Seven musicians, ten instruments, eleven shows and one van.
“It was an experience,” Chris Hochkeppel says.
Hochkeppel is the lead singer/guitarist of Burris, a local jazz-rock band that completed its first tour in July.
The tour included 11 stops, starting at Artmosphere in Lafayette and ending back in the Capital City at The Roux House downtown.
Along the way, the group traveled to Orange Beach, Alabama, Nashville, Tennessee, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia.
The show at Connie’s Ric Rac Room in Philadelphia may have attracted the largest and most enthusiastic response. But each show was a blast for the band.
“[The shows] are all learning experiences,” violinist Anton Zholondz says. “Whether you are playing for five or 500 people, it’s about the energy of the people, not the amount of people.”
Now back in Baton Rouge, the band is preparing for the release of its debut full-length album, Meant to Be. The album has 10 tracks, including some from its previous EP titled Listening.
The band wanted to emphasize its on-stage sound on the new release, recording each song live at Evangeline Studios. The result is a more authentic sound, Hochkeppel says, capturing harmonies between Zholondz’s violin and Kevin McMann’s saxophone and blending guitar riffs with Hochkeppel’s bluesy voice.
What started as a duo of just Hochkeppel and drummer Scott Graves has grown into a seven-man group with loads of national and international flavor. There’s auxiliary percussionist Matt Murray of Austin, Texas. McMann hails from Philadelphia. Zholondz was born in Russia.
The band has even incorporated a few local players, including Minos the Saint multi-instrumentalist Ben Harrington and Captain Green bassist Bob Kling.
Now all seven musicians reside in the Red Stick. As music majors at LSU, they met through school ensembles and various outside gigs.
“With more members, we have more ideas, and we challenge each other,” Hochkeppel says. “Everything is collaborative and more interesting.”
No matter their hometowns or the instrument they play, collectively the band members are proud of Burris’ Baton Rouge heritage.
“There isn’t camaraderie other places like there is here,” Murray says. “We all try to help each other out. Local bands go to other local bands’ shows, and we help each other gain a following.”
Burris’ current goal is to create a bigger regional reputation. Once they establish themselves in the South, Hochkeppel says, they can start traveling farther beyond the Capital City.
“Hopefully we’ll be touring more and playing at bigger venues,” he says. “But I see us always coming back here.” burrismusic.com
Lead singer Chris Hochkeppel planned to enter the music industry as a solo artist, emulating Jason Mraz, Gavin DeGraw or Jamie Cullum. Instead of using his full name, he chose to go by Burris, his middle name—a family name passed down for generations. As the band formed, variations of the name included The Burris Trio and The Burris Band, but Burris made the final cut.
Burris will celebrate the release of its debut album, Meant to Be, next month. The band performs Friday, Oct. 2, at The Spanish Moon. Daria will open. Concertgoers will get a free copy of the full-length album with the $10 cover. Ages 18 and older. thespanishmoon.com
