Sgt Dunbar and the Hobo Banned

Artist Information

Biography

Sgt. Dunbar & the Hobo Banned is made up of eight talented multi-instrumentalists -an indie/folk noise machine from Albany, NY and part of the B3nson Collective.

Their sound has been described as "2 parts continental gypsy, 1 part Balkan folk, a pinch of Swordfishtrombones, with a healthy dash of On Avery Island." by the blog Aquarium Drunkard. NPR’s Bob Boilen chose Sgt. Dunbar & the Hobo Banned as one of three bands to watch at SXSW ‘09, “They sound like they’re inspired both by Charlie Mingus and some great New Orleans jazz band. I can’t quite make this band out, but I do know they sound very different from most of the mostly guitar-based bands here.”

Sgt. Dunbar & the Hobo Banned solidified into its eight piece line up in 2007, having written and recorded over 150 songs and playing more than 200 shows across the country -appearing at the Mountain Jam Festival, SXSW, the CMJ Music Marathon, Athens Popfest and opening for bands such as The Avett Brothers, Delta Spirit, The Felice Brothers, Rock Plaza Central, and Deer Tick.

Sgt. Dunbar & the Hobo Banned is currently working on their third full length release and gearing up for their Spring 2010 tour.

Instrumentation

Alex Muro- vocals,guitars, accordion.

Tim Koch- trumpet, euphonium, drums, vocals, tuba, guitars, trombone, noises, wood flute, ukelele, typewriter, feedback, accordion, coffee mugs.

Dan Pardee - singing saws, accordion, vocals, piano, typewriter, trombone, trombent, kazoo, avant garde steel chair, harmonica, drums, squeaky glass pot top.

Donna Baird - cornet, french horn, vocals.

Eric Krans - bass, mandolin, bass drum, vocals, noise.

Adam Muro - banjo, saxophone, flute, sax noise.

Louis Apicello - trumpet, flugel horn.

Jen O'Connor - violin, percussion, vocals, mandolin, lil' tikes, typewriter.

Discography

"Charles Mingus' Garbage Pile"
Sgt Dunbar & the Hobo Banned
2009 February, EP


"The Thing About Time"
Sgt Dunbar & the Hobo Banned
2007 December, CD-LP

Official Website

http://sgtdunbar.com

Audio

• A March Through Charles Mingus' Garbage Pile
  Listen  
• Everything Is Pt. II
  Listen  
• Goin' Nowhere
  Listen  
• I Am the Past
  Listen  
• Life Learning Languages (WEXT Radio Recording)
  Listen  
• Syncronized Swimming
  Listen  

Lyrics

• A March through Charles Mingus’ Garbage Pile
• I Am the Past
• Life Learning Languages
• The Coal Miner Song

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• Spinner - SXSW 2010: Sgt. Dunbar and the Hobo Banned [+ Show ]
  

  Posted on Feb 21st 2010 1:20PM by Laurie Kamens Featured on NPR' 'All Things Considered' as one o...Posted on Feb 21st 2010 1:20PM by Laurie Kamens
  
  Featured on NPR' 'All Things Considered' as one of three artists to watch at SXSW, Albany, NY jazz-folk collective Sgt. Dunbar and the Hobo Banned are returning to Austin this year as festival veterans. The unsigned eight-member band currently has one EP and two full-length albums in their arsenal, plus plenty of new material to preview at SXSW next month. Spinner recently spoke to frontman Alex Muro about serendipitous meetings with hobos, Dungeons and Dragons and the band's eclectic sound. ...
  
  http://www.spinner.com/2010/02/21/sxsw-2010-sgt-dunbar-and-the-hobo-banned/

• Readers’ Picks 2010 - Best Indie-Rock Band [+ Show ]
  

  Volume 33 - Number 09 - March 4, 2010 Best Local Indie-Rock Band 1. Sgt. Dunbar and the Hobo...Volume 33 - Number 09 -
  March 4, 2010
  
  Best Local Indie-Rock Band
  
  1. Sgt. Dunbar and the Hobo Banned
  
  2. (tie) Phantogram, Railbird
  
  http://www.metroland.net/guides/2010_readers_picks/arts.html

• Web powers thriving music scene [+ Show ]
  

  By TOM KEYSER, Staff writer First published in print: Sunday, February 21, 2010 Capital Region ...By TOM KEYSER, Staff writer
  First published in print: Sunday, February 21, 2010
  
  Capital Region bands find hope in collectives as the recording industry changes
  
  When Sgt Dunbar & the Hobo Banned, the Albany folk-rock group, received an invitation to play the prestigious South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival last year in Austin, Texas, it came via the Internet. A national record company had no hand in securing the invitation, booking the engagement or getting the band to the show.
  
  Alex Muro, the manager of Sgt Dunbar, had posted a comment on an online music forum. The comment contained a link to the band's Web site. A representative from SXSW noticed the comment, clicked on the link, listened for free to the band's music and, duly impressed, sent Muro an e-mail inviting the band to play.
  
  That's how things happen in the music business these days....
  
  Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=903207#ixzz0hGLb5nKn

• CMJ Day 3 [+ Show ]
  

  10.30.2009 Sgt. Dunbar and The Hobo Banned packed the house and the stage with eight musicians an...10.30.2009
  
  Sgt. Dunbar and The Hobo Banned packed the house and the stage with eight musicians and every imaginable brass and string instrument. I love the Hobos and have seen them several times. Their instruments were in full force featuring many songs off their new EP. They played the title track "A March Through Charles Mingus' Garbage" that featured a vibrant mix of Folk and Jazz a direction they are forging ahead with. The two new songs they debuted forecast a vital and original direction.
  
  
  The musicianship is something to behold they have become a much tighter entity without loosing their energy and heart displaying the joy of playing together. What is also fascinating is the seamless exchange of instruments throught the set. Whether blowing, singing or strumming everything works. This is a democratic collective where various members share the lead vocal helm adding diversity to the mix.
  
  
  Sgt. Dunbar and The Hobo Banned were full of bite. All the instruments and vocals united and filled the space with joy and substance. When the set was over I walked through the crowd and the word or choice was amazing.
  
  
  Flickr Sethttp: //www.flickr.com/photos/obsessioncollection/sets/72157622649621970/

• Sgt Dunbar :: Everything Is, Pt III [+ Show ]
  

  Sgt Dunbar’s Hobo Banned may be a collective form Albany, NY but their sound is more akin to the str...Sgt Dunbar’s Hobo Banned may be a collective form Albany, NY but their sound is more akin to the strange bouillabaisse that’s been brewing in the New Orleans Bywater neighborhood of late: 2 parts continental gypsy, 1 part Balkan folk, a pinch of Swordfishtrombones, with a healthy dash of On Avery Island.
  
  Over the past couple of months I’ve been spinning “Everything Is, Pt. III”, on the radio show, with repeated inquiries as to its origin. Here are the deets: it’s off the group’s most recent release, the EP A March Through Charles Mingus’ Garbage Pile. Alright, carry on.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  http://www.aquariumdrunkard.com/2009/10/17/sgt-dunbar-everything-is-pt-iii/comment-page-1/#comment-908434

• The Right Ways [+ Show ]
  

  Sgt Dunbar & the Hobo Banned - "Everything Is, Pt. III". Messy. The kind of guy whose bracelets alwa...Sgt Dunbar & the Hobo Banned - "Everything Is, Pt. III". Messy. The kind of guy whose bracelets always break, whose watches slip off his wrist and shatter on the asphalt. Very good at climbing walls. Favourite movie is The Great Escape. One day he was buying milk and interrupted a robbery. He got beat up good, but saved the owner $400. He gets milk for free, now. He brags about this to his friends. "Not everyone gets free milk," he says. Sometimes he stops mid-way through: "Not everyone gets fr-" he says, reaching to catch his watch before it hits the pavement.
  

• SXSW: Out Of 1,800, Three Artists To Watch [+ Show ]
  

  March 17, 2009 - Four full days, 1,800 bands — it's time again for the annual South by Southwest Mus...March 17, 2009 - Four full days, 1,800 bands — it's time again for the annual South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas. There will be live music around the clock in bars, restaurants, churches and even beauty shops. For many bands, it could be their chance to break out.
  
  In an interview with Michele Norris, All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen says he prepared for SXSW by listening to 1,083 songs — well, at least parts of them. Out of the 100 artists that caught his ear, he plans to take in the wild pop songs of Michachu and The Shapes, the horn-packed Sgt. Dunbar and the Hobo Banned and Blind Pilot, who performs as part of NPR Music's SXSW Day Party on Thursday.
  
  Link to actual Radio Show : http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102003142

• Sgt. Dunbar and The Hobo Banned; New Ep Review [+ Show ]
  

  can't get enough OF MUSIC I LOVE 5.07.2009 I like the way the Hobos do things! Sgt Dunbar and ...can't get enough OF MUSIC I LOVE
  
  5.07.2009
  
  I like the way the Hobos do things! Sgt Dunbar and the Hobo Banned New EP A March Though Charles Mingus' Garbage Pile is an invigorating big band splash of energy that is muscular and celebratory. The remnants of folk styling is weighted and lifted with bursts of brass, choral harmonies and pulsating time. All six tracks transform their influences into an original layered and uplifting direction.
  
  Live this new material is awesome and it translates on this EP!
  
  OCM Breakdown
  
  "Everything is, Pt. III": The clack and claps of percussion leave room for Alex Muro’s vocals to intertwine with a chorus and singing saw.
  
  “Carrot On a String”: Brass led polka beat with Alex Muro’s strained passionate vocals and a mighty band upsurge with commanding chorus.
  
  “A March Through Charles Mingus’ Garbage Pile”: Great infusion of folk and jazz like a stomping New Orleans style funeral procession with standout solo trumpet and full chorus getaway.
  
  “The Table & The Cup”: Heavy brass emphasis broken up with the folky charm of Tim Koch's vocals and acoustic plucking.
  
  “Goin Nowhere”: Revamped and re-released track with a faster pace and jazz breakouts of the sax, trumpet with claps.
  
  “I Am the Past”: Includes the listener into the hobo’s circle of jokes and talk. The fun really begins with guitar plucking and the uplifting harmonies.
  
  

• Vide-Poches #009 (April 2009) [+ Show ]
  

  http://www.blogotheque.net/Vide-Poches-009 Sept mecs, deux filles, une cinquantaine d’instruments...http://www.blogotheque.net/Vide-Poches-009
  
  Sept mecs, deux filles, une cinquantaine d’instruments, de la trompette à la scie musicale aux tasses à café à une "chaise avant-gardiste en acier", même. Délaissant la folk aux autres chansons qu’on peut trouver sur leur site, "(A March Through) Charles Mingus’ Garbage Pile" c’est un bordel mi-joyeux, mi-fataliste, la jolie excuse pour une trompette qu’on aimerait entendre plus souvent sans avoir à sortir ses disques de jazz, ou de blues. Une espèce d’orchestre de la Nouvelle-Orléans - sauf qu’eux viennent d’Albany, NY. Tous en choeur. (- Nora)
  
  Google Page Translation -
  Six guys, two girls, about fifty instruments, the trumpet to the musical saw to coffee mugs to "avant-garde chair steel, even. Leaving the other folk songs that can be found on their website, "(A March Through) Charles Mingus' Garbage Pile" is a brothel half happy, half-fatalistic lovely excuse for a trumpet that would heard more often without having to leave his records of jazz, and blues. A kind of orchestra in New Orleans - except that they come from Albany, NY. Tous en choeur. (- Nora)

• SXSW 2009, night two: Red Red Meat, the She Creatures & more [+ Show ]
  

  By Jim DeRogatison March 20, 2009 1:31 AM .... Wandering aimlessly from one unappealing din to ano...By Jim DeRogatison March 20, 2009 1:31 AM
  .... Wandering aimlessly from one unappealing din to another, I finally ducked in to an ugly club called Esther's Follies, and there I caught the second half of a set by Sgt. Dunbar & the Hobo Banned, an eight-piece group from Albany, N.Y. with songs such as "A March Through Charles Mingus' Garbage Pile," a high school orchestra's worth of instruments including tuba, French horn, trumpet and accordion and a gleeful, group-vocal approach that brought to mind a Salvation Army band playing in a junkyard while tripping on acid.
  
  The group might have been annoying if its songs weren't so strong and its hippie/Boho attitude wasn't so sincere: The show ended with all of the musicians leaving the stage, sitting cross-legged on the floor and performing one final song with just vocals, acoustic guitar and singing saw from the midst of the audience.

Setlist

We play almost entirely originals and a very few tastefully curated cover songs. We are most comfortable with sets ranging from 30 to 90 minutes.

Basic Requirements

Calendar