All the way from Atlanta comes Blair Crimmins and The Hookers, bringing their Dixieland and 1920s Ragtime stylings to the Treehouse Café on Bainbridge Island, Aug. 30 at 8 p.m.
Crimmins began his career in Atlanta with the determination to revitalize that good ol’ Dixieland and Ragtime sound and bring it to a modern audience. While playing small clubs in the southeastern United States, Crimmins developed a sound that is at once modern while also deeply rooted in the past.
Four years and 500 shows later Crimmins and his band The Hookers have toured around the country, opening shows for the likes of Mumford & Sons and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.
“We have played a few shows in Washington before, like in Walla Walla and Seattle. This time around we will be playing on Bainbridge Island and in Tacoma,” Crimmins said.
Crimmins, a multi-instrumentalist as well as musical academic, writes songs and arrangements for a New Orleans style horn section, consisting of trumpet, clarinet, and trombone.
“My musical influences are in two parts, sound-wise is reminiscent of Louis Armstrong and Cab Calloway. Lyrically I draw from Billy Joel and Elton John,” Crimmins said.
Crimmins debuted his first album “The Musical Stylings of” in 2010 and became a hit on WRAS Atlanta, Georgia State University’s radio station. He became the most requested artist on air for the station.
“I would describe the sound as supercharged ragtime with a touch of rock. We appeal to a varied audience that spans all ages and groups,” Crimmins said.
In 2012 Crimmins showed his musical diversity by recording the full film score for an independent film called “Old Man Cabbage.” The following year Crimmins was the critics pick for Best Song Writer of 2013 by Creative Loafing’s Best of ATL issue. His second album “Sing-a-Longs” went to number 21 on the EuroAmerican radio chart and earned him a nomination at The Georgia Music Awards for Best Jazz Artist.
Crimmins’s most recent album, “You Gotta Sell Something,” was released in 2017.
Crimmins is currently working on a new project creating children’s songs.
“The idea came from performing at these family-friendly shows and seeing the kids get really into it,” Crimmins said.
For the album, Crimmins changed the band’s name from Blair Crimmins and The Hookers to Captain Crimmins and the Story Boat Band, for obvious reasons.
Tickets for the Bainbridge Island show can be purchased online at blaircrimminsandthehookers.com/shows
