Music of the Mountains: Where to be and what to see -- Scott Johnson of the Rampart Street Stompers (and Bonus: Al Jardine and The Beach Boys at Caribou Ranch!)

Send us Fan Mail Scott Johnson primarily lives in Boulder with his wife and two kids, but the family also owns a house in New Orleans, located on North Rampart Street. Over a decade ago, he played a gig and mentioned that he would have loved to learn how to play the sousaphone, as at the time he played upright and electric bass. A trumpet player and friend playing the gig with him said that he would help Johnson learn the ropes. This motivated Johnson to teach himself the instrument, and feeling comfortable playing New Orleans jazz, he gathered friends of his to form a band to play that jazz: the Rampart Street Stompers, a name that tributes his house. The band focuses on traditional New Orleans jazz from the 1920s and ’30s, from Louis Armstrong to Louis Prima, and the lineup has changed slightly over the years to home in on that particular sound. The current lineup consists of Johnson as band leader, sousaphone player, and vocalist; Fred Renken on trumpet; Fred Rollenhagen on trombone; Michael Bocim on clarinet; Al Scholl on banjo and guitar; Steve Balgooyen on drums; and Corinne Johnson, Scott’s daughter, as a vocalist. Other members have included Josh Schnabel on banjo and ukulele, Ellie Brown on vocals, and Justin Peterson on trumpet. Johnson calls the band a middle ground between Preservation Hall Jazz Band and Tuba Skinny, the latter of whom Johnson credits with inspiring the band in the first place. Also, stay tuned to hear responses from Al Jardine of The Beach Boys to questions about that band's time at Caribou Ranch in Nederland! Our theme song is courtesy of singer-songwriter Brittney Wagner. Stream her record Better off Dead here. Support the show Thank you for listening to The Mountain-Ear Podcast, featuring news and culture from peak to peak! Additional pages are linked below. If you want to be involved in the podcast or paper, contact: Barbara Hardt, our editor-in-chief, at [email protected] Tyler Hickman, multimedia producer, at [email protected] Jamie Lammers, podcast host, at [email protected] General inquiries: [email protected] Head to our website for all of the latest news. Subscribe to The Mountain-Ear in print and online. Submit local events to promote them in the paper and on our website. Find us on Facebook @mtnear and Instagram @mtn.ear Listen and watch on YouTube today. Share this podcast by scrolling to the bottom of our website home page or by heading to our main hub on Buzzsprout. Thank you for listening!