The Gin Bowlers • No Mashed Potato

When I first saw a punk folk band called Holy Moly and the Crackers, I wished I could get married again just to have them as the wedding band. They were so wildly energetic, brazenly carefree and irresistibly danceable that I couldn’t help but envy whoever might be lucky enough to have them soundtrack their nuptials. To my mind, The Gin Bowlers are doing the same for jazz and blues as Holy Moly and the Crackers do for folk. Their music feels youthful, gritty and raw—professional, but not polished. “Sleazy horns, original arrangements and sultry rich harmonies make up their unique sound,” their website says. I don’t think I can do a better job of summing them up. From the honking baritone sax—with its chunky, audible key clicks—to the vocalists’ undisguised English accents, their signature sound puffs out its chest and declares, loud and proud, “We’re doing this our own way.” This British band comprises vocalist Rachel Lawrence, guitarist/vocalist Joseph Trudgeon, trumpeter Joss Murray, saxophonist Greg Sterland, guitarist/banjoist Gus Dolding, bassist/vocalist Bill Frampton and drummer Pete Warner. They’ve been a big hit on the festivals circuit, bagging spots at Boomtown, Green Man, Secret Garden Party, Shambala, and even Glastonbury—all events with an alternative, countercultural vibe. (Or at least they had one, originally.) The band has even toured ove