Darcy Malone and the Tangle, a band that calls the Big Easy home, will be bringing its rhythmic, dynamic soul to Baton Rouge on Friday, April 21 at the Dyson House Listening Room.
Darcy Malone was born and raised in New Orleans in a very musical family. Her father is Dave Malone of the New Orleans Radiators and her mother is Suzy Malone of the Pfister Sisters. Being a part of such a classic New Orleans bloodline, Darcy has been in and around the music scene her entire life.
“I couldn’t get away from [the music]. I didn’t want to, but there was no escaping it,” she said. “It was gonna happen one way or the other. For as long as I can remember, I have loved to sing. I would play all of the different instruments in the house and if I heard a song on the radio, I would try to replicate it on the piano.”
Darcy knew she was destined to start her own group one day. She recalls getting up on stage with her parents and singing as a child; in fact, she loved it so much they couldn’t get her off. It began with singing, which led to an interest in instruments — particularly the piano — and her passions eventually turned to musical theatre in college.
The Tangle’s origins date back to 2003, when Darcy started singing for her now husband, Christopher Boye’s band. The duo began tossing around ideas and writing songs together. The Tangle started to take form until Hurricane Katrina came through, stopping everything in its tracks.
After moving to Austin post Katrina, Darcy and Chris Boye realized they had a vision they wanted to see come to fruition. They moved back to New Orleans knowing the Tangle had to be reassembled.
Darcy said she called up Billy Schell, a great drummer who had previously played with her brother’s band. After a search on Craigslist, Craig Toomey was brought on board as bassist.
Jagon Eldridge, a longtime friend who used to play in old New Orleans punk bands Darcy saw perform in high school, was added as keyboardist. Finally, JP Carmody joined as singer and lead guitarist.
“All of us together was perfect,” Darcy said. “It all started coming together. This vision we had of what we wanted the music to be was blooming. People with different backgrounds and different tastes were morphing together into this unique and original sound.”
Darcy Malone and the Tangle officially formed about four years ago, and since then, Darcy said she has been ecstatic about how the band members collaborate and achieve their finished products.
“We are so excited to finally have gotten the dream out there,” Darcy said.
The Tangle is truly a tangle of different genres. “It’s a mix of a lot of genres into one,” Darcy said. “Anybody really could enjoy our music no matter their favorite type; we fit with so many different types of bands. But, if we had to be labelled, it would probably be rock, soul pop. We are just a big sound.”
One of band members’ favorite shows to date was at this year’s French Quarter Fest, where Darcy said they had the time of their lives on stage. The Tangle is excited to make a triumphant return to the Red Stick after a sound malfunction cut the group’s Baton Rouge Blues Festival performance short.
In March of 2016, the Tangle released its debut album, “Still Life,” which they very proud of. A new, four song EP, “Make Me Over,” will be released later this month and the group said they can’t wait for the public to hear it. The entire album and EP will be performed this Friday at the Dyson House, along with a few surprise covers thrown in.
Even though the Tangle has only performed in the South so far, bigger and greener pastures are in the band’s future. This summer the group will be performing in North Carolina and New Jersey, as well as in the Brooklyn Bowl with fellow New Orleans group Rebirth Brass Band.
Darcy said concert-goers can expect a lot of energy, fun, soul and dancing from the show.
“Get ready to have a great time,” she said. “We want people to feel happy and to have the music mean something to them, to feel connected and share these connections with their friends.”
Darcy said the band will continue producing new music and albums. Its newest EP is a preview of a new album slated to debut later this year.
Stop by the Dyson House Listening Room this Friday to hear these Big Easy rockers bring their tangle of unique sound to life. The concert begins at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the door or on the Brown Paper Tickets website for $10.
Darcy Malone and the Tangle will be performing at the Dyson House Listening Room on April 21.
