By JACKIE MOE
When grunge ruled the airwaves and flannel was practically a uniform, seven guys in vintage suits, slicked-back hair and a whole lot of brass crashed the party. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy wasn’t interested in following the musical trends of the ’90s. Instead, the band reached back nearly a century, dusted off swing and jazz, and gave it a punk-rock pulse.
More than three decades later, the horns are still blaring, the upright bass is still swinging and the dance-floor energy hasn’t lost its spark.
The Ventura-bred group has gone from Southern California clubs to the Hollywood Bowl, the Super Bowl and stages around the world, building a multigenerational following along the way.
Now, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy is bringing its signature brand of high-energy swing to Newport Beach for a Nov. 19 performance at the historic Lido Theater.
Ahead of the show, drummer Kurt Sodergren takes us behind the music, reflecting on the band’s unlikely rise, the friendships that have kept it together and why, after all these years, making people happy is still the best part of the job.
Backstage SoCal: You’ve been together for more than 30 years. What’s been the secret to the band’s longevity?
Kurt Sodergren: Personality, really. Everyone enjoys playing together. We’re all brothers, and we don’t really let our egos get in the way, for the most part.
It can get rough after you’ve been on the road for about three weeks, but we’re pretty good at it now. Everyone seems to be in a really good place, and always has been. We understand what’s important, and we don’t let personal issues get in the way.
Five of us live in the same town, so we see each other a lot even outside the band.
Backstage SoCal: You helped bring swing back into the mainstream during the ’90s, when grunge and alternative rock were dominating the music scene. What made audiences connect with swing again?
Sodergren: Nirvana was probably the biggest band at the time, and I’m a huge fan. I think the live performance really was it.
We were just out there playing. It was an interesting combination of instruments. We had horns and an upright bass, and I don’t think people were used to seeing that.
We were playing music people were familiar with, just with more of an edge because we came from punk rock backgrounds. We didn’t come from classical backgrounds, so we approached it a little more rough around the edges.
Our arrangements weren’t super traditional in the beginning. As we added players, including Josh, our piano player, who arranges a lot of our material, the music became a little more traditional. But we still have an edge to it.
I think it was fun. We could play for anybody… kids, adults or even the parents of our parents.
Backstage SoCal: Your music has appeared in movies and television, including Despicable Me. What’s it like connecting with a younger generation?
Sodergren: I like it. It’s pretty cool.
When we play shows and there are kids in the audience, you can really tell if they’re interested. Their eyes get big, and maybe they’ll air-drum or something like that. You can tell when someone’s really into it.
Scott will give them a guitar pick or point them out in the crowd. I’ll give them some drumsticks after the show.
I love it when kids are involved. We all have families. My kids are grown up now, but they used to come to the shows. In fact, my son’s going to be there. He’s going to UC Irvine, so he’ll be at that show.
It’s pretty cool to connect with all ages. At home, there are no rock stars. You get home, and you’re a dad or whatever, and you take care of the family.
But it’s nice to connect with people of all ages. It’s also fun to be at the movie theater and suddenly see the trailer with your song come up. The kids get excited, look at you and go, “Oh, Dad did that.”
Backstage SoCal: You’ve performed at the Hollywood Bowl several times. Is there a particular performance or career moment that stands out?
Sodergren: We played a bunch of shows at the Hollywood Bowl, which was really cool for me because my dad used to take me there to see classical music when I was a kid.
I think we’ve played there seven or eight times now. The first time my dad came and saw us play with the Hollywood Bowl Symphony was really special for him, and it was very special for me to see him there and talk to him afterward.
He had brought me to the Bowl so many times to see music, so that was a big one.
Going to New Orleans for the first time was amazing, too. I love New Orleans, and it has a big influence on our music. It was really cool to meet some of our heroes.
That’s always the best — when you go out and play with someone you’ve loved since you were little or someone you hold in really high esteem.
Playing the Super Bowl with Stevie Wonder was one of those times. We played “Sir Duke” with him, and that was amazing.
Backstage SoCal: Your grandfather was also a swing and jazz musician. Did his musical background influence yours?
Sodergren: It did, in a way. My dad had, I believe, his dad’s copy of Benny Goodman’s Live at Carnegie Hall. I remember when he put that on and hearing Gene Krupa play the drums. My eyes kind of lit up.
My path as a youngster took a different route. I was really into punk rock and my own music. My dad took me to my first concert, which was actually KISS and Cheap Trick in 1976 at the Forum.
I was aware that my grandfather played music, but I didn’t really like it. I liked the music, but I never played it until I joined my band, when I was almost 30 years old.
So, while it influenced me in terms of knowing my grandpa was a musician and wanting to do that, the music really was Scott’s idea.
We were playing in a trio together, doing swampy blues, Jimi Hendrix and Tom Waits covers and things like that. Then one day, Scott said he wanted to play swing. That was all his idea.
Backstage SoCal: What continues to motivate you creatively after all these years?
Sodergren: I practice all the time. I have some side projects that I work on. I love to see music. My sons play music now, too, which is cool. Not for a living, but just for fun.
That’s what I was doing until the band got so big that I had to quit my job. It wasn’t really my intention. It was just for the love of the music, and I think that’s still there.
We didn’t want to come out and play like the Glenn Miller Band. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s already been done.
We wanted to put our own stamp on the American songbook. That’s why we came out the way we did. Our first tour, I think Carl had a mohawk, and my hair was bleached white with a shaved head. But we wore vintage suits at the same time.
We wanted to bring some young energy to a style that people already knew.
Backstage SoCal: After three decades, you’ve also watched generations of fans grow up. Do you still see longtime fans at your shows?
Sodergren: Oh, for sure.
We had one fan from Louisiana who recently passed away. His wife came to the show, and we brought her backstage afterward. We had a little toast to her husband, talked about him and shared some pictures.
A lot of times, we’ll play a show and see a man and a woman in the audience, and the woman is pregnant. Then, five years later, we’ll see the five-year-old at the show, then the 10-year-old.
I guess it’s aging me, but being around for 30 years means we’ve seen some of these kids grow up. Then they get involved with music at their schools, and we end up finding out they’re playing saxophone or trumpet.
It’s pretty cool to be friends with people for three decades and see them over and over.
Backstage SoCal: Does performing still give you the same thrill it did when you first started?
Sodergren: Oh, yeah, for sure.
I actually get pretty nervous before the show, but I think they’re good nerves. I really, really want to do a good job.
We’ve been waiting all day — traveling to the venue, setting up, doing sound check — and then we’re just ready to go.
We’re all amped up and ready. It’s pretty nice to know that we have a good band and we’re going to go out there and make people happy.
I think that’s one of the best things about this job. We’re going out there to entertain and make people have a great day. If they haven’t had a good day, maybe we’re going to give them a better one. And if they’ve had a great day, maybe we’re just going to add to it.
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Thursday, Nov. 19, 2026 | 8 p.m.
The Lido Theater
3459 Via Lido, Newport Beach
Tickets: The Lido Theater
More information: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy