Mama Digdown's Brass Band

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Kristin Shafel

Mama Digdown's Brass Band celebrates 30 years in 2023.

Mama Digdown's Brass Band

media release: $20adv / $25DOS

Celebrate Mardi Gras with Madison’s Mama Digdown’s Brass Band. Mardi Gras inspired drink specials and a small section of NOLA inspired snacks will be available.  Don’t miss out on Madison’s premiere Mardi Gras event.

For three decades, Mama Digdown’s Brass Band has been a tireless ambassador of New Orleans music, lighting up stages with the unmistakable sound of second line brass. Rooted deeply in the tradition of Crescent City street parades, they bring an electrifying mix of gritty funk, soul and raw energy to every performance—earning them a spot among the most thrilling live brass bands on the scene.

Though born far upriver from the Big Easy in Madison, Wisconsin, Mama Digdown’s emerged during the vibrant brass band revival of the early 1990s, alongside scene-shapers like Rebirth Brass Band, Soul Rebels, and the Hot 8. In 1993, co-leaders Roc Ohly and Erik Jacobson met in the UW School of Music’s Black Music Ensemble, led by legendary jazz bassist, Richard Davis (Ahmed Jamal, Sarah Vaughan, Miles Davis, Eric Dolphy, Joe Henderson, Frank Sinatra, etc.). One evening, Davis hosted the ensemble at his house for ribs, and Ohly and Jacobson mentioned they were recording their first album and hoped to arrange “Mo’ Better Blues” by Bill Lee—filmmaker Spike Lee’s father. Davis called Lee on the spot and handed the phone to his stunned students. With Lee’s blessing, they recorded the song. A year later, they brought their debut album to New Orleans and gave it to Donna and Charlie Simms, owners of Donna’s Bar and Grill—the mecca of the New Orleans brass band revival. Months later, upon returning to Donna's, they discovered their version of Mo' Better Blues had been on heavy rotation in the club’s jukebox—along with an invitation to perform at the club alongside their heroes, Soul Rebels and Hot 8 Brass Band. 

During their fifty plus trips to New Orleans over the next twenty-five years, Mama Digdown's has created strong bonds with the brass band community. Members of Mama Digdown's are frequently hired by the bands there - from Treme to Hot 8 and the Stooges. Several Mama Digdown's original songs are now regularly played by brass bands across the city.

With a deep respect for the genre’s heritage and a drive to keep it evolving, Mama Digdown's has brought their live show to clubs, concert halls, and festivals across the globe. Their dynamic sound and commitment to authenticity have earned widespread acclaim, with the Star Tribune praising the group as "hard-hitting yet soulful, combining powerful brass riffs with irresistible groove and energy." The Isthmus further echoed this sentiment, celebrating the way Mama Digdown's brings "joyful noise and unstoppable momentum," ensuring audiences experience the vital spirit of the brass band tradition wherever they perform.

With nine albums to their name and a reputation as masterful purveyors of the second line sound, Mama Digdown’s received one of the highest honors in the brass band world: invitations to perform at Congo Square for the New Orleans Brass Fest in both 2018 and 2019.