’s the multi instrumentalist that can do all of his own parts.”
Anyway, “We really want people to come out to our shows.”
HEAR IT LIVE
The Pile of Bones Brass Band performs at O’hanlon’s on Tuesday, March 17, around 8 or 9 p.m. (Because it’s St. Patrick’s Day, there’s a lot of other entertainment preceding, including The Dustin Ritter Band and the City of Regina Pipe Band.)
The Pile will provide a break from Celtic standards.
“For all those that missed Mardi Gras, we’re gonna bring it for St. Patty’s Day and introduce the one festival to another kind of thing,” said Pollack.