July 01, 2005

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Who's Your 'Daddy?'

by Robyn Israel

Performing at the Super Bowl half-time show in front of millions of people isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Just ask Scotty Morris, vocalist and guitarist for Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, who lived the spectacle in 1999.

"It began as a dream come true," Morris recalled. "We played 'Sir Duke' with Stevie Wonder. And then, for our presentation, there were people on stilts dressed in glittery zoot suits. It was the cheesiest thing I'd ever seen. I thought, 'this is not us.'"

At the time, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy was one of the leaders of the late '90s' swing revival, having catapulted to fame in the film "Swingers." But musical fads come and go, and though the band is no longer the flavor of the month, that is perfectly OK with Morris.

"If our records are on the charts or not it doesn't matter," he said. "We just want to do what we've always done -- and strive to be better. That's the mission. I mean how many Stings do we have? There aren't too many musicians who've been #1 artists throughout their careers."

But Big Bad Voodoo Daddy continues to be in demand, playing 170 concerts a year and releasing three albums in the last two years. On Sunday, the band returns to Frost Amphitheatre, where they will perform at Stanford Lively Arts' annual July 3 celebration.

"It's going to be a really fun show," Morris said. "It's great for anyone who enjoys having a good time.

Audience members can lay back on the grass, picnic and listen to the Grammy-nominated band. But the music -- a high-energy blend of '40s jive rhythms, rock, blues and New Orleans jazz -- will likely get many dancing and jumping.

"Artie Shaw said that if music ain't done right it don't swing. I agree," Morris said. "If you swing around the beat that's what gives it the feel."

Helping to create that feel is the band's killer five-piece horn section: trumpeters Tony Buonserra, Glen "the Kid" Marhevka, trombonist Alex Henderson, baritone saxophonist Andy Rowley and tenor saxophonist Karl Hunter. Also included are pianist Joshua Levy, string bassist Dirk Shumaker and drummer Kirt Sodergren (Buonserra and Henderson recently joined the band's seven core members).

"We've never had a bad reaction from a crowd," Morris said. "We've always been accepted; there's just something about the chemistry of the band. We have staying power."

Asked what keeps them together, Morris said, "Our beliefs and our personalities (go well together). When I hired them they weren't the top musicians but these were guys I dug hanging out with."

The band got its start in 1989, when Morris decided to launch a three-piece jazz, blues and swing combo that included drummer Sodergren. Swing had yet to become a huge national phenomenon, but the band immediately began attracting a loyal following.

"When swing hit it big we were already five years in," Morris said. "We played every wedding, every Bar Mitzvah, every jazz club, every rock festival -- any establishment that would allow Big Bad Voodoo Daddy to play we were there."

The guys would play sold-out concerts every Wednesday night at the Derby in Los Angeles.

"It was a hot spot," Morris recalled. "That's how I met ("Swingers" screenwriter/actor) Jon Favreau. He was a very bright guy. Jon, Vince (Vaughn) and (director) Doug Liman -- you could just tell these guys were future legends. They stood head and shoulders above the rest of the people in that scene."

When Favreau's screenplay got picked up, he approached Morris about including the band in the film. The hip low-budget comedy about young showbiz wannabes on the prowl for career breaks and beautiful "babies" in the Hollywood retro club scene was a hit, turning Vaughn -- and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy -- into national stars.

But with fame came a loss of control, as Morris discovered. They became the house band on "Live with Regis and Kathy Lee" but the camera would focus on the dancers instead. And doing radio shows proved terribly disappointing.

"People were flipping out that we played with live instruments," Morris said. "Everyone else was lip-synching. It wasn't about the tune. They were all just tracking."

For a show in Anaheim, they performed with the Back Street Boys, Pink and Britney Spears.

"I wondered is this where it's going? I didn't understand how we fit into this whole scene," he said.

Clearly they didn't. Over the last four years the band has been sticking to what it knows. Last year they played the Hollywood Bowl with the L.A. Philharmonic; tonight they will perform at Chastain Park with the Atlanta Symphony.

"We let the music dictate what we are," Morris said. "I've never enjoyed the performances and the people more.

Who: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. The concert is part of Stanford Lively Arts' annual pre-Independence Day celebration. Fireworks will follow.

Where: Stanford's Frost Amphitheatre.

When: Sunday at 7:30 p.m. Concertgoers may arrive as early as 5:30 p.m. to picnic with family and friends.

Cost: Tickets are $38 and can be purchased in-person through the Stanford Ticket Office at Tresidder Memorial Union, charged by phone at 650-725-ARTS (2787) or ordered online at http://livelyarts.stanford.edu.

Info: Visit http://livelyarts.stanford.edu.

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