A raucous menagerie of Eastern Europe gypsy brass, jazz and funk backed by a heart-pounding cadence corps and vaudevillian antics will high step into the Crystal Bay Club Crown Room Sunday, Jan. 15.

MarchFourth Marching Band, an 20-odd person ensemble of drummers, dancers, horns and, yes, electric bass is on tour promoting its latest endeavor, “Magnificent Beast.”

After hours cooped up on the 1984 MCI Highway coach, playing scrabble and looking at laptops, the band takes that bottled up energy and “will burst onto the stage,” according to band leader John Averill.

“Funny, people have asked us if we are on drugs,” he said of maintaining the exuberant MarchFourth tempo. Apparently, coffee is the choice du jour.

The high-energy blend of talented musicians and dancers exudes a level of foot-stomping, good-time joy unlike any other. The wave of excitement is palpable when this band from Portland, Ore., tromps into town. The band was put together for a Fat Tuesday party March 4, 2003, à la Rebirth Brass Band style, and was the “hatching point” for both the band and the name: MarchFourth Marching Band, a date, a command, a band.

“Really the name was given to us,” Averill said. He has discussed dropping the ‘marching Band,” so it better conveys the “funky big band circus, goofy mobile party” genre.

M4 tours with a core crew of eight horns, five drummers, guitar, five dancers-stiltwalkers with Averill as the bass guitar anchor. Historically, the band writes and arranges its material, designs the costumes and choreographs the shows.

How is it possible to keep such a big band on track?

“I consider it a band at large, with a project team mentality,” said Averill.

He tends with a pretty loose hand.

“I am more a facilitator of the energy, guiding the chaos,” he said.

M4 often romps, swings and snakes into a venue, giving credence to their name. And they love the Crystal Bay Casino at Lake Tahoe, for it's big, open Crown Room, excellent sound system and the “vibe of the room,” according to Averill.

“If you enjoy seeing a modern version of vaudevillian craziness this is the show for you,” said Crystal Bay Casino Manager Bill Wood. “A performance by the MarchFourth Marching Band is a joyful evening of burlesque punctuated by world music, horns, drumbeats and rhythmic dancing.”

The band might play selections from their first two studio albums, produced in house, but their main focus will be tracks from “Magnificent Beast,” produced by Steve Berlin of Los Lobos. NPR chose the track “Rose City Strut” as Song of the Day. This sultry slowed-down M4 tune is fortified with New Orleans' Preservation Hall Jazz Band's clarinetist, tenor saxophonist and tuba player.

Working out of the box is an M4 given, and giving back to young musicians is part of the scene with Joy Now, dancer Ariel Brantley-Dalglish's brainchild. The nonprofit engages youth through music and performance arts-centered programs. According to Averill, it's a kind of mini-MarchFourth.

“It's about musicians really empowering the kids to learn and build confidence,” Averill said.

Averill is also excited about M4's future. “I'm looking forward to writing new material, with ethnic flavors, the future's wide open.”