News

Rad Trads wrap up Rhythm & Brews season

The Rad Trads brings horn drenched soul and jazz precision to the Rhythm & Brews stage Thursday.

By Lightning Reports, Published: September 14, 2019

The Rhythm & Brews Concert Series downtown wraps up the 2019 season with the Honey Island Swamp Band performing at 5:30 p.m. and the Rad Trads performing at 7:30 Thursday, Sept. 19.

Hailing from Brooklyn, New York, the radical tradition band mixes punk rock energy, horn drenched soul, and jazz precision, all with a lighthearted but sincere delivery. Meeting at New York University in 2012 as conservatory-trained instrumentalists looking to play with NYC’s best musicians, twin brothers John (Drums, Vocals) and Michael Fatum (Trumpet, Vocals), Michael Harlen (Bass, Vocals), Alden Harris-McCoy (Guitar, Vocals), and Patrick Sargent (Keys, Saxophone, Vocals) were, at that time, just “a bunch of buds looking to play the bars and drink for free,” according to John Fatum.
“The Rad Trads started off with a bastardized jazz repertoire that was modified, on stage, into whatever seemed to get the audience moving.” The band quickly developed a loyal connection with its audiences.
The New Orleans-based Honey Island Swamp Band is described as “Bayou Americana,” that critics have compared to The Allman Brothers, Little Feat and The Band. The band encompasses the sounds of blues, roots, country, and soul along with honest and heartfelt lyrics from life experiences such as Hurricane Katrina in their hometown.
The free outdoor concert downtown on South Main Street between Allen and Caswell streets downtown offers local foods, wines, craft beer and hard cider. Hands On! Children’s Museum booth provides fun for the whole family.