The New Orleans Nightcrawlers are a funky, rootsy, brass band supergroup that has become a favorite New Orleans institution over the course of their 30-year lifespan. Their Latin-tinged, jazz-based music erupts in joy and brings audiences to their feet whenever they perform. Founded in 1994 by pianist Tom McDermott, sousaphonist Matt Perrine and trumpeter Kevin Clark, the group was meant as a writer’s workshop for brass band music, and from the beginning, the band stood apart with their clever songwriting and sharp arrangements. Original members also included trumpeter Barney Floyd, Frank Oxley, Mark Morris, and Peter Kaplan on percussion, Craig Klein and Rick Trolsen on trombones, and saxophonists Eric Traub, Ken "Snakebite" Jacobs and Jason Mingledorff and trumpeter Satoru Ohashi. The steady current lineup includes Perrine, Clark, Craig “Sparky” Klein, Barney Floyd, Jason Mingledorff, Brent Rose, Miles Lyons, and Cayetano Hingle. Longtime drummer Kerry “Fatman” Hunter was tragically killed by a drunk driver during Mardi Gras of 2024. 

Each band member is busy with a variety of projects, which can make recording projects a scheduling nightmare, but when logistical challenges are surmounted, the results are sublime, as with the 2020 release Atmosphere, which took home the 2021 Grammy award for Best Regional Roots Music album, bringing joy to the city during the pandemic’s dark hours. Although it did not win, their 2023 follow-up, Too Much to Hold, also earned a Grammy nomination. 

The Nightcrawlers have toured the world and remain local favorites at home, and gained even more recognition when featured in Season 29 of The Simpsons. They’ve played with numerous guests, including Henry Butler, Evan Christopher, Trombone Shorty, Bruce Hornsby, and rappers Pell, Alfred Banks, and HaSizzle on the hometown NBA team tribute, “Smooth Like a Pelican.” Listen for top songs such as the raucous “Tomb Tune,” Jason Mingledorff’s “Mardi Gras Mumbles,” and the local radio favorite, “90.7.”