With only a 7" single to their name, the expansive Afrobeat group Black Market Brass have gained local notoriety solely on the strength of their live shows, which can be engaging, hypnotic, and irresistibly groovy.

In their first year on the scene they earned a nod from the Star Tribune for being one of the Twin Cities' best live acts, and they've already played massive stages like the First Avenue Mainroom, where they regularly appear in the Funk on First showcase. They have a debut album in the works, but we couldn't wait for its release to get them into the studio — we knew we wanted to capture this band's energy while their buzz was white hot.

Black Market Brass brought 11 players along for the ride for this After Hours session, and between songs the band's guitarists Hans Kruger and Mitch Sigurdson, drummer Murphy Janssen, conga player David Tullis, and tenor saxophonist Cole Pulice talked to Andrea Swensson about the group's Afrobeat influences and their place in the expanding Twin Cities brass band scene.

Performers

Hans Kruger (guitar)
Mitch Sigurdson (guitar)
Charlie Bruber (bass)
David Tullis (congas)
Murphy Janssen (drums)
Connor Klausing (percussion)
Sam Harvey-Carlson (keys)
Jared Jarvis (tenor sax)
Cole Pulice (baritone sax)
Cameron Kinghorn (trumpet)
Ryan Splinter (trombone)

Songs

"Gloom"
"Half a Cig"

Credits

Hosted by Andrea Swensson
Produced by Evan Clark and Andrea Swensson
Engineered by Evan Clark
After Hours Theme by Andrea Swensson, performed by Black Market Brass

Gallery

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