The Story
Formed in New Orleans in the summer of 2015, The Saint Roch Syncopators includes Ryan Robertson on trumpet, Brandon Brunious on banjo, Scotty Yost on trombone, Ed Doskey on sousaphone, and Rose Cangelosi on drums.
The band was formed after Ryan and Brandon became friends while playing together with the Black Dragons on Frenchmen Street. Scotty and Ryan are both from Sacramento, California, where they met through the Sacramento Jazz Society. When Scotty moved to New Orleans he was added to the band. Ed played with Brandon in the Ninth Ward Marching Band and was quickly included into what is now the Saint Roch Syncopators.
The name “Saint Roch Syncopators” comes from the neighborhood where both Ryan and Brandon live in New Orleans, Faubourg Saint Roch (pronounced “SAINT ROCK”). Syncopation is the arrangement of rhythms or accents that form an off-beat or unexpected sound.
THE BAND
RYAN ROBERTSON – a masters-level educated musician, Ryan has been playing trumpet for decades. He has played professionally on the international scale with the Viper Mad Trio, and is currently a private lesson teacher in New Orleans.
BRANDON BRUNIOUS – a fifth-generation New Orleans musician, Brandon is the son of jazz trumpeter Wendell Brunious and grandson of Cab Calloway arranger John “Picket” Brunious. Educated at NOCCA alongside Trombone Shorty and Jonathan Batiste, Brandon plays trumpet, bass, guitar, banjo, and sousaphone and has been performing professionally for more than twenty years.
SCOTTY YOST – a California native, Scotty was trained at California State University at Chico and has been performing live jazz for more than ten years in various bands such as The City of Trees, The Cork Poppas and the Sacramento Jazz Society.
ED DOSKEY – After establishing himself as a reliable substitute with a number of New Orleans brass and jazz bands, Ed Doskey brings in the bass on the sousaphone. Even though he has a day job too, Ed finds time in his busy schedule to play one of the strongest sousaphone sounds in the city.
ROSE CANGELOSI – Rose’s love of music began at an early age. Her first drum teacher, Allen Goodman, inspired her to pursue a musical path heavily influenced by playing jazz music. After graduating with her Bachelor’s degree, she came to New Orleans on a musical pilgrimage in July of 2015. Since then she has been playing music full time around town as a freelance drummer and in groups of varying styles from traditional and more modern styles of jazz, to swing, country, folk, RnB, rock, and indie rock. Rose also fronts her own band of original music on vocals and drums, called Fantasy Non Fiction. (fantasynonfiction.com)