Trombones To Dance To: An Interview with BK & Mr. E
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I had yet to experience BK & Mr. E live when I was asked by Republic of Austin editor Chris Lynn to host the Roary Awards show a few years back. So imagine the curiosity of seeing two gentlemen, Jason Blanchette and Brandon Hegar, approaching the stage of The Ghost Room wearing something that looked an awful lot like band uniforms.
No. Not leather spandex. Not the skinny jeans and indie-boy tees. I’m talking marching band uniforms, gloves and all. Pretty sharp, actually. And that was only the beginning. The room would soon be filled with infectious mad beats and some of the best vocals ever to accompany a mad rush of a dance party.
Blanchette and Hegar met in high school, and yes, they were indeed in band together, until going their separate ways after graduating and moving on to college – Blanchette to UT, Hegar to Baylor. But later, they wound up reconnecting and writing songs together, and BK & Mr. E was born. It’s an entire package deal you get at the live shows – the initial mystique of the uniforms that leads you to wonder what they’re up to, then the contagious grooves, melodies and soulful singing that all gets you moving in no time.
Blanchette and Hegar sat down with me for a chat about setting their band apart from others, drawing from diverse inspirations, and the power of the marching band geek influence.
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