When somebody mentions New Orleans (or "Noo Orlins" as the locals like to call it), what sort of image do you conjure up?
A procession of Jazz musicians marching slowly along Bourbon Street, perhaps? Mardi Gras (which means "Fat Tuesday" in French, incidentally!) with people wearing outsize costume heads and partying till they drop? The bizarre world of Marie Leveaux the voodoo queen? Perhaps images of Blues clubs and people playing the mouth organ to a soulful melody spring to mind?
The point is, New Orleans is many things to many people, a city of many cultures both bizarre and mainstream and it continues to draw musicians from around the world. It is here that Andi hoffmann, originally from Bern in Switzerland, finally settled in the early nineties to spread his unique blend of Soul and Blues beyond his native Europe.
The Bgoes are unusual in that they are more centred around their founder and singer than the band itself. The band first sprung into existence in Switzerland back in 1989, when hoffmann needed to get a group together for a recording project. Since then, their founder has never resisted the urge to up roots and follow his twitchy feet to wherever they take him, forming a new group of talented local musicians when he gets there.
The Bgoes can therefore be described as truly multicultural, and many differing styles can be heard creeping into the sound they produce. Louisiana, as a whole, is a colourful place full of energy and this certainly seems to have rubbed off on hoffmann's music.
Andi hoffmann's newest sounds certainly borrow strongly from local influence. There is a very distinct Cajun sound that is very pleasant to listen to, with elements of R&B, Soul and Jazz thrown in for good measure. Listen very carefully, and there are times when you can hear the influence of other local sounds such as Gospel, too - It is hard to tie down the sound of the Deep South, which is why there are so many truly unique bands to discover there. hoffmann has become well known back home in Europe, and we see no reason why he shouldn't take the States by storm too, given the right exposure. Already, he has stateside television appearances behind him - if you have the latest RealPlayer installed, you can follow the links below to see clips of these appearances as well as listen to the Bgoes sound.
The latest incarnation of the Bgoes consists uniquely of American, Australian and European musicians, but manages to also capture many of the local Louisiana sounds. The line-up includes drummer Mark Whitaker, bassist Tom McDonald, fiddle player Tom Marron and back-up singer Elisabeth Gill. As of this writing, their latest album is the intriguingly named "Basil for Nino" which they plan to promote with a tour of both America and Europe.
I have listened to the track "Hit the Train right on" at least once a day since I first heard it, and can only describe it as "pleasant, mellow Cajun R&B". It has that elusive wide appeal which is so hard to find - even devout metal fans that I have played it to admit to finding it strangely pleasing. There will, of course, be those of you who can't stand music you can't head-butt walls to, but we are suitably impressed. Keep up the good work, Andi, we want plenty more of the same!
New Orleans is one of the few truly laid back cities it has been my pleasure to visit - from sitting by the Mississippi river listening to the music from the paddle steamers as they go by and trying not to sink into the Bayou, to lazing around in a Bourbon street club listening to the varying sounds, it is hard to imagine a place that can appeal to a larger group of the population. This is a true city of music and life, and Andi hoffmann and the Bgoes are now adding their own refreshing style to the pot. Follow the links below and listen to their sound, and make up your own mind...
