8 October 2019
Israel Wheatley
On Oct. 14, New York-based band Too Many Zooz will be performing at the Black Sheep concert hall in Colorado Springs. Labeling themselves with a self-created musical genre ‘brasshouse,’ the group’s interesting interpretation of several genres—from jazz to pop to hip hop—has earned them a successful spot in this decade in music, even giving them a spot to play with Beyoncé for the CMA Awards in 2016.
Too Many Zooz’ baritone sax player Leo Pellegrino (Leo P) gave us a quick preview into the group and their upcoming concert.
How would you describe Too Many Zooz in five words?
Five words, so … wow… explosive, energetic, dance, party, fun.
I’ve heard that your group has essentially coined their own style, which is ‘brasshouse.’ Could you tell me more about that?
Yeah, brasshouse is something we’ve created in the subway … it’s based on, like, a kind of EDM music, it has that same type of energy, but it has the communication style of, like, jazz, you know. Like, a lot of it is improvised, like the way jazz is. So, it’s, like, a combination of a piano trio or something with jazz, and a DJ kind of. And, you know, with a little sprinkle of pop and rock and hip hop and stuff.
Would you say that you benefit from having this conglomeration of different musical styles? Would you say that that has helped garner you a broad fanbase?
Yeah, definitely, I mean that’s why people come to our shows. Because it’s, you know, it’s a full electronic experience. We are known for our clips, little two to three-minute clips on the internet. But when people are there in person, you gotta really, … entertain them for a longer period of time, so it’s important to have a lot of different sections.
Now, jumping from that, one thing that really grabbed me with your song Warriors is the music video, it starts off with ‘this is a message for true New Yorkers.’ Do you feel that there’s a certain energy that you call to when it comes to New York? What does that mean to you, a ‘true’ New Yorker?
Oh, you know, just somebody that, —it’s a crime working there and all that kind of stuff, so that’s just kind of what we mean, … it’s awesome, but it’s, like, intense … Everybody is always in a hurry somewhere; everyone is always late somewhere.
Do you feel that when you are touring across the states that you’re bringing this sense of New York to these performances?
Yeah, absolutely. It’s the sound of the New York subway.
Do you have anything you would like to say to a hopefully new Colorado fanbase coming to Colorado Springs?
I just wanna say it’s gonna be a real fun show; I love being in Colorado, I’ve had a lot of fun there. I actually played at Red Rocks this summer, which was really awesome. And super excited to feel the energy and come play for you guys, it’s gonna be a great part of the tour. We’re gonna have a lot of energy and really just be feeling the vibe. So, we’re very excited.