The third album from the youthful New Orleans favorites will be released independently today (11/4). This is the first record from the jazzy, punky trio with vocals. Carly Meyers, indisputably the most energetic trombone player in a trombone town, lends a new layer of sound with a pretty, ethereal voice when she is not blowing her horn.
The album’s release comes at a fitting time. As New Orleans winds down from Halloween, we remember those we have loved and lost in the past year on All Souls’ Day. The inspiration for Ghost Birthdays came from the passing of drummer Adam Gertner’s grandfather this past year. It’s a concept album about the fluidity of life and death, and the idea that those that leave us physically never truly leave us in spirit.
On “Happy Birthday to the Dead,” an infectious, danceable track that idea is expounded upon. Carly sings, “Did you know that you were dead? Did you know that you were alive,” reminding her listeners that it’s all just one and the same on a long, spiritual journey.
The album was recorded with producer Chad Meise in Kansas City. Meise recorded the band analog onto two-track tapes lending the record clear, superb sound. In addition to Gertner and Meyers, Doc Sharp is featured on keys and key bass.
Yojimbo kicks off their tour this fall at the Bear Creek Music and Art festival in Suwanee, Florida, where Carly Meyers will also be featured as an artist at large. From there they will go up the East Coast and through the Midwest, ending in Colorado where the band originally hails from. You can check out their upcoming tour dates here.
Ghost Birthdays is available online or at one of the band’s live shows.
