Too Many Zooz is an American music group based in New York City, consisting of Leo Pellegrino (baritone saxophone), Matt "Doe" Muirhead (trumpet) and David "King of Sludge" Parks (drums).[1]
Too Many Zooz | |
|---|---|
| Origin | New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | Brass house (self-defined) |
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Members |
|
| Website | toomanyzooz |
Formation and viral fame
editPellegrino and Muirhead met at the Manhattan School of Music, where they were attending. Pellegrino and Parks had played together in Drumadics, a local busking band.[2] Teaming up in mid-2013, the trio started busking together that August at various stations in the New York City Subway in their self-defined genre – brass house.[2]
The band defines brass house as a mix of jazz, Afro-Cuban rhythms, funk, EDM and house music.[3]
They gained fame when a video of one of their subway performances, recorded by a passerby at the Union Square station, went viral on YouTube in March 2014.[2] They are known as well for Pellegrino's characteristic dance moves while playing.
Stage and studio
editToo Many Zooz recorded an EP, F NOTE, in January 2014, which they sold at their busking performances. The band has recorded three more EPs, followed by their first full-length studio album, Subway Gawdz, on June 27, 2016, receiving mixed to positive reviews.[4][5]
By January 2015, the band was booked on a tour at theatres and small clubs across the United States.[6] They continue to tour,[7] and played backup for Beyoncé for her televised CMA Awards performance on November 2, 2016, in Nashville, Tenn.[8]
Kaskade's July 2016 single "Jorts FTW" features Too Many Zooz.[9]
"Warriors", from Too Many Zooz' Subway Gawdz album, was featured in Google's commercial for their Pixel 2 smart phone in October 2017.[10] "Warriors" was also featured in the Flag Parade of the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 Grand Final.[11] "Brnx Bmbr" is featured in a KFC commercial for the Triple Grab N Go.[12] "Get Busy" is also featured in the beginning credits of the Netflix original movie The Package.
Music videos
edit- Bedford: (June 29, 2017) The video is the band playing on the subway train in New York City, from Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn to First Avenue in Manhattan at 3:33 in the morning.[13]
- Warriors: (April 27, 2018)[14]
- Car Alarm: (September 26, 2018) The music video for the song "Car Alarm" was filmed on the top of a supermarket in Philadelphia on 11th street. The video shows the Center City skyline in the background. The video consists of the band playing around a truck alarm going off.[13]
- Trundle Manor: (October 31, 2018) The video is filmed in Trundle Manor in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The video was released on Halloween as a project for the holiday. The concept is that Matt Doe is torn between good and evil in the video.[15]
- Pink Yesterday: (December 18, 2020) The video is the band playing in Domino Park in front of the Manhattan skyline, starting with the three band members visible, while the camera slowly moves backwards to reveal an increasing number of additional musicians, until a full band is playing along. [16]
- Rake Stepper: (May 2, 2023)[17]
- Mad: (February 5, 2024)[18]
- Nowhere Else to Go: (February 16, 2024) The video shows the band playing Poker together with Moon Hooch[19]
Band members
edit- Leo "Leo P" Pellegrino – baritone saxophone
- Matt "Doe" Muirhead – trumpet
- David "King of Sludge" Parks – drums
Discography
edit- F NOTE (EP) (January 19, 2014)
- Fanimals (EP) (September 6, 2014)[20]
- Brasshouse Volume 1: Survival of the Flyest (EP) (November 21, 2014)
- The Internet (EP) (May 1, 2015)
- Subway Gawdz (LP) (June 27, 2016)
- A Very Too Many Zooz Xmas (EP) (December 19, 2018)
- ZombiEP (EP) (September 2019)
- Retail Therapy (LP) (March 2024)
References
edit- ^ "Ex-Foxboro High jazz band member finds his niche in the Big Apple's underground". May 8, 2014.
- ^ a b c Putnam, Lindsay (April 14, 2014). "The hottest thing in NYC music is these subway buskers". New York Post. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
- ^ "Too Many Zooz". Spotify. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
- ^ "Too Many Zooz - Subway Gawdz". Album of The Year. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
- ^ Subway Gawdz by Too Many Zooz, retrieved January 4, 2017
- ^ Devlin, Mike (January 21, 2015). "Too Many Zooz swap subway for the stage". Times Colonist. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
- ^ Music News Desk Staff (June 23, 2016). "Too Many Zooz Heads to the Fox Theatre This August". Broadway World. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
- ^ "Brass House Trio Too Many Zooz on Backing Up Beyonce & Dixie Chicks for CMA Awards Showstopper". Billboard. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
- ^ Bein, Kat (July 14, 2016). "Kaskade Gets Tribal With Too Many Zooz on 'Jorts FTW'". Billboard. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
- ^ "Google Pixel 2 – Questioning?". October 16, 2017.
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: The flag parade with the Beatbombers at the Grand Final of the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest. YouTube.
- ^ Too Many Zooz (June 2, 2018), KFC x Too Many Zooz Commercial, retrieved June 2, 2018
- ^ a b "This band managed to base an entire song off a Philly car alarm". www.phillyvoice.com. September 27, 2018. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
- ^ "Too Many Zooz - Warriors (Official Music Video)". Youtube. April 27, 2018. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
- ^ Too Many Zooz (October 31, 2018), Too Many Zooz - Trundle Manor (Official Video), retrieved May 7, 2019
- ^ Too Many Zooz (December 18, 2020), Too Many Zooz - Pink Yesterday (Official Video), retrieved January 11, 2021
- ^ "Too Many Zooz ft. Michael Wilbur – "Rake Stepper" (Official Music Video)". Youtube. May 2, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
- ^ "Too Many Zooz x Too Many T's – "Mad" (Official Music Video)". Youtube. February 5, 2024. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
- ^ "Too Many Zooz x Moon Hooch – "Nowhere Else to Go" (Official Music Video)". Youtube. February 16, 2024. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
- ^ "Album Review: Too Many Zoos, Fanimals EP - BandWagon Magazine". BandWagon Magazine. October 21, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2017.