Bonerama a Blast in Local Debut
Albany Times Union
By GREG HAYMES, Staff writer
First published: Tuesday, August 5, 2003

ALBANY -- Bonerama had three strikes against them before they even took the stage at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center on Monday night.

First of all, they weren't the subdudes, the New Orleans-based roots-funksters who were scheduled to play, but canceled due to a death in the family of one of the bandmembers.

Secondly, nobody knew who Bonerama was. They've released only one album on a small Louisiana indie
label, and until Monday evening, they'd never played in the Capital Region.

Thirdly, the show was slated to take place in Albany's Washington Park but was shifted to the Convention Center on Monday because of the threat of thunderstorms.

So let's give kudos to Bonerama (and to Second Wind Productions' Mona Golub, who scrambled to bring them to town on a moment's notice) for overcoming the odds and delivering a truly wailing show.

As you might have guessed, Bonerama is all about
trombones. The New Orleans combo featured three --count 'em, three -- trombones, a sousaphone, a drummer and a guitarist. You might call them a Crescent City brass band for the 21st century.

Led by 'bonist Mark Mullins -- who also plays in Harry Connick Jr.'s band -- Bonerama kept things funky and in the groove all night long, and it didn't seem to matter where the repertoire came from. During the course of their 90-minute show, the band rummaged through the song bags of the swinging Count Basie Orchestra, the super-funky Meters and heavy metal pioneers Black Sabbath.

Expert players with imagination to support their technique, Mullins and his 'bone-mates Steve Suter and Greg Nix gracefully slid back and forth -- blasting away in unison like a rock band and then fracturing into funky fugues like a Dixieland band.

Of course, a band this innovative needs crack arrangements, and Bonerama's were drop-dead brilliant, especially a smooth-as-silk glide through Cannonball Adderley's classic blues "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" and a show-stopping take on Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein."

Mullins also is a mind-bogglingly good electric trombonist. When he launched into "Crosstown Traffic" with a wah-wah solo, it was almost as if he were channeling Jimi Hendrix himself.

They were a wonder to behold, and anyone who took a chance on Bonerama was rewarded with a joyous evening of fine, funky sounds.

BONERAMA with CAPTAIN SQUEEZE AND THE ZYDECO MOSHERS

When: 7:30 p.m. Monday
Where: The Convention Center, Empire State Plaza,
Albany
Musical highlights: Hendrix's "Crosstown Traffic,"
Adderley's "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" and Winter's
"Frankenstein"
The crowd: Sadly, only about 300 fans discovered the joy of Bonerama.