Meet the Bird Street Players
By Julie Garisto, Special to the Times
Published January 31, 2008
Birdmen of Tampa Bay: Jeff Curtis, lead vocals, rhythm guitar, Latin percussion; "Mean" Kenny Green, bass, backup vocals; Ian Hodge, drums; Bryan Woeller, lead guitar; and Jeremy Carter, saxophone. They formed in 2002 and named themselves after Bird Street in Tampa's Sulphur Springs community, where Green lived and the band practiced. Green, Woeller and Curtis now live in the Seminole Heights area of Tampa; Carter lives in downtown St. Petersburg, and Hodge in South Tampa.
Funk-filled: "We've always tried to maintain versatility and play reggae and rock, and a nice mixture of a lot of different styles," Curtis says, "but since day one we have definitely been a funk band."
Old vs. new elements: "We bring the old school New Orleans funk flavor," Green says, "and the element of new would be the Latin and African percussion . . . and jazzy horn riffs. We like to think it's original instrumentation, original sounds."
Flying the coop: They book shows in New Orleans, Key West, Orlando and festivals along the East Coast, having performed with the Meters, Galactic, Karl Denson, G. Love, MOFRO and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band.
What they're up to now: They are finishing material for the band's first CD and plan to release it by the end of March.
Any borrowed tunes? "We haven't decided for sure if we will do a cover on the album," Green says. "If we do, we will do it in our style, our feel. There's a lot of really good, funky tunes that a lot of people don't know. Maybe we could spread the wealth."
Do people dance at their shows? "They dance at our shows," Curtis says, "on their way home from the show, and hopefully all next morning while reminiscing."
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Mardi Gras on Main Street
Annual celebration in Dunedin with music, craft vendors and food from area restaurants, Tuesday, 5 to 11 p.m. along Main Street. Parade begins at 7:30 p.m. and moves along Douglas Avenue, from Beltrees to Monroe. Free admission. (727) 733-3197. www.delightfuldunedin.com.
The Bird Street Players perform at the festival from 8 to 11:30 p.m. For more on the band: myspace.com/worldjeff or www.birdstreetplayers.com.