Bluebird Parade is a genre-defying six-piece that features an eclectic group of musicians from the East Midlands and beyond, including songwriter Jon Read (trumpet-player for ska legends The Specials and Prince Buster) and guitarist Mark Price (lead vocalist and guitarist for ’80s funk sensations Feelabeelia). Their songs mix acoustic, electric, and brass instrumentation to take you in unexpected aural directions, the music perfectly complemented by Ming Nagel’s ingenuously distinctive vocals and often dark lyrics.
The band began as bedroom-based Summerhouse in 2001, producing the homespun Ghost Writing and playing a number of gigs in Leicester before retreating into the more mundane aspects of human existence such as post-graduate qualifications, paid employment, and poultry breeding. Jon, ex-pat New Yorker Ming, and ubiquitous trombonist Russ Coleman rose from the ashes to form Bluebird Parade in 2006, at that point enlisting the talents of Jon’s old comrades Mark and Styx (like the river), the latter still moonlighting as the serenely compelling drummer for folk-punk cult faves Loscoe State Opera. House-building and general nonsense got in the way of rehearsing and recording, but in 2011 they released – or passed on to close friends and intimates – their debut album, The Wednesday Night Island. New bassist Laura Hudson, already a veteran of Mansfield-based ska band Rankin’ Steady, slipped in just under the wire to put her stamp on the recordings before more fully revealing a dazzling array of musical abilities that the band delight in exploiting for their “who’s playing what on which one?” live gigs.
Band Members:
Ming Nagel – Vocals
Jon Read – Trumpet, Flugel, Bass Guitar, Guitar, Accordion
Russ Coleman – Trombone, Acoustic Guitar, Rhythm Toys
Mark Price – Lead Guitar
Styx – Drums
Laura Hudson – Bass Guitar, Keyboards, Baritone Saxophone