Celebrating the music of an era
Depot Town Big Band is available for public and private events. Email us for more information.
About Us
Our Story
In 2011, Matt Balmer had a vision to start a new community big band in the Depot Town area of Ypsilanti, and plays in the Southeast Michigan area. The group is a typical 17 piece big band, with vocal, playing classic '30s songs to more modern dance and swing charts. We have attracted players from all over Michigan, including students from Eastern Michigan, University of Michigan and Michigan State.
What we do
We strive to enrich our community through our entertainment. While our band is becoming a regular mainstay at Haab's Restaurant, we are available for personal and corporate events. Such as:
- Weddings
- Business Celebrations
- Community Festivals
The Depot Town Big Band is ideally suited to perform for your event. With our extensive song list and flexible size, we can put together a concert that meets your needs and style choice.
Our Influences
As a straight ahead big band jazz group, we take our musical queues from Count Basie and his orchestra, Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Thad Jones, Maynard Ferguson; as well as more modern composers like, Tom Kubis, and Gordon Goodwin. No set is complete without a few vocals. You can hear a wide variety such as Rogers and Hammerstein, George and Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter, Ella Fitzgerald, and others from the Great American Songbook.
We enjoy performing anything that moves an audience, like ballads such as Bein' Green, Skylark, and At Last; straight ahead swing such as In the Mood, Corner Pocket and Groovin' Hard; latin charts like Samba Dees Gotta Do It, Green Eyes and Girl From Ipanema; and of course rippin tunes like Nice n' Juicy, Hunting Rabbits, and Count Bubba.