BASHER
new orleans’ premiere
FREE JAZZ PARTY BAND
new album MAY DAY out NOW on Sinking City Records
LISTEN HERE
"Unbearably beautiful." -- Pitchfork
"Stunning. It slaps." -- Downbeat Magazine
credit Noé Cugny, noecugny.org
FOR ALL BOOKING AND INQUIRIES, CONTACT: byron.asher@gmail.com
Live on WWOZ, December 2025
ABOUT Basher:
Hailed as New Orleans’ premiere free jazz party band, Basher is a woodwind, synthesizer and percussion-driven avant fusion band equally at home in dance clubs and listening rooms.
Their line-up is as flexible as their musicality, presenting the same energetic performances pared down as a trio or as expansive as a nonet, with five horns and three drummers.
Led by saxophonist and composer Byron Asher, Basher has garnered the adoration of the New Orleans creative music scene with its combination of danceable grooves, anthemic melodies, and wild clash of acoustic and electronic textures.
They've been playing dive bars, art galleries, train tunnels, and, yes, arenas across the US since 2017.
In 2022, they released their LP Doubles on Sinking City Records, which Downbeat gave 4 stars, claiming it "slaps," and Pitchfork called "unbearably beautiful."
In 2024, Basher released their new LP “May Day” with Sinking City Records, which We Jazz Magazine called a “perfect, euphoric release.”
They are currently preparing their third LP with an anticipated release date of late 2026.
PRAISE FOR Basher:
"Unbearably beautiful. Doubles pays tribute to New Orleans' abundant spirit." -- Pitchfork
"Stunning...It slaps. Is it free jazz? Is it a party? It's definitely worth checking out." -- Downbeat Magazine
“Perfect to put on when the only thing that is needed is a euphoric release.” - We Jazz Magazine
"Stick with them long enough, and Basher might be the kind of artist other artists are sampling decades down the line. Top 50 of 2022." -- Yardbarker
ABOUT Byron Asher:
Byron Asher is a saxophonist and clarinetist and composer based in New Orleans. Raised in Maryland, he has performed across Europe and the US at major festivals and art centers including the Kennedy Center in Washington DC and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival as well as at dive bars and DIY spaces. He is a 2022 OneBeat Fellow, a program of the US State Department. Byron’s composition work has been supported by MacDowell, South Arts, and A Studio In The Woods (New Orleans), among others. In addition to Basher, he leads Skrontch Music, an experimental large ensemble, and co-leads Sonic Chambers Quartet. In 2024, We Jazz Magazine called him “an ideal example of the heart and ambition of New Orleans’ creative music community.”
FEATURING (variously):
Byron Asher, tenor saxophone, clarinets, bandleader
Emily Mikesell (Smiloh, Trumpet Mafia), trumpet
Aurora Nealand (The Monocle, Tim Berne), alto saxophone
Tomas Majcherski (The Tropicales), tenor saxophone
Daniel Meinecke (Quiana Lynell, Glen Echo), analog and modular synthesizers
Zach Rhea (New Music Collective), drums
Trenton O’Neil (The Rumble), drums
Sam Shahin (Naughty Professor), drums
NOTABLE Performances and Tours:
NOVEMBER 1-9: MAY DAY MIDWEST TOUR
11/1, Chicago, IL, Hungry Brain
11/2, Madison, WI, Blue Stem Jazz Series at North Street Cabaret
11/3, Louisville, KY, CAMP Social Club with Frog Type-0 and The Outfit
11/4, Lexington, KY, Outside The Spotlight Series at Lexington Art League with JAKAL
11/6, Nashville, TN, Rudy's Jazz Room
11/7, Jackson, MS, End Of All Music with Tyler Tadlock
11/8, Lafayette, LA, Reve Coffee with Trey Boudreaux
11/9, Baton Rouge, LA, Yes We Cannibal with Helen Gillet
MAY 31, 2024: MAY DAY ALBUM RELEASE, Broadside, New Orleans
JUNE 29-JULY 7, 2023: NORTHEAST TOUR
6/29, LeMondo with Konjur Collective, Baltimore, MD
6/30, Bossa Bistro, Washington, DC
7/1, Rhizome with Sarah Marie Hughes, Washington, DC
7/2, Brooklyn Kura, Brooklyn, NY
7/3, Nublu, New York, NY
7/5, Red Ink Community Library, Providence, RI
7/6, Tubby’s with The Warblers (Bobby Previte, Ben Vida, etc.), Kingston, NY
7/7, Barbès, Brooklyn, NY
NOVEMBER 10, 2022: DOUBLES ALBUM RELEASE, Snug Harbor, New Orleans
JULY 7-9, 2022: NORTHEAST TOUR
July 7, Brooklyn Botanic Garden AND Barbès, Brooklyn, NY
July 8, Wild Birds, Brooklyn, NY
July 9, The Drake, Amherst, MA
JUNE 7, 2022: GENERATOR Show w/ Wavering and Colin Self, Train Tunnel under St. Claude Ave., New Orleans
JANUARY 11, 2022: HALFTIME SHOW for NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans v. Minnesota Timberwolves, Smoothie King Center, New Orleans
NOVEMBER 11-13 2021: TEXAS TOUR
November 11, Wild Child Wine Shop, Lafayette, LA
November 12, Monk’s Jazz Club, Austin, TX
November 13, The Brick, San Antonio, TX
FEBRUARY 4, 2020: INSTIGATION FESTIVAL (NOLA edition), Hi-Ho Lounge, opening for Kidd Jordan/Tomeka Reid/Jason Adasiewicz/Joshua Abrams/Mike Reed