ABSTRACT: 01:43 Perrine says that the trio’s instrumentation – sousaphone, washboard and guitar – is so unexpected as to be like a blank slate, allowing them to play whatever they want. He explains that they tend to gravitate toward what they think will sound really good, or really funny. 02:49 McMurray explains that they realized how the instrumentation balances out nicely early on in their playing, attributing it to luck. 03:26 McMurray explains that the band began at one of his gigs at the Circle Bar in 2002; sometimes Matt would show up, and sometimes Chaz would, and one night they both showed up together. All three attest to how quickly they felt it sounded like a band; they came up with a band name that very night. 04:45 Perrine gets into how he arranges, having produced the latest record, saying he tries to find what will get the song across most clearly. He also says that given his bandmates’ expertise on their instruments, they tend to come up with parts he won’t touch. 06:06 Demonstration “Part of Me” 09:52 Leary tells how he got into the washboard, initially seeing them during his time in the ‘60’s in New York. He learned how to play from a friend in Florida who had the same set-up as he does now, and began by listening to bebop. Fricke commends his versatility, saying that one cover from Sing With Me, Herbie Hancock’s “Rocket,” made him realize the washboard is like the original scratching turntable. 11:56 Demonstration “Rocket” 13:42 McMurray explains that whenever he sits down to write a song, he’s trying to make it for the Tin Men, as they always want more material. He thinks the new album is rather Fats Domino-ish, because of its proximity to his death. 14:58 McMurray tells how he found people to play with when he arrived at Tulane; by the time he finished, he was playing places like the Maple Leaf, and feel hooked, amazed you get paid – is music and beer – to play music. He worked as a dishwasher “to support his music habit.” 16:23 McMurray explains that his songwriting style evolved partly out of his inability to make people dance, which was what most of his peers were aiming for in college. He cites Walter Wolfman, who he’d go see every Saturday, as a major inspiration, particularly for ballads. 17:34 Leary says he is unexceptional in having come to New Orleans via Boulder – many people pursuing music careers do. It took two visits for him to know he was meant to be in the city, which he continues to feel grateful to be. 19:29 Perrine tells how he was failing to make a tuba career make sense in Sacramento when he got a call from Steve Yoakum offering him full-time work on Bourbon Street, and so he came to first live here playing in one club sixty hours a week. 21:21 Perrine gets into the differences between tuba and sousaphone, articulating his preference for sousaphone, including its portability. 23:17 Demonstration “Misty Mountain Hop” 28:11 Leary speaks to his washboard’s accouterments, explaining that he collects regular juice cans but has to get the bigger peanut cans, now a rarity, online. The bell comes from an office supply store, and the woodbox is the only part available at a music store. He keeps only one board at a time, and says he goes through about three hundred thimbles a year. 30:06 Perrine reveals that he has three sousaphones, having recently sold some. While they can be expensive, he explains it’s easy to get deals because of how much space they take up. 31:41 Perrine defends the sousaphone’s expressiveness, explaining that the sousaphone comes closest to approximating his other instruments, acoustic and electric bass, when necessary in a given environment. He also found that the sousaphone allowed him more open space, feeling less haunted by his influences. 34:25 McMurray tells how he first started trying to learn jazz songs so that he could join Kermit Ruffins’ jazz jam, which offered free beans and rice. That did, gradually, send him in a new direction. 36:23 McMurray explains how “You’ve Got To Be Crazy To Live In This Town” popped out fully formed, after the phrase kept running around his head one day in 2005-06 when he spent the whole day trying to get air in his tires, due to all the roofing nails around the city streets. While unsure exactly how or why that song was picked for Treme, he expresses gratitude for their support of musicians. 39:40 Perrine expresses his hope that the record industry having morphed into everyone being working musicians again will wash out those that are not serious about it. 40:42 Demonstration “Function at the Junction” 42:33 The band speaks to their touring experience. 42:56 Each band members speaks to their other musical outfits. 46:42 Demonstration “Sing With Me”