Joe Smith and the Spicy Pickles w/ Dan DiMonte and the Bad Assettes
Yacht Club — Thursday, April 9 at 10 p.m.
The Yacht Club will host a night of big band dance music Joe Smith and the Spicy Pickles tonight at 10 p.m. Formed only two years ago, this 6-piece band bills itself as “Denver’s premier vintage jazz band” and has the music to back that title up.
Band founder and trumpet player Joe Smith decided to start a band that would give people danceable jazz music but since then their reach has become much larger. From pre-war blues to big band to traditional New Orleans jazz, Joe Smith and the Spicy Pickles are preserving an American artform while keeping thoroughly entertained. The band currently has one EP and two album’s released, their most recent album, Rocky Mountain High, which feature raspy vocals and crisp horn melodies.
Supporting Joe Smith and the Spicy Pickles is Iowa City-based jazz group Dan DiMonte and the Bad Assettes. The group’s music is flavored with blues, reggae and latin music influences, creating a mix that DiMonte describes as “jazz-influenced rock with added spices.” It was only after a second place finish in the Yacht Club’s Battle of the Bands that the group decided to record and release their first album, The Runner, The Ends, The Space Between. The album is billed as “a celebration of music, life, and the twists and turns both can bring.”
