Candice McMahon
Special to The Morning Star
The Vernon Jazz Club is about to be transformed for a Dixieland-style jazz night.
Patrons can expect a night of high-energy New Orleans jazz, intimate acoustic moments, and cheeky vocals with the Milk Crate Bandits Oct. 20.
This Vancouver-based group has released two EPs, The Neighbourhood and The View from Out Here, which were both recorded in New Orleans with Preservation Hall trumpet player Kevin Louis.
The Milk Crate Bandits started with Jack Ray busking on the streets of Sydney, Australia, followed by his quintessential move to Vancouver, and, of course, with Ray stealing milk crates to sit on while he played his banjo.
The Milk Crate Bandits make happy, party music. Walking down the streets of Vancouver, you may be lucky enough to come across them, sitting on their stolen plastic thrones, playing the Dixieland Swing sounds of New Orleans. Yes, some may say they’re crooks, but the petty theft of a milk crate from a back alley is surely absolved by the love of music they bestow upon their audiences. The joy of their music is infectious, and some even say that being an accessory to a misdemeanour makes it all the more fun.
When Ray moved from his home base of Sydney, he connected with various jazz musicians in Vancouver pretty much straight away. As it happens, many of the initial musicians he met are on these recordings.
“The first night I got off the plane, I went to a thing called the Van City Hot Jazz Jam, and I met most of the people on the record, Jen Hodge and all the people from the Rossi Gang,” Ray said.
“The sense of community around the music and how into it, they were so inspired by these old recordings, going back and learning the verses to things, and looking at these old ragtime pieces and things like that, elements that inspired me. Also, just how pretty and beautiful the neighbourhood is. Australia is incredibly flat. It’s beautiful in its own way, but Vancouver has these lovely tall mountains and beautiful green trees. It’s so pleasant and peaceful. I think I wrote most of the album just walking around looking at the old, gorgeous houses.”
Come on out to experience an incredible night of Dixieland jazz with stunning original compositions, fun arrangements of old favourites, and clever interplay between the all-star band.
Milk Crate Bandits will be onstage at the Vernon Jazz Club (3000-31 Street) on Oct. 20th at 8 p.m. Doors open at 7:15 p.m. A cash-only bar is on site. Tickets $20 online at vernonjazz.com and at Expressions of Time (2901-30 Ave), with a $5 rebate at the gig for VJS members. We are a volunteer-run organization. Please consider joining us.
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