Mama Digdown’s Brass Band
Ascona

When you think Wisconsin (the cheese state), we doubt you’re thinking toe-tapping, New Orleans-style brass. But then you’ve never experienced Mama Digdown’s Brass Band and their unique take on the brass band music all but forgotten in the digusting Top 40 the mainstream considers “music.”

We just recently learned about the band and their latest album, Ascona, which is a spontaneous, live-to-tape collection of covers like “I’ll Be There” and “I’ll Fly Away,” in addition to some of the bands favorite licks to play live.

Tonight Mama Digdown’s has a special Minneapolis show. And in the spirit of true southern hospitality, free barbeque for all.

We sat down with band leader and sousaphone player Erik Jacobsen to learn about the history of the band and how these Midwest Yankees ended up gigging across New Orleans while earning fans like jazz great Brandford Marsalis.

Perfect Porridge: What’s the history of the group?
Erik Jacobsen: Roc (the other leader) and I met while studying music at UW-Madison. We were both in a jazz class taught by famed bassist Richard Davis. Richard is an outstanding teacher who played with so many great bands - Sarah Vaughn, Miles Davis, Eric Dolphy, Van Morrison. If we didn’t know a song well enough for him, he would tell us to call him at home at 5:00am in the morning to play it over the phone for him. We got to the point where we always learned our tunes so we wouldn’t have to wake up so early to play for him.

Roc and I both started to feel as if studying music was taking it’s toll, and it was difficult to balance our gigging with the demands of being a music major. So at around the same time, we both left the school of music to pursue other fields and also formed Mama Digdown’s Brass Band. We had heard the Dirty Dozen and Rebirth Brass Band albums and knew we wanted to form a brass band. There are not many types of music where a sousaphone is so essential, so being a sousaphone player, I was drawn to it. I was also drawn to the rawness and expressivness of it. We found the musicians to start the band through word of mouth. We even auditioned a trombone player at a house party one night. Anyway, after two rehearsals we decided to try out the band in public. We crashed an event called “Art Fair on the Square” in Madison and just played out on the street. From that we got more bookings and a little bit of a following. Over the next few years we played a lot in clubs and bars in Madison and Milwaukee as we built our following.

Your name is so original. Where does Mama Digdown’s Brass Band come from? Who is Mama?
The legend has it that we were all juvenile delinquents who were taken in by Gracie Digdown. She taught us all how to play horns so we would stay out of trouble. When she died, we put the band together to play at her funeral.

What’s the importance of Donna’s Bar in the New Orleans area and with your group?
In the 80’s brass bands started to become very popular again in New Orleans. They were incorporating funk and R&B into the music and it helped a younger generation relate to it. The revival was led by bands like the Dirty Dozen, Fairview Baptist band, Rebirth and the Pin Stripes. They all started to play in bars and clubs around New Orleans, places like Kemps, Glass House, Treme Music Hall and Joe’s Cozy Corner. Donnas was one of the first bars to book exclusively brass bands. She had the Soul Rebels, Treme, Algiers, Hot 8, Mahogany and the Pin Stripes. Most of the bands had their own night of the week. She was also booking Kermit Ruffins on Monday nights and he built up a big following there. Anyway, we had heard that Donna’s was sort of a brass band Mecca and decided to take a trip down there one year during Mardi Gras. We had a gig in Madison one night and right after the gig at 2:00am we piled into our bandvan and headed to New Orleans. We went straight to Donna’s and saw the NewBirth Brass Band. We were totally blown away. While we were at Donna’s wemet the owners - Donna and Charlie and gave them a copy of our first CD -”North of New Orleans”. A few months later when we returned to New Orleans, they had put our CD on the juke box. They told us that it had been getting a lot of play and wanted to know when we were going to come back and play her club. The first few times we played at Donna’s we opened up for Mahogany, Hot 8 and The Soul Rebels Brass Bands. After awhile, Donna began to give us our own nights there. Over time, we have built up a pretty decent following in the city. The band has been to New Orleans over 40 times in the last decade.

What’s it like for boys from Wisconsin to be playing NO brass band music gigging in the delta swamp?
Well, it has always been both interesting and amazing how we have been received in New Orleans. With very few exceptions, brass band musicians in New Orleans are black and the brass band tradition itself is one of the black community. When we first started playing in New Orleans the brass band musicians were a bit amused but also very interested in the fact that we were playing their music. As a band we have always been so deferential and respectful of the tradition and I think that is felt by the musicians and fans there. We take the music very seriously and I think the other bands are flattered that we are so interested in their music. The crowds too have always gotten a kick out of “the white boys from Wisconsin”, but they know were are serious and treat us accordingly. At this point, many assume we are in fact from New Orleans. After Branford Marsalis heard us at a show one night and then found out we were from Madison, he had a puzzled look on his face and said “I thought ya’ll was from back home”. Even though we are outsiders, we have been embraced by the brass band community. One of our trumpet players, Jeff Maddern, took some time off from Mama Digdown’s and lived in New Orleans. He was a member of the Hot 8 while he was there. He also played second line parades and club gigs with New Birth and the Rascals. Some New Orleans bands have played a couple of our original songs. Rebirth, Hot 8 and The Stooges have all played songs penned by members of Mama Digdown’s. We have built friendships with many of the bands of New Orleans. On several occasions we have had brass bands come up north to play some shows.

After Katrina hit, we booked the Stooges on a 20 gig tour so they could get working again since all their gigs in New Orleans were gone. We were also able to get about 60 brass instruments donated to give to them and other brass bands. It was pretty helpful for them at the timne and also a small way for us to pay the musicians back for all they had done for us over the years. It is impossible to say how much we have been influenced, musically and otherwise by the bands in New Orleans. When people ask us what they can do to help out New Orleans right now, we always tell them to go down there and spend money. That’s what they need. The bands need people paying cover and the bars need to sell drinks to stay afloat.

Since then you’ve been touring a lot, right?
Most frequently we play in the mid-west, but in our 14 years together we have toured all across the U.S. Last week we got back from a trip to New York. We played at the Hiro Ballroom in Manhattan, Rose Music Hall in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and at the Mermaid Parade at Coney Island. The last two summers we performed in Ascona, Switzerland. Ascona is a small village in the southern part of Switzerland, right on the border with Italy. It is the most beautiful place I have been to. Ascona is right on Lake Maggiorre in the mountains. Each summer they have a jazz festival there that last 12 days. The festival is geared towards New Orleans music. While we were there we recorded a live CD entitled Ascona.

Tell us about recording your newest album, Ascona.
We set up on a stage that was right on the water one afternoon and ran tape for about 2 hours to record the album. We had some of the other musicians that were playing the festival come by and sit-in on the recording too. Sista Teedy, who we know from New Orleans sings “I’ll Fly Away” on the recording and it is beautiful. She gives me chills when she sings. Jon Allred who plays trombone in Harry Connicks band played two songs with us for the recording. Is is a tremendous player and we were lucky he wanted to be part of it.

How does it compare to your six previous albums?
Because we basically ran the tape for two hours it has a really spontaneous and energetic feel. We just started playing our songs and the engineer was recording all of it. We weren’t concerned with going back and re-recording parts or anything. In fact, just as we were starting to record “Shake it and Break it” trumpeter Mark Braud walked up to see what we were up to so we asked him to sing the song. I have always loved the way he sang that song so it was perfect timing to have him walk up at that moment.

Where can you buy it?
In Minneapolis you can pick it up at the Electric Fetus. On-line it’s available at our Web site or CDBaby. Oh, and at our live shows too.

And what’s this talk about a MDD remix?
DJ Nicodemus of NY will be pressing a couple of our songs onto 7″ vinyl this summer so we are looking forward to hearing what DJ’s do with our material.

What’s next for MDD?
We will be recording again soon. We have written some new material and will be releasing a single called “Mojito” in August and then a full album in the fall.

Tell us about you upcoming Minneapolis gig. Free BBQ?
We are playing this Friday at the Nomad over on Cedar Ave. on the West Bank. It’s been a while since we have played Minneapolis so we are pulling out all the stops and throwing a party. There will be free BBQ and sweet corn at the set break. We also will have a special guest from New Orleans with us. Arain Macklin, a sousaphone player will be there that night and will play with the band. He is an incredible player.