Biography
Drums & Tuba emerged from a fusion of multiple genres and exploratory approaches that shaped their distinctive sound. Based in New York, the three musicians wove together elements of rock, Afro-beat, jazz, punk, electronica, New Orleans brass band traditions, and funk, producing instrumental pieces built around both grooves and structured compositions. The lineup featured Brian Wolff on tuba, trumpet, and trombone, Anthony Nozero handling drums, percussion, and electronics, and Neal McKeeby on guitars. Their shift toward greater emphasis on electronica and rock became evident with Vinyl Killer, issued in 2001 on Ani DiFranco’s Righteous Babe Records.
The story began in 1995 in Austin, TX, after the three musicians had each arrived there during the early ’90s in search of fresh creative directions. Wolff and Nozero first performed as the duo Just Drums & Tuba, playing weekend nights for tips along Sixth Street in downtown Austin. Although they considered expanding with another horn player to pursue a brass band format, the scarcity of suitable musicians in Austin led them instead to recruit guitarist McKeeby, who had previously performed with Wolff in the rock band Hominy Bop, and the group shortened its name to Drums & Tuba. Their debut release, Box Fetish, appeared in 1997 on T.E.C. Tones and was later reissued on My Pal God Records, followed by The Flying Ballerina in 1998 and Flatheads and Spoonies in 1999, the latter marking their first project for My Pal God. Wolff had absorbed early inspiration from the Rebirth Brass Band of New Orleans, while all three members drew from the Meters; electronica began appearing in their work on Flatheads and Spoonies, with both electronica and Fela Kuti’s Afro-beat music assuming larger roles on Vinyl Killer. After local performances in Austin and limited touring, the band fragmented in late 1999 as its members moved to separate cities, with Wolff returning to his native New York City to pursue a master’s degree in music education at New York University and Nozero, originally from Madison, WI, relocating to Chicago.
Ani DiFranco revived the project by inviting the trio to open for her band on tour in 1998 after learning of them through a recording engineer at Congress House Studios during one of her own visits to Austin. The experience of touring reignited their momentum and sharpened their focus on defining their musical identity. They maintained conventional song structures while pushing boundaries through the incorporation of diverse styles. In 2000 they issued two independent recordings, the 7-inch Borscht and the EP Cairo, and that same year they toured again with DiFranco as well as with the New Orleans-based group Galactic. DiFranco subsequently signed them to Righteous Babe Records, resulting in the 2001 release of Vinyl Killer, co-produced by DiFranco and her associate Andrew “Goat Boy” Gilchrist, followed by Mostly Ape in 2002 and Battles Olé in 2005.
The story began in 1995 in Austin, TX, after the three musicians had each arrived there during the early ’90s in search of fresh creative directions. Wolff and Nozero first performed as the duo Just Drums & Tuba, playing weekend nights for tips along Sixth Street in downtown Austin. Although they considered expanding with another horn player to pursue a brass band format, the scarcity of suitable musicians in Austin led them instead to recruit guitarist McKeeby, who had previously performed with Wolff in the rock band Hominy Bop, and the group shortened its name to Drums & Tuba. Their debut release, Box Fetish, appeared in 1997 on T.E.C. Tones and was later reissued on My Pal God Records, followed by The Flying Ballerina in 1998 and Flatheads and Spoonies in 1999, the latter marking their first project for My Pal God. Wolff had absorbed early inspiration from the Rebirth Brass Band of New Orleans, while all three members drew from the Meters; electronica began appearing in their work on Flatheads and Spoonies, with both electronica and Fela Kuti’s Afro-beat music assuming larger roles on Vinyl Killer. After local performances in Austin and limited touring, the band fragmented in late 1999 as its members moved to separate cities, with Wolff returning to his native New York City to pursue a master’s degree in music education at New York University and Nozero, originally from Madison, WI, relocating to Chicago.
Ani DiFranco revived the project by inviting the trio to open for her band on tour in 1998 after learning of them through a recording engineer at Congress House Studios during one of her own visits to Austin. The experience of touring reignited their momentum and sharpened their focus on defining their musical identity. They maintained conventional song structures while pushing boundaries through the incorporation of diverse styles. In 2000 they issued two independent recordings, the 7-inch Borscht and the EP Cairo, and that same year they toured again with DiFranco as well as with the New Orleans-based group Galactic. DiFranco subsequently signed them to Righteous Babe Records, resulting in the 2001 release of Vinyl Killer, co-produced by DiFranco and her associate Andrew “Goat Boy” Gilchrist, followed by Mostly Ape in 2002 and Battles Olé in 2005.
Albums
