Fort Bend PeoPle

The Sugarland Brass Company Is on a Mission to Revitalize Great Music from Past Eras

Sugarland Brass Company musicians Janu Villanueva, Steve Long, Vito

Varone, and Joshua Sanchez

TUNEDFINE

MENWritten by Matt BradyPhotos by Micahl Wyckoff

Appearing at venues around the Houston area, the Sugarland Brass Company performs blues, jazz, classic rock, and big band favorites

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TTwo and a half years ago, the Sugarland Brass Company was nothing but a dream that had been floating around frontman Vito Varone’s head. And not long before that, Varone had never really even thought of fronting his own band, much less playing an instrument, until a chance meeting happened while on a family vacation in San Francisco in 2006. “I was passing this pawn shop, and there was this brand-new cornet in the window,” Varone recalls. “And I went in and bought this cornet, and I went to breakfast and said, ‘I’m going to learn to play this thing.’ So at the hotel, I opened up the window on the second floor and started blowing this thing.”

Singing a Different TunePrior to purchasing the musical instrument, Varone, along with his wife Donna, was an avid music lover but had never taken to playing music seriously. In fact, the Varones only just recently retired from a commercial construction business they owned and ran full-time in Rosenberg. “I didn’t even try to get in the music business until about four years ago, once I had all my stuff together,” says Varone, 62. “I raised my family and I went the other way.”

But once Varone began easing into retirement, he focused all his attention on learning how to play the cornet he had bought, and then on surrounding himself with musicians talented enough to comprise a formidable brass band. He succeeded at both.

In Full SwingNow, on any given night, the Sugarland Brass Company can be found playing at a number of venues in the area. Fans wait for the big band sound, as Varone struts on stage in a suit and fedora, twirling his trumpet around one finger like a gunslinger with a pistol. Then comes the moment of truth, when his gravelly voice capably belts out soulful numbers like “Moondance” and “Mack the Knife.”

You can also find Joshua Sanchez, 24, expertly playing a variety of instruments, such as the trombone, trumpet, and keyboards, with a level of talent that hardly reflects his young age. Guitarist Jessie Silva, 42, plays every note of solos from the likes of Mark Knopfler and Brian Setzer as if it were easy. Drummer Steve Long, 55, adds a thumping heartbeat to the music and takes over for vocals on a number of songs. Janu Villanueva, 51, supplies a rhythmic pulse to the band with his steady bass lines.

On special nights, the band brings an even greater wall of sound by including part-timers, such as slide guitarist Max Jones and

powerhouse saxophonist Dan Carpenter. With that kind of lineup, the band’s energy never wavers. Eyebrow-raising solos crop up regularly, with Varone holding it all together as a living incarnation of bygone eras where big band personalities were as bold as the music.

The Sounds of YesteryearListening to the brass band perform, it’s easy to feel nostalgic for the days when groups like Tower of Power and Chicago topped the charts. “It’s the sound of yesteryear,” Varone says. “In the ‘40s, ‘50s, and ‘60s, everything you heard had horns in it. And it’s just beautiful music.

It makes the whole band sound so phat.”

The Sugarland Brass Company covers a wide range of music that harkens back to eras when a brass lineup was the main staple of many different music genres, from big band and jazz to blues and classic rock. It’s not unusual for the band to switch effortlessly between selections from artists like Louis Armstrong, Dire Straits, Chuck Berry, and Van Morrison.

The diversity of their sound, and the enthusiasm and skill with which they pull it off has put the band on a regular rotation of live gigs in the Fort Bend area. They’ve also successfully branched out to other regional gigs, such as the Kemah Crawfish Festival and the House of Blues Houston. “I’m trying to do something totally different; play music that they haven’t heard in a long time or may never have heard,” Varone says. “I hope to someday have a big band like in the old days, like Cab Calloway or Louis Prima.”

Striving for PerfectionAt a recent show at the Route 36 Bar in Rosenberg, the Sugarland Brass Company got positive proof they’re succeeding in their ambition to provide a unique and refreshing sound. One of the bar patrons, who had never heard of the band before that night, approached the group in between sets to voice his praise. “It’s just a different sound you don’t hear very much,” Randy Burns says. “I’d

definitely listen to them on CD if they had one.”

Varone was flattered, but not surprised. He says they get that reaction everywhere they go. “We’ve hardly ever played at a place where they didn’t want us back,” he says, something he attributes to the band’s vision, ambition, and hard work ethic. “I just won’t take mediocre for an answer,” he says. “Strive for perfection and maybe someday you’ll get close.” SLM

MATT BRADY is a freelance writer, who enjoys quality time with his wife and 2-year-old daughter.

• Churchill’s Sports Bar and Grill• New Territory Fourth of July Celebration• Oyster Creek Park• Post Oak Grill in Sugar Land• Rosenberg Hot Summer Nights Concert Series• Sugar Land Town CenterThe band also loves playing corporate gigs and private parties. To book them for an event, visit their Facebook page or email donvito49@gmail.com

Sugarland Brass Company’s Favorite Fort Bend Venues

Photo by Suzi Issa

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