Burris and Captain Green, two super-groups at the forefront of Baton Rouge’s steadily growing funk-rock scene, will perform at The Spanish Moon on Friday.
The two established bands seek to deliver a rock-infused jazz sound in their performances. In fact, the two collectives are intertwined, sharing a number of similar influences and band members.
Bob Kling plays bass in both bands and Kevin McMann, Captain Green’s saxophone player, was originally a member of Burris.
Friday’s audience can expect to see a large amount of sit-ins and collaborations between the two ensembles, Captain Green guitarist Grant Hudson said.
Burris, a seven-piece jazz ensemble, formed in 2012 while guitarist and vocalist Chris Hochkeppel and drummer Scott Graves were pursuing music degrees at LSU. Hochkeppel said he always sought to improve the band by adding a variety of musicians who would give Burris the full sound that comes with being a collective.
“I’ve always liked the sound of bands like Chicago, Blood, Sweat & Tears and Dave Matthews Band,” Hochkeppel said. “These big seven or eight-piece groups that have a full sound.”
Burris’ latest project, “Meant To Be,” released in October 2015. The album’s recording was made possible by $2,000 worth of studio time the band won in a battle of the bands competition in Lafayette in January 2014.
“It all just came together right when we knew as a band that we needed a debut album,” Hochkeppel said. “It really worked in our favor and it seemed like something that was meant to be. That’s where the album’s title comes from.”
On Friday, Burris will perform a handful of older tracks, as well as a number of new tunes, Hochkeppel said.
Just like Burris, Captain Green has roots in LSU’s music school, but added other local talents by playing in Baton Rouge’s music scene and getting to know fellow artists.
Captain Green has released two full-length albums, “Everywhere Is Where It’s At” and “Protect Each Other Together.”
“The scope of [‘Protect Each Other Together’] was huge. We wanted it to be really epic,” Hudson said. “All of the songs are pretty long in length and have a very intense psychedelic element to them.”
The band is currently working on a new album, “Jazz Noise,” featuring compositions from Ross Hoppe, the band’s keyboard player, and David Melancon, the band’s trumpet player. Hudson plans to release “Jazz Noise” sometime in the fall.
Captain Green has performed at music festivals throughout the country, most notably Wakarusa, a 40,000-person festival in Ozark, Arkansas, where they played a late night Friday set – unheard of for unsigned bands.
Hudson said he sees big things on the horizon this year for both Captain Green and Baton Rouge’s jazz culture in general.
“There’s a lot of new talent coming up. A lot of the younger generation are starting to study the older generation,” he said. “As soon as that starts happening more, we get better musicians.”
When: Friday, April 1 at 9 p.m.
Where: The Spanish Moon, 1109 Highland Rd.
Tickets: $10
A member from the band, Burris, plays keyboard on Saturday, April 25, 2015 during Festival International de Louisiane in Lafayette.
