Get ready to have a great time–New Orleans style! There will be beads, masks, New Orleans-inspired cocktails, and of course great music. Don’t miss this brand new Mardi Gras tradition at The Franke!
The party’s musical performer, Great Lakes Brass, celebrates the culture and traditions of New Orleans, with an emphasis on the style and sounds of genre-bending brass bands and second lines. They play traditional songs that are iconic to the origin story of jazz, blues, and funk. They also take cues from contemporary brass band culture, riffing on popular and original music through our funky, New Orleans & Michigan lens. Reverence for history is intertwined with ongoing creative adaptation and their pledge to play it forward.
Great Lakes Brass has played extensively across the state of Michigan, including popular festivals like Harvest Gathering, Buttermilk Jamboree, Blissfest, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, ArtPrize, Sounds of the Zoo, and many others. GLB founded the annual Mardi Gras celebration, “Saugatuck Second Line” in their inaugural outing in 2020, and have collaborated with many artists since, including Airborne or Aquatic, Seth Bernard, The Rebel Eves, Peter Madcat Ruth, Rachael Davis, A. Billi Free, Charlie Millard, Hannah Laine, Joshua Davis, The Frank Youngman All Stars, and Kait Rose to name a few.
Trumpet, trombone, and saxophone play familiar melodies driven by sousaphone and percussion. On the street or the stage, their music moves. Based in Fennville, MI – Great Lakes Brass features a lineup of remarkable Michigan musicians, including Fred Bueltmann (Sousaphone), Josh Keller (Trumpet), Jarad Saxsquatch Selner (Saxophone), Scott Dumas (Trombone), Dede Alder (Drums), Carolyn Koebel (Drums), Andrew Schrock (Vocals), Brad Fritcher (Trumpet), Ken Cooper (Trumpet), Adam Danis (Drums), and many others.
