On Sunday, September 4, 2016, nine Analy High School students took the stage and joined the ranks of several well-known touring bands to perform in front of a crowd of over 1,000 people at the 21^st annual Sonoma County Cajun Zydeco & Delta Rhythm Festival. The Rusty Suspenders, a New Orleans Jazz ensemble made of and run by Analy Students, took the spotlight as they performed on their own stage, the Queen Ida Platform. The Rusty Suspenders are composed of Analy junior Nick Hidy, trombone, and accompanied by junior Andecé Newcomer on the trumpet, junior Julian Lehrer on saxophone and vocals, senior Jennifer Wheelock on clarinet and vocals, junior Grant Branham on drums, sophomore Garrett on vocals and tuba, senior Isabella Bloom on piano, senior Sean Young on bass, and senior Ryan Porter on the electric guitar. The day started early with the stage set up at a quarter after seven by several Analy students and alumni working for Chromatic Events, an audio and visual company owned by a pair of Analy students. The Rusty Suspenders performed their first set as the main stage prepared for the day’s second show to take the stage. As soon as the microphones turned on and the band began to play, parents and festival goers murmured, “man, they sound good,” or “I can’t believe these are only high schoolers.”

By the end of the day, The Rusty Suspenders had performed three sets and thoroughly wowed the crowd with their young expertise. The energy of their performance attracted the attention of Press Democrat reporters and made headlines in the next newspaper:

The surprise hit of the day was Rusty Suspenders, a group of nine Analy High School students playing traditional New Orleans jazz, including “Mood Indigo,” “Sheik of Araby” and Fats Waller’s “Ain’t Misbehavin.”

However, it was not only the press that was impressed by the Rusty Suspenders’ performance. As members went backstage to the prepping area, members of the rotary club and several other bands gave words of praise to the young Rusty Suspenders. The Suspenders plan on performing more in the coming future with an expanding calendar full of new gigs. You can visit their Instagram (@therustysuspenders) for more information regarding upcoming performances.