Tuba Skinny
Tuba Skinny brings its New Orleans traditional jazz, blues and ragtime repertoire to Pappy & Harriet’s in Pioneertown. Formed from a loose collection of street musicians, the band is known for reviving long-lost songs and for sets that range through spirituals, Depression-era blues, jug-band music, country blues, string-band music, ragtime and New Orleans R&B. The billed act is the band itself; no specific lineup or special format is listed for this date.
From New Orleans, Tuba Skinny has carried the musical heritage of its home from street corners to stages around the world. Its personnel shifts, though a recent live recording featured Shaye Cohn, Barnabus Jones, Craig Flory, Max Bien-Kahn, Greg Sherman, Todd Burdick and Robin Rapuzzi. Maria Muldaur appears with the group on Let’s Get Happy Together, while Ewan Bleach has been described as an honorary member; Rag Band also includes guests Jon Doyle, John James, Sam Doores and Cassidy Holden. Reviewers have called their vintage material “irresistibly alive.” The Arts Fuse praises them as “one of the most entertaining purveyors of early New Orleans and ’20s Chicago jazz around,” with a performance that is “loose-limbed and relaxed.”
Pappy & Harriet’s began as the cantina on a 1940s Western film set, and that history still frames a night here: the venue sits among Pioneertown’s old movie-set facades, with the desert just beyond. It is a restaurant and live-music venue, with shows in indoor and outdoor spaces; the setting and touring acts make the trip feel tied to this particular outpost, rather than just a concert stop. Shows are ticketed, general admission and standing-room only, with ADA seating available at either stage. The restaurant is separate, serves food, and runs a first-come, first-served waitlist, so put your name down early if you want dinner; eating does not secure a show ticket. Check the event details for doors and weather, especially for an outdoor performance.