Progressive rock-fusion band TAUK has added head-turning guitarist Brandon “Taz” Niederauer to their star-studded Halloween extravaganza ‘Oogie Boogie’ at The Capitol Theater in Port Chester, New York on October 25, 2024. The lineup includes special guests G. Love, Mihali, Kanika Moore (Doom Flamingo), and Mike Wilbur (Moon Hooch). To celebrate Taz’s addition, TAUK has released a anthemic new single collaboration entitled “Chopped Cheese” that’s chock full of ferocious guitar shredding courtesy of Taz and TAUK guitarist, Matt Jalbert. Listen to “Chopped Cheese” HERE.
Named after the New York City delicacy, “Chopped Cheese” showcases the band’s heavy instrumental roots with soaring guitar lines, hypnotic arpeggios, ethereal synth pads, and a locked in pocket of anchored bass and accented drums. The track merges groove with head-banging and allows Taz and Jalbert to shine on virtuosic guitar lines and converse with listeners through finely tuned, ascending guitar solos.
‘Oogie Boogie’ continues the tradition that began at Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom in Denver, CO in 2022 as it lands back in TAUK’s origin state for its third year. The special spooky season performance will present a mix of the group’s assertive, memorable fusion laced with enthralling covers showcasing the talents of the core quartet and special guests alike. The show goes hand-in-hand with the streak of collaborative singles the TAUK has recently released including “Sky to Light” ft. reggae icon Matisyahu, “Still Got Love for You” ft. G. Love, “Lil Mama” ft. Kanika Moore and The Shady Horns of Lettuce, and now, “Chopped Cheese” with Taz.
On the programming, origins, and what to expect, guitarist Matthew Jalbert shares, “We've been lucky enough to have played the Capitol Theatre a couple times already but being able to come in and throw our own show is something we've been dreaming up for a while. Oogie Boogie started in Denver. We get some of our absolute favorite musicians together and throw a huge party. The lineup for this is unreal and we have so much in store for this show. We'll be busting out the live debut of our song with G Love ‘Still Got Love For You.’ We'll get to throw in some TAUK MOORE with Kanika. Taz will be jumping on stage for some songs including our newest release "Chopped Cheese" that we just released with him. Mike Wilbur will be throwing down an incredible set as well as Mihali. And we have a killer horn section to round it all out! This will be one of the wildest nights of TAUK ever—woooo!”
TAUK has been painting with sound for over a decade now, pushing boundaries and reinventing themselves every chance they get. Founded by Dolan, Jalbert, and Carter, who began playing together as middle schoolers on Long Island, the band landed on its present incarnation in 2012, when college pal Teel joined full time. Since then, the quartet has gone on to tour with the likes of Umphrey’s McGee, Widespread Panic, and Lettuce, landed festival slots everywhere from Bonnaroo to Electric Forest, racked up millions of streams across platforms, and garnered extensive critical praise with a series of widely lauded studio and live albums. The Washington Post hailed the band’s music as “a hard-charging, often melodic fusion that—thanks to a penchant for improv—offers limitless possibilities,” while Keyboard Magazine declared that their sound “doesn’t adhere to a single genre but, instead, creates its own,” and Relix dubbed them “an incredibly impressive ensemble of talent.”
To purchase tickets for TAUK's ‘Oogie Boogie’ and more information, please visit https://www.taukband.com/tour.
