From 1997-2013 Brandon Tarricone lived, studied, and immersed himself in the New Orleans music scene, performing, touring, putting out many albums and running his bands Brotherhood of Groove (2000-2010) and projects under his own name. In 2013 Tarricone moved back to Massachusetts, where he had grown up, to bring his groove back to this area of the country and establish his Krewe family of musicians with Krewe de Groove, the Krewe de Roux, and Skunk Sessions.
Projects:
Krewe de Groove-With its transcendence of Funk, Soul, Jam, and Roots Rock, Krewe de Groove brings together some of the best and musicians in Massachusetts to create its musical family. After 16 years based out of New Orleans, guitarist/vocalist Brandon Tarricone is back on the east coast and has brought the flavor of the bayou back to New England with his original sound. Justin Lopes on B3 organ, John Iltis on drums, and Dave Walker on bass make up the Krewe’s rhythm section and their tight, syncopated pocket. Well known sax players Henley Douglas Jr and Eric Schindler make up the horn section, blowing up the funk that lays on top (literally!). Tarricone’s original compositions, vocals, and sprinkled arrangements of classic New Orleans material is combined to make every show, interesting, fun and always danceable. With 6 original albums released between 2001-2016 and a large list of precisely chosen covers, the band plays different shows every night.
Skunk Sessions = Jams at there best….Brought to you by a Super-Group of musicians from the Salem Massachusetts area. Brandon Tarricone, Eric Reardon, Theo Brierley, and Derek Hayden are the forces behind this powerful music. This is no cover band, as they have a huge list of original material to prove it, yet they consistently jam in and out of clutch covers throughout their greatly varying shows. This approach takes audiences on a fresh musical journey each night by integrating in songs everyone loves, with their original material, from a huge, and always growing song book. Skunk’s original material is often hailed by fans as being their favorite part of the show, but their play book is over 170 songs (and growing) whirling in and our of material by other artists/bands such as The Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers, David Bowie, Phish, The Talking Heads, The Band, The Neville Brothers, Eric Clapton, Stevie Wonder, Dr. John, The Beatles, Crosby Stills and Nash and more. These gentleman perform in all different genres, hundreds of gigs a year, giving them a strong following and a platform to create their Jam/Rock/Roots/Blues music with their own creative distinction. Brandon Tarricone, Guitarist/Singer/Composer, known for his 12 years heading up the popular New Orleans based band Brotherhood of Groove, along with current projects Krewe de Groove and Krewe de Roux, carries 25+ years of professional playing and touring experience. Tarricone has toured and performed all over the USA and around the world at some of the most popular venues and along side a long list of world class musicians. Eric Reardon, Guitarist, is hometown musical royalty where he was born and raised in Salem Ma. Reardon has been performing for 17 years all over New England since he was a young 14 year old guitarist with a hardcore following of cult fans with other projects including Sarah and the Wild Versatile and Casual Acquaintances. Eric’s guitar chops are like none other on the scene today. Derek Hayden, percussionist/drummer, is a hard working and in demand performer in the Boston/New England area who has performed with everyone from the Boston Symphony Orchestra to Merrimack Delta Dub Set and everything in between. Theo Brierley rounds out the bands low end on Bass guitar, as the newest member who joined in 2021.
Krewe de Roux- Is a Trad Jazz Band (New Orleans Tradition Jazz) in many ways, while sprinkling their own flavor on everything played, just like a gumbo (hence the Roux). Tarricone created this band to be able to bring a mellower project into restaurants, bars, and private parties that wanted an engaging show with the audience, without it being too loud or aggressive. Their huge list of material ranges from Louis Armstrong to Ray Charles and all things in between including quite a few originals played in this style…. This band swings hard!! and with vocals on top it keeps audiences engaged and having fun all night, whether they want to dance or sit back and listen. Krewe de Roux performs both as a Trio featuring Tarricone on Guitar/Vocals, Henley Douglas Jr on Saxophone, and Theo Brierley on Standup Bass (w/no drums) for mellower gigs, but can also adds a small cocktail drum kit with brushes played by Derek Hayden, making the band a four piece, when its preferred. Derek also sings when he is joining the group on drums which adds a nice layer of two vocals along with the 4 piece.
Past Projects:
Tarricone’s first major touring project, Brotherhood of Groove (BOG), toured the country extensively from 2001-2010, performing across 32 states while establishing a mainstay in the New Orleans music culture. BOG released 3 albums nationally, and 1 album internationally over their 9 years of touring, performing over 100 shows a year. The Brotherhood’s communal musicianship incorporated a number of amazing players into their line up over the years, in New Orleans, and on tour including horn masters: Michael Ray (trumpet, Phish/Sun Ra/Kool and the Gang), John Ellis (sax, Charlie Hunter Quartet), Jeff Watkins (James Brown, Joss Stone, New Orleans Suspects), Henley Douglas, Jr. (sax, Heavy Metal Horns/Boston Horns), Michael Tucker (sax, Pat Metheny, Head Shaft), Dave Grippo (sax, Giant Country Horns, Phish), Eric Traub (sax, Dr. John), John Stewart (sax, The Motet), Sam Kininger (sax, Soulive, Lettuce), Garret Savluk (Heavy Metal Horns/Boston Horns) are some of those who rotated within the Brotherhood’s communal horn section. In 2009 Tarricone also started writing and performing with 3 other side projects in New Orleans. The Easies, The Goods, and WeB3. These projects were each original in their own right and explored different types of music from one another, yet all in the New Orleans style. Over his career Tarricone has performed with a stellar list of players including John Scofield, Fareed Haque and Garage Mahal, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, Dave Grippo (sax, Trey Anastasio band, Phish), Michael Ray, (trumpet, Kool and the Gang, Phish, Sun Ra), The Slip, Fareed Haque Group, Papa Grows Funk, George Porter Jr. (bass, Meters), Russell Batiste (drums, Meters), Ivan Neville (keys, Neville Brothers), New Orleans Klezmer All-stars, Eric Traub (sax, Dr. John), Mean Willy Green (drums, Neville Brothers), John Ellis (sax, Charlie Hunter), James Andrews (trumpet, New Orleans “Satchmo of the Ghetto”), Trombone Shorty, The Boston Horns, Astral Project, Sam Kininger (sax, Soulive, Lettuce), Jeff Walkins (sax, James Brown), CR Groover (New Orleans Suspects).
Between 2009-2013 Tarricone ran two separate bands, The Goods, and the Easies. These bands stayed locally in the New Orleans market playing multiple times a week around the city up and down Frenchman Street, the Maple Leaf Bar, Tipitinas etc.