Primary Instrument: Band/ensemble/orchestra
No BS! Brass Band is a powerful brass band that embraces the spirit of New Orleans into its original East Coast modern funk. Their danceable arrangements are outstandingly well thought-out and organized, drawing inspiration from funk, jazz, klezmer, calypso, and Led Zeppelin. Nearly every member has had conservatory training, holding various Bachelors and Masters degrees in music. Based in Richmond, Virginia, this band has quickly earned a reputation as a premiere band to see for an evening of heart-pounding energy and uncontrollable dancing.
Getting their start in early 2006, founders Reggie Pace and Lance Koehler knew that they had something special. In casting the members of the group, it was essential to include only the strongest players in the city. Each member needed to have high skills and a definably unique persona. The result is a 13-piece band made up of Richmond’s heaviest sounds and biggest names. Nearly every player holds a Bachelor or Master of Music degree, having studied an in-depth curriculum of all aspects of music with some of the nation’s most influential professors.
The musicians of No BS! Brass Band knew that the sound and music of No BS! Brass Band had to live up to the name. In putting together the compositions and arrangements, the writers stripped away all of the “b.s.” to give the audience something solid, unique, organic, real, and powerful. The resulting music is a true definition of the “Richmond sound.” This instrumental funk music has strong influences of jazz and rock, like Led Zeppelin played by a brass band. Being a 13-piece brass band, they have the look of New Orleans with the raw sound of East Coast funk. The music is extremely danceable and high-energy. Peter McElhinney of Style Weekly writes that “the best advice for their CD is to play it loud,” and that “The No BS! Brass Band had no problem riveting the attention of a capacity crowd.”
The musicians and the music of No BS! Brass Band are refined, polished, organic. The music is stripped away of all the fluff, leaving the audience with a sound that is raw and real. Since their incarnation in 2006, the band has earned a reputation as one of the city’s most wanted bands. Having grabbed the attention of the public and music industry representatives, this group of stellar musicians is now taking their act to the next level. Their newest CD release, Where is Stefan? can be found at Plan 9, CD Baby, and iTunes. They can be found on the web at www.myspace.com/nobsbrass, and can be contacted via email at Nobsbrass[at]gmail.com.
Instrumentation
Reggie Pace: trombone
Bryan Hooten: trombone
Dillard Watt: trombone
Reginald Chapman: bass trombone
Rob Quallich: trumpet
Marcus Tenney: trumpet
Taylor Barnett: trumpet
David Hood: alto saxophone
Stefan Demetriadis: tuba
Lance Koehler: drums
Alive in Richmond (2009)
No BS! (2010)
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