Dixie Power Trio Brass Band

The heart of the Dixie Power Trio’s sound is a combination of all that is New Orleans: zydeco, Cajun, rock and roll, honky-tonk, street parade and jazz. Using traditional New Orleans instrumentation, the DPT ventures into territory where no tuba or banjo has dared to tread. Led Zeppelin, Dr. John, Chuck Berry, Jelly Roll Morton, the Ramones. No matter where their material comes from, the DPT transforms it into something fun and uniquely its own.
The group — Zack Smith on cornet, accordion, washboard and harmonica; Andy Kochenour on tuba; Byron McWilliams on drums; and Wayne Wilkinson on guitar — formed in 1992. The band recorded its first CD, “Out of Control,” a year later and started receiving national attention through airplay on NPR’s “All Things Considered” while becoming famous for their takes on “Stairway to Heaven” and “Freebird.” Soon, the group was out touring the country, recording its sophomore CD, “Greetings From Gumboville.”
With its third CD, “Ain’t My Fault,” the group began establishing itself as the East Coast’s premier New Orleans music ensemble. It was also during this time that the group began occasionally doing performances as the New Line Brass Band, with its beefed up front line. 
The group, which has been coming to the festival for a few years now, even managed to make a CD about a funny thing that happened on the way to the 2001 event. When the group’s Suburban broke down in Ashland, they stopped at a gas station and couldn’t get their vehicle to start. They went to an auto parts store and were told, “If this doesn’t work, call Virgil.” After much tinkering with hoses and spark plugs, Smith pulled out the card and called Virgil. Virgil arrived in a church van and determined that the fuel pump was shot. There, in the lot, he fixed the vehicle, but would not take any money.
“We were all very inspired by this act of kindness. When we got back on the road, we said we’ve got to write a song for Virgil,” Smith says. The new CD, “The Virgil Sessions,” includes the title cut, “Virgil Under the Hood.”