>>Graveyard of restaurants claims its final victim in Kettering
The sounds of the celebrated musical city pump through his veins but the artist born Troy Andrews is not a staunch traditionalist. With his funk rock band, Orleans Avenue, the 32-year-old multi-instrumentalist creates a musical gumbo flavored by the jazz of Wynton Marsalis, the R&B of Alan Toussaint, the funk of the Meters and the hip-hop of Juvenile.
“New Orleans is the reason I’m open to doing different things,” Andrews said. “The city directly influenced me because I was able to walk down the street and play with the Neville Brothers and go into another club and be on stage with the Marsalis family and then go up town and work with Juvenile and Mannie Fresh. We’re all in New Orleans but we all play different styles of New Orleans music, so being in a city like that opened up my mind to look at things like a gumbo.”
>>Sit, Shop, Sip and Stroll at Oregon District's District Day this weekend
Today, Andrews is one of the prime figures of modern New Orleans music, which has led to some interesting pop culture moments. There were animated projects like “Peanuts Movie” and an episode of “The Simpsons,” and a recent onstage appearance with Elmo and other Jim Henson creations as well as a figure in Shorty’s likeness.
“I never imagined I’d be a Muppet,” he said. “It’s not on the actual TV show but it was great to do the live show with them and sing with Elmo. I never dreamt of that kind of stuff but a lot of great unexpected things have happened because of the music. I’m very happy they even thought of me.
>>2 local restaurants take top prizes at BaconFest
“Great things keep happening to me that are unplanned,” Andrews said. “It’s not like we worked on them or thought about them, they just happen out of the blue and that’s really cool.”
WANT TO GO?
What: Voodoo Threauxdown with Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Galactic, Preservation Hall Jazz Band and others
Where: Rose Music Center, 6800 Executive Blvd., Huber Heights
When: 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 24. Doors open at 6 p.m.
Cost: $23.50-$73
More info: 937-228-2323 or www.ticketmaster.com
Artist info: www.tromboneshorty.net.
About the Author