Rick Tisch is the bandleader, keyboard player, and all-around party starter for Shorty Long & The Jersey Horns. The group is at home playing Atlantic City’s casinos to Philadelphia’s Electric Factory, bringing the sounds of Chicago, The White Stripes, Van Morrison, Janis Joplin, Herbie Hancock and anything else audiences request. The co-founder and his partner in crime, John Kern, talked to us about what to expect when the rowdy group comes to town.
Q First off, how did the group form?
A Me and John Kern started it together in 2002. It started out as a five-piece band and we kept getting more members and more members, so now we have about nine onstage and four offstage, so it’s big.
Q There aren’t a lot of bands with a horn section. Was that purposeful? And what do you think it adds to your show?
A In the beginning, we didn’t set out to have a horn section. But they started jamming with us and everyone liked them, and it’s been killer ever since. There’s no substitute for real brass. I have no respect for bands that use backing tracks. It’s like putting people out of work.
Q You seem to be comfortable as a midget leading a band from a wheelchair — an image of you is even the band’s logo. What do you think others with disabilities can learn from you?
A Know what, get off your ass and do something. I don’t think there is such thing as a disability. I’m handi-capable. I think people use their handicap as an excuse.
Q What sets you apart from other bands?
A Visually, with the brass and so many people onstage, it’s just so much to look at. We also do entrances — I’ve come out like a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade float and dressed like the Pope before. I think the biggest thing that sets us apart is that it’s more than just music.
Me and John have this whole comedy thing throughout the show, making fun of each other’s moms and things. We’re not just musicians up there, we’re up there partying as much as the audience. If the band isn’t having any fun, the audience isn’t having any fun. Audience participation is a big thing. We get the crowd singing, pull someone onstage to shake a tambourine. Sometimes after the second set we’ll ask the audience to shout out suggestions, trying to get them to stump us. Ninety percent of the time we’ll know it and do it, and if we don’t we’ll give them a T-shirt or something. We call it “Stump the Midget.”
