Matt 'Cozy' Coleman - Vocals/Guitar. The primary songwriter for the band, Matt's voice & lyrical ability really shine with the Hobos. The songs he writes for 'Hobo Jazz' are some of the best things your ever gonna here. He's truly a great talent & we consider ourselves very fortunate to play with him. His bare-nuckled guitar style puts many fine hobo songs in high gear! When he's not playing with Hobo Jazz he can be found playing with Totem Maples, Kimberly Jenkins, or playing his own songs to much acclaim.
'Gentleman' Joe Perez - drums/vocals, the smartass on the skins. His lyrical way of playing the drums makes him one of the more sought after drummers in the vintage music scene. Also a member of 'Big Sandy & His Fly Rite Boys', Joe has played with a slew of talented acts; Rockin' Ryan, Rip Carson, Eddie Nichols, The Rumble Kings, Darrin Stout, The Blue Suedes, Karling Abbygate and a host of others. His dead-on jazz stylings are a big part of the Hobo Jazz sound. He so good it'll make yer butt jiggle!
Then you've got Marquis 'Big Stick' Howell - Upright Bass/Vocals. Met up with Matt at the open-mic night at The Coffee Depot in 2002 & we've been cookin' ever since. Someone asked me to put some of my influences here..so here; Emmett Miller, Cliff Edwards, Louis Prima, Fats Waller, Johnny Cash, Son House, Mississippi John Hurt, Siouxsie Sioux, hot jazz & folk blues .. you get the picture.
In the long History of Honorary Hobos there's Fiddlin' Brian Price with his fiddlin' fingers of fury! Chad Villareal is our main back-up drum beater & Oso Rey has filled in well on a few occasions, Dave "Old" Brown "Shoe" on the Bull Fiddle, Saxy Gabe on the Sax, Craig Hobo (a.k.a. Piano Drag Craig) with the Electric Bass/Washboard, & Fernando on the upright bass started us out right.
People ask us sometimes, "Where'd you get that name, hobo jazz?" well, lemme tell you. Matt's other band 'Totem Maples' had a night at the Coffee Depot that they couldn't fill so Matt had to fill the time. He invited me (Marquis) & another fellow to jam with him. That show went alright so Matt & I did another show billed as 'Matt Coleman & Marquis Howell' (Also playing that night were Mark & Lisa from Bucksworth!). That show went well enough so we decided to do another. This time Matt called on a couple friends to supply some upright bass (Fernando) & drums (Joe). That show was a hoot, we weren't quite 'Hobo Jazz' yet until after a fella (Iain) was talking to Matt after the show and told him that we sounded like '..some kind of weird hobo-jazz'. Well Matt asked me if I liked it, I told him hell yeah, & that was that.
Some might call us a skiffle band, some might say blues, hillbilly, folk, or even jazz. We just say we're Hobo Jazz & dispense with all the fancy words. We play the music of the contemporary 1930's hobo country bluesman. This is part rail ridin' music, part field holler sonnet. Part rock-a-billy Cadillac, part 1932 Fordor Wagon. One part dirty hobo, one part hot jazz.
We're Hobos in the free & vagabond sense of the term. Hobos aren't bums, Hobos aren't beggars. Hobos want to earn their way with various odd jobs. Never staying in one place to long, hobos lived life their own way, much in the way jazz makes music it's own way. Jazz isn't about a soothing horn over a mellow bass line, it's about jubilation & excitement. The syncopation feeds your jive hungry feet & the flirtatious melody makes your jeans wiggle. Hobo Jazz is our honest interpretation of this vintage joy that we feel is best not left to history.
But Hobo Jazz is more than just us goofballs, it's in the spirit of Johnny Cash & Louis Armstrong. It's in the spirit of anyone influenced by an Emmet Miller yodel or a Louis Prima yelp. This is American roots music with roots all over the world. Whether based in blues, folk, jazz, or gospel, this is the music we play. We hope you come see a show & we hope you like it.
