Get to Know Taste of Fort Collins Artist Trombone Shorty

With the Taste of Fort Collins happening THIS weekend, it seems like the perfect time to shine a spotlight on one of this year's headliners and introduce festival-goers to who they will be seeing perform on stage Saturday evening. So without further ado, let's get to know a little bit more about Trombone Shorty and his band, Orleans Avenue.

Serving as the band's frontman, Troy Andrews, better known as Trombone Shorty, is backed by five additional talented musicians who together, make up the group, Orleans Avenue. Since linking up, the six of them have toured the U.S. and Canada, Europe, Australia, Japan, Russia and Brazil, putting on energetic and funk-filled performances everywhere they go. However, Trombone Shorty got his start way before finding success with his current band.

A native of New Orleans, Trombone Shorty began performing and actually leading a band at just six-years-old. At the early age of 12, he was already touring internationally, which led him on the path to his next musical journey – joining Lenny Kravitz' horn section at the age of 19, for a 105-date world tour taking place in 2005-2006. Since then, Trombone Shorty has played alongside many other notable artists, including Madonna, Queen Latifah, and Macklemore. He and his band have also made appearances performing on The Grammy's, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, on several other talk shows, and even at the White House. The eclectic musician has also dabbled a bit in the acting world, playing himself in a recurring role on the HBO series "Treme."

On the evening of June 11, concert-goers can expect to be blown away by the sounds of Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue. Their music is a mixture of funk, combined with hip-hop beats, rock dynamics and jazz influences, that'll no doubt have the audience on their feet, movin' and groovin' all night long. TOFC passes, which include concert access to all of the shows, can be purchased online or directly at the entry gates.