NEW ORLEANS' GAMBIT MAGAZINE

Bonerama Live at the Old Point (Independent)

" Welcome to the trombone," it reads on the inside back cover of Bonerama's debut CD. "You don't have to be afraid anymore." Most music fans don't appreciate the trombone, but if Bonerama can't change that, no band can. Though it's missing the visual thrill of a five-bone front line, Live at the Old Point does deliver the incredible sonic strength of Bonerama's peculiar configuration (five trombones, guitar, tuba, and drums).

Drawing heavily on local funk standards, the album runs through a fairly diverse set of styles with jazz, rock, and some originals, displaying versatility. After all, the band features players from all walks of local music life, from the LPO to the Funky Meters. Led by pro-trombone activist Mark Mullins (MuleBone, Harry Connick Jr.),
Bonerama gets right down to business with "Bap Bap," a powerful Mullins original. The album really heats up on track three, with an eight-minute version of the recent New Orleans funk anthem, "Blues For Ben." The tune sounds like it was made for trombone, and an electro-trombone solo by Mullins takes it to an unexpected psychedelic level. By mid-album, the band has ventured to jazz and back. They visit the '70s rock era with an explosive cover of Led Zeppelin's "Moby Dick," which works surprisingly well with horns. Plenty of wacky guitar work by Bert Cotton enhances the authenticity, and an awesome two-minute drum solo by the Funky Meters' Russell Batiste captures the spontaneous energy of live performance. After a series of moderately exciting jazz numbers and originals that sound like show tunes, the album closes out with Bonerama's perennial crowd-pleaser, Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein."

-- Diettinger