Too Many Zooz has come a long way since its inception in 2013. The New York City trio played a sold out show at Washington D.C.’s 9:30 Club last week, where they reminded fans of all ages that this project started as three musicians playing together in subway tunnels just a couple years ago.
With Leo Pellegrino on saxophone, Matt “Doe” Muirhead on the trumpet, and David “King of Sludge” Parks on percussion, Too Many Zooz has expanded on its style of what they call “brass house,” tapping into genres of jazz, house, hip-hop, and classic rock. This blend of influences, on top of the group’s vibrant stage presence, makes for an energizing, unique, and highly entertaining performance. Starting off with their brass house version of AC/DC’s “TNT” and moving through the hottest tracks from their debut, the band kept the crowd hyped from beginning to end.
Since going viral on YouTube in 2014, the three have released a series of EPs as well as their first studio album in 2016: Subway Gawdz. They were featured by Kaskade on his 2016 single, “Jorts FTW,” and even performed alongside Beyoncé at the CMA Awards the same year. Drummer David Parks briefly shared how bizarre this journey has been for them towards the end of the show: “We all came to New York with individual dreams […] I was in the subway one day and the next day I was touching Beyoncé”. While this kind of success is something that’s very difficult to achieve with instrumental music, Too Many Zooz continues to reach bigger crowds, playing festivals like Okeechobee and Suwannee Hulaween within the past year. The trio will continue to play more shows across the U.S. before their tour extends overseas in March. Check out their tour schedule and catch them at a show near you!
All photos by Max Rykov
Great piece man