A little more than 20 years ago, a band named after a popular peanut candy began stringing together a mixture of New Orleans Jazz, Calypso, and Swing … adding in their own whacky sense of humor. The result was a breakthrough album called “HOT”. The band was The Squirrel Nut Zippers from Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
The album produced a string of singles that were pioneered by college radio and MTV, most notably “Hell”, a Calypso that gleefully describes the Biblical inferno, and “Put A Lid On It”, a swingy Big Band crooner about heroin addiction.
Two years ago, original member James “Jimbo” Mathus reformed the group in celebration of the 20th anniversary of “HOT”. Re-releasing the album, and setting out on a support tour. He stopped by Hawaii Public Radio to catch up with dj mr.nick on Bridging the Gap to discuss the band and play some unreleased material.
Squirrel Nut Zippers finish their 3-night residency at the Blue Note Hawaii on Saturday. Tickets and information can be found here.
