The Monroe Evening News |
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Red Garter Band finds success with Dixieland classicsBy Scott Neinas |
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The happy sounds of the 1920s still roar out of the instruments of the Red Garter Band, which will visit Monroe…in St. Mary’s Park as part of the Concert in the Park series. The band plays ragtime, Dixieland and traditional jazz from the 1890s-1940s. When you see the Red Garter Band play, it’s hard to tell who enjoys the music most, the band or the audience. Doug Jacobs, who’s fronted the band since its heyday in the 1960s, said he’ll never tire of playing the songs he grew up listening to in San Francisco. “My father was crazy about this music,” he said in a recent phone interview. “I was singing all these songs as a kid.” Mr. Jacobs still sings them. He is the consummate showman, sometimes making up lyrics as he goes along as a favor to someone in the audience. His onstage smile fills up a room as much as the music. |
Complete with red-and-white-striped shirts, banjos and clarinets, the group rarely has a hard time getting its audience into a groove. The songs are short, good natured and full of melody and soul. “It’s just real happy music,” Jacobs said…. The band has been coming to Monroe for five years now. They were met with a loyal, enthusiastic crowd last year at Frenchtown Square mall. “Monroe is definitely a favorite spot of ours,” Jacobs said. |