HI-FI and HIFI Annex will host over 30 artists for 8 consecutive days in Fountain Square. Holler on the Square is finally here and Tank & the Bangas is set to kick off the festivities tomorrow night! Less than 200 tickets remain for what some are already calling “show of the year”
Sunday September 12 | Holler On The Square
All Ages Welcome | Health Check Required
A limited amount of tickets are still available – This show is on a sell out alert.
5:00 PM Gates Open
5:40 PM McKinley Dixon
6:40 PM Clint Breeze & the Groove
8:00 PM Tank & the Bangas
10:00 PM Curfew
Tank and The Bangas don’t go anywhere quietly. The group can’t go mere minutes without bursting into play fights, or talking over one another, or laughing from their deepest guts. They are a beacon of life. And it’s that life that you hear in their music. That’s what makes this five-piece one of the most thrilling, unpredictable and sonically diverse bands on the planet; a unit where jazz meets hip-hop, soul meets rock, and funk is the beating heart of everything they do.
Their new album Green Balloon is on the horizon, and it’s their first release now they’re signed to major label Verve Forecast – a deal that came after they won NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest in 2017, beating out hundreds of other acts. They admit that it was a moment that has entirely changed their lives. This resulting record is set to prove their pizazz and their staying power. It’s everything they’ve worked so hard for so far.
The founding members of the band (Tank, Josh and Norman) met at an open mic night in New Orleans in 2011 called Liberation Lounge. Tank had wanted Josh to write out songs she’d already written for a poetry album. Eventually they met Albert. A family of musical lifers, none of them ever thought twice about quitting through years and years of grinding it out on local live circuits. That time gave them the best foundation for their onstage chemistry and dexterity. As a result they’ve been heralded the best live band in America and for good reason.
It was the NPR contest that turned their world upside down. They were already accustomed to winning competitions but they had no expectations for their entry. Their submission is an example of their need for more discipline – they did it at the very last minute. “We weren’t expecting to win or not to win. We did something we thought was really cool and we thought everybody would vibe with it, but we didn’t know it would change our lives. It was our moment. They picked us unanimously.” They went from traveling to the likes of Chicago to play to three or four people, to touring all over the world, and getting to enjoy downtime at home in New Orleans.
Despite their newfound global focus, Tank and The Bangas remain a New Orleans band at heart. New Orleans is a lawless place for creatives – there are no rules. There might be an idea of the typical Frenchmen St jazz band but to couch this band’s work in that notion is to do both them and NOLA a grand disservice. ”You don’t need to do a certain type of music to be connected to New Orleans,” says Tank. “It’s in the culture, it’s in the people, it’s in the fact that we can all find so many common things in the streets.” New Orleans champions its own, which allowed Tank and The Bangas to grow their fanbase by word of mouth and community. “That’s more New Orleans than anything I’ve ever heard. The music in New Orleans isn’t technical, it’s not a bunch of fancy ass notes. It’s felt and it’s very passionate. It’s real. That’s what people get to take home.”
It makes sense that the next person they have on their dream list to work with is legendary musician George Clinton. “Just putting it out there,” laughs Tank. Overall, the band are no longer waiting for their own green light to get going. The green light is here, and you better believe Tank and The Bangas are ready to take flight.
Fountain Square will be electric when Tank & the Bangas take the stage at HI-FI Annex tomorrow night. Get there early for local legends Clint Breeze & the Groove and rising artist McKinley Dixon.