Bonerama to get minds out of the gutter

Bonerama

Oct. 3

Rex Theater

www.rextheater.com

The words “Pittsburgh” and “funk”… Bonerama

Oct. 3

Rex Theater

www.rextheater.com

The words “Pittsburgh” and “funk” are not used in the same sentence very often, but a band native to New Orleans hopes to change that. Just be careful when you search its name on the Internet.

Bonerama plans to bring the funk to the city on Oct. 3, when it showcases at the Rex Theater. The band labels its genre “brass funk rock.” Take rocked-out lyrics, mix in a little New Orleans funk, lead it all with trombones and you get Bonerama.

As for finding Bonerama online, “You have to be careful where you search on the Internet for us,” said co-founder Craig Klein. “You can come across some eye-openers.”

While minds might sink to the gutter, Klein said that the band’s name comes from his instrument of choice: A trombone is known as a “bone” in music terminology.

When Klein and Mark Mullins founded the band in 1998, they were fresh off a tour with Harry Connick Jr. (“P.S. I Love You,” “New in Town”).

“Mullins and I had always dreamed of putting a trombone band together, so we did,” he said. A little over a decade later, Bonerama had released three live albums, toured the nation and opened eyes to New Orleans culture.

“New Orleans is one of the meccas of music in the world,” Klein said.

Music and culture go hand in hand for Bonerama, and the band would like to bring that mentality to Pittsburgh.

“Music has been a part of the culture of New Orleans for hundreds of years. Music is part of life in New Orleans. We celebrate life with music. We

celebrate death with music,” he said.

A steady, uphill climb embodies Bonerama’s 11-year lifespan. That climb, according to Klein, is nowhere close to being finished.

Bonerama recently dropped its third live album, “Hard Times,” and is currently promoting it with a tour in the Northeast. Tour stops include Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C., Burlington, Vt. and Sullivan Hall in New York. “We’re really excited about playing there,” Klein said of Pittsburgh’s Rex Theater. “We did a little research on it, and it turns out it is over 90 years old and the sounds are great in there. We love playing in places like that.”

A legacy like Rex Theater’s is what Klein hopes for the future of Bonerama.

“We’re in the studio now recording our first real studio album,” he said. “This new record is going to be a pretty intense studio effort.

“With the rich heritage that we have here [in New Orleans], we sort of feel like we’re trying to put our own little taste on it,” he said.

This “taste” includes a band member playing his horn through a guitar amplifier so that it sounds exactly like an electric guitar — shredding included.The electric guitar feel adds more rock appeal.

“We also do a lot of vocals, but the three trombones are the voice of the band,” Klein said.

And with those leading bones comes the funk.

Funk-rock, like any other genre, comes at a price.

“The whole music industry has totally changed,” Klein said. “There’s not support from record labels anymore. You’re on your own.” In search of a way to keep doing what they love, the band created the Boner Doner program.

Through Boner Doner, Bonerama gains both financial support and loyalty from their fans. Fans have the option of buying certain packages with rewards attached. For example, with a $50 donation, Bonor Donors receive an autographed copy of the new album and a limited edition “Hard Times hard drive” that can be refilled with new Bonerama music.

With a $500 donation, fans receive unrestricted access to two live online concerts from the studio during the production of the new CD.

Klein and fellow members of Bonerama are pleased with the results of the Bonor Donor program thus far.

“It helps support our art and keeps the music coming. It’s also a way for us to get to know our fans. It’s an interesting idea, and we’ll see where it goes,” he said.

Pittsburgh is not just a small stop on a multi-city tour for Bonerama. Instead, the city serves as a semi-milestone. As it is the band’s first time performing here, it is excited to meet, play for and educate fans in Pittsburgh.

“We know that if they come out and hear it, they’re going to like it. They’re going to have a good time. That’s a track record of ours. We just want to share our music with them,” he said.

Check out Bonerama’s Myspace page