The Band

Let 'Em Swing!

After their successful forays into the latter decades of rock history, the Firebrigade has (at last) arrived in the 1930s, 40s and 50s.
Clad in the finest and most stylish of suits the band turns back the clock to 1959 – recapturing the feeling of Frank “Ol’ Blue Eyes” Sinatra, Louis Prima and Bobby Darin – as though the intervening years had never been…

If you need proof that wild parties were held even during years of prohibition, you need look no further than the new CD “A Swinging Affair”. The seven songs (plus bonus track) are the hottest since the invention of shellac!

But the real quality of The Firebrigade only reveals itself where the sheep are separated from the goats, namely, on stage. Smoothly and without apparent effort, the band charms every audience.
But under the surface they are starting to bubble and fizz! Like a greyhound on a leash, The Firebrigade drags the crowd along behind it with an irresistible urge to dance. The piano and double bass pump their way through a program full of smash hits (Jumping Jive, Mack the Knife, Fly Me to the Moon and many more). Driven by the swinging rhythms of the drums, the brass instruments slice through the heavy air with their sharp and penetrating melodies. And on top of all this is the shimmering voice of Marcus Int-Veld – the brain, the heart, and the belly of the band.

In this way the Firebrigade grooves through the night, until one thing at least is clear: that disco, hip-hop, trance and techno were all just footnotes in musical history – SWING IS KING!

Acclaim for previous performances can be found here...

To hear the music click here...

Marcus Int-Veld

Vocals & Chairman of the Board

Founding member of the Firebrigade. On the road since 1980. Loves his tuxedo, Spectator shoes and the new sound of his band.

Favourite quote: "When a vice has spread far enough, it turns into a virtue." (Frank Sinatra)

Dirk "Jeans" Jantzen

Guitar &Vocals

Thought until 1995 that Blues was the only true music. But Firebrigade forced him to recognize rock ‘n’ roll and now, finally, swing.
Dirk admits: “The first time I saw the sheet music for Mack the Knife, I thought it was a page from a book of chemical formulae.”

Secret love: Foreigner

Axel Heim

Piano

Is responsible for the band’s arrangements (all written himself) and is also the musical lead. Further projects: Galapagos Big Band, SRH Big Band.

In addition he is an intermittent member of the Session Band, which plays every Sunday evening in Cave 54 in Heidelberg.

Markus "Mr. Breathless" Seeger

Trumpet

Plays everything from jazz to classical. A highly rated teacher at several music schools and guest instructor at numerous workshops on the trumpet and beyond.

Marc König

Trumpet

Lead Trompete Firebrigade since 2010. Other projects: The Windwalkers, Nationaltheater Mannheim, Kurpfälzisches Kammerorchester, Jazzstudium Musikhochschule Mannheim, etc. etc.

Since 2012 Marc can be held responsible for the band's arrangements.