Banshee Tree has spent a decade collecting sounds from jazz cellars in Paris to EDM festivals in California to brass bands in New Orleans, and on April 9, the Boulder-based indie-jazz band brings all of it to the La Rosa stage.

The group is touring their sophomore album "Bad Luck" across the country, blending jazz-inspired melodies, hypnotic synthesizers and bluegrass-influenced dance rhythms into a sound that pulls audiences into something entirely their own.

Banshee Tree is composed of lead guitarist Thom Lafond, upright bassist Jason Bertone, drummer Michelle Pietrafitta and their newest member, saxophonist Jesse Shauter, who joined two years ago.

The Banshees bonded over shared tastes in classic jazz guitar, with legends like Django Reinhardt and Stéphan Grappelli as touchstones, while drawing on diverse musical backgrounds ranging from swing and traditional jazz to experimental indie rock.

"I moved out to Colorado and got really into production and synthesising, and started creating tapestries of synthesisers and keyboards, collecting vintage synths and stuff like that," said founding member Lafond.

When the group came together a decade ago in Boulder, Colorado, each bandmate brought their own sound to the table and began absorbing the local influences of bluegrass and jam band music, and Banshee Tree was born.

"As Banshee Tree formed into what it is now, we wanted to cover all of these bases, we want to be slightly electronic, slightly bluegrass, indie rock, and sort of tie all of those influences together," Lafond said.

These influences continue to evolve with each new destination and crowd. Shows in New Orleans, California EDM festivals and gigs in Paris have all left their mark on the band's sound.

"We've all listened to a lot of records," Bertone said, "but Paris is something that really made me want to refocus my classical jazz background, and when Jessie came into the band, he's also well versed, it all began coming together in a really beautiful way."

Immersing themselves in local music scenes became a routine practice, with the band busking alongside locals in New Orleans or falling in with Oregon marching bands between shows.

"For me personally, solo-traveling to Brazil made me really hungry for going to a place with a completely different music culture and letting it soak in as much as possible," Lafond said. "It's a travel log."

Drawing from such a wide range of influences, Banshee Tree is at home at almost any kind of gig, from bluegrass and EDM festivals to Burning Man-themed events and smaller, intimate venues, all while maintaining their indie-rock framework.

Songs range from warm saxophone lines and lush harmonies to heart-racing circus jams, with new sounds woven in and out as the band draws on each musician's background. Every song feels like a piece of musical history captured in the moment.

At the La Rosa show, fans can expect songs from the band's self-titled debut as well as their new release "Bad Luck." Sets often move through what the band calls "electro-swing" jams, moments where wild guitar and saxophone improvisations weave playfully through layers of electronica.

"It's a dance party where we bring back the 20s and 30s with all the jazz influence, and then we put it over a kind of electronic beat and feel," Lafond said. "We want them to yell and scream and dance and have a great time with their friends."

Tickets for the show at La Rosa are still available online or at the door.

Ian Davis is a Pima Community College student and Tucson Spotlight intern. Contact him at imdavis52023@gmail.com.

Tucson Spotlight is a community-based newsroom that provides paid opportunities for students and rising journalists in Southern Arizona. Please consider supporting our work with a tax-deductible donation.