“Laissez les bon temps rouler!” means, in French, “let the good times roll.” It has become the motto of the Voodoo Saints, a local New Orleans style Dixieland jazz trio that is playing at the Bama Theatre tonight at 7:30 p.m.
The trio’s performance is part of the Bama Theatre’s Acoustic Night that features new and upcoming musicians throughout the year for a $5 cover charge.
The Voodoo Saints are comprised of three members: UA graduates Nathan Holaway on guitar and vocals, John Holaway on reeds and vocals and UA senior Adrian Maramolejo on bass and vocals.
“Our music is probably synonymous with the charm of street music in the French Quarter, but it also has a lot of raw power,” Nathan Holaway said. “[Our music] is anything but quiet.”
Playing everything from heavy jazz swing to bluesy swampy tunes, their sound and style is self-described as “gumbo music.”
“It is the little bit of culture Tuscaloosa needs,” Adrian Marmolejo said. “In my opinion anyway, [Tuscaloosa] is a little flat.”
The trio has been playing together for about a year and half now. Their first gig was a Prohibition-themed birthday party. They strive to bring happy, feel-good music to Tuscaloosa.
“We just got together as a joke,” Nathan Holaway said. “Someone at the party asked us how long we had been playing together, and we said about 35 minutes or so. We were told we needed to make this a constant thing, so we regrouped after the party and made it happen.”
Since then, the band has played numerous places around Tuscaloosa including The Kentuck Arts Festival, The Alcove, International Tavern, Evangeline’s Restaurant, Carmelo Café and Chloe’s Cup.
The Voodoo Saints call Chloe’s Cup a sort of home base for them in Tuscaloosa. They play at the Cup every Tuesday from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Since the release of their first album, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2012, the trio has been trying to get the word out about their music through release parties. CDs will be available for purchase at Acoustic Night for $10, as well as on Tuesday nights at Chloe’s Cup.
“Our CD tries to cover a little of everything we do,” John Holaway said. “We are completely in it, but it is a variety of tunes from old classics to new funky stuff. It is a gumbo.”
For the members of the trio, New Orleans has always held a special place in their hearts.
“I am wearing a Fleur-de-lis right now and a New Orleans t-shirt,” Nathan Holaway said. “My wife and I got married in Jackson Square. I have always loved New Orleans and felt my soul was born there. I was physically born in Alabama, but I felt my soul was born in the city of New Orleans the first time I visited.”
Marmolejo grew up in Fairhope, Ala., not far from New Orleans. For him, Mardi Gras was something he always attended.
“I have always loved the New Orleans sound,” John Holaway said. “It is something all encompassing.”
For the Voodoo Saints, whose love of New Orleans is no secret, any night can now be a Mardi Gras night, they said.
“[Wednesday] we are hoping to have Mardi Gras part two,” Nathan Holaway said.
The Voodoo Saints said they encourage everyone to “let the good times roll” and come join them for a post-Mardi Gras Mardi Gras at the Bama Theatre.
For more information about the Voodoo Saints, visit their website, voodoosaints.com.
