It’s not easy to categorize the music of the Squirrel Nut Zippers, except that it’s hot
JAN 19, 2018
Squirrel Nut Zippers celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Hot, with their unique musical flavor - Delta blues, Gypsy jazz, ‘30s swing & more. SNZ has crafted a brand-new stage show including several leading musicians from New Orleans to serve up the band’s unique musical flavor which owes its roots to that city. Davina & The Vagabonds have created a stir on the national music scene with their high‐energy live shows, level A musicianship, sharp-dressed professionalism and Sowers’ commanding stage presence.
The Squirrel Nut Zippers most celebrated and commercially successful album Hot was originally released in the summer of 1996, and was the follow-up to the band’s critically acclaimed debut The Inevitable. By this time the group had already established a substantial live following across the country thanks to early support from NPR, college radio and noncommercial stations. Hot wound up selling over 1.3 million copies. It was about 20 years ago when NPR’s Morning Edition said, “It’s not easy to categorize the music of the Squirrel Nut Zippers, except that it’s hot.”
With influences ranging from Fats Domino and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band to Aretha Franklin and Tom Waits, the band is converting audiences one show at a time, from Vancouver to Miami and across Europe. In 2011 Davina released her first full-length, all original album Black Cloud. It was named one of the 10 best releases of the year by the Minneapolis Star & Tribune and awarded 4 ½ stars from Downbeat Magazine. Their next release in 2014, “Sunshine,” hit No. 13 in the Billboard Blues Chart and led them to be a musical feature on the hit BBC show, Later with Jools Holland.
DATV’s shows are filled with New Orleans charm, Memphis soul swagger, dark theatrical moments that evoke Kurt Weill, and tender gospel passages. Davina’s voice and stage presence defy category in a different way. Davina has been compared to Etta James, Amy Winehouse, Janis Joplin, Billie Holiday and Betty Boop, but comparisons don’t suffice: Sowers is a true original.
Catch this one-of-a-kind live show while they are in town!
Admission
Tickets: $47.50, $32.50
Student Tickets: $15
Groups of 10 or more save 10%. Order by phone at 231.941.8082
Performances
Friday, January 19, 2018 - 8:00pmAuto-Owners Insurance Performing Arts at City Opera House is made possible in part by our generous sponsors, the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts.