New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Shore Fire Media) The members of Richmond's No BS! Brass Band have performed with some of the biggest names in indie music-from
Bon Iver and Megafaun to
Feist and Sharon Van Etten-along with jazz, R&B, and reggae greats like Gladys Knight, Ozomatli, and the Wailers. But something magical happens when the 11 players step to center stage for a New Orleans-inspired Kung Fu blast of brass and drums. They've captured that magic on record for two albums due out this summer: one of original material titled 'RVA All Day' (out June 14), and 'Fight Song: A Tribute to Charles Mingus' (out July 5). Check out album opener "RVA All Day," which SPIN calls "a hot, irrepressible blast of brass and canyon-like grooves" here: https://shorefi.re/13fgM2u
Founded by trombonist Reggie Pace (Bon Iver, Fight the Big Bull) and drummer Lance Koehler, No BS! Brass Band has quickly cemented itself as a Richmond institution. Voted Best Band in 2012 by Virginia Living Magazine, Best Richmond Jazz Artist by
Style Magazine, and Best Local Jazz Combo by Richmond Magazine, the band's boundless energy and joyous stage presence have made their live performances legendary.
'RVA All Day' is a celebration of the thriving jazz and R&B scene that birthed the band. A mix of 11 mostly-instrumental originals and instantly recognizable covers written and/or arranged by Pace, 'RVA All Day' is all about movement. "I thought it was weird that jazz decided it didn't care if people danced anymore," says Pace, whose spirited arrangements of pop classics like "
Thriller" (featured on the record), "Take On Me," and even Rush's "Tom Sawyer" never fail to whip the audience into a frenzy. "I wanted to make something that would appeal to people who want to dance."
'Fight Song: A Tribute To Charles Mingus' plays to the band's more serious side, though the nine-song celebration of the late bassist/composer is no less vibrant or pulsating. Nearly every member of the group holds a Bachelor or Master of
Music degree, having studied with some of the nation's most influential music professors, and their reverence for the jazz giant shines through even as they lend their own inimitable flair to the music. "We were part of the Mingus Awareness Project, a concert put on every year in
Chicago and Richmond to raise money for ALS research (the disease Mingus died from)," says Pace. "The originality and free spirit of his music speaks to me. His art treaded the line of jazz, blues, gospel, classical and experimental music."
The band will play Floyd Fest, with
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, The Lumineers, Gogol Bordello, and more this summer. Stay tuned for additional dates.
No BS! Brass Band is:
Reggie Pace - Trombone, Percussion *Founder
Lance Koehler - Drums, Vocals, Engineer *Founder
Marcus Tenney - Trumpet
Taylor Barnett - Trumpet
Rob Quallich - Lead Trumpet *
David Hood - Alto and Bari Saxophones
Bryan Hooten - Trombone
John Hulley - Trombone
Dillard Watt - Bass Trombone
Stefan Demetriadis - Contra Bass
Sam Koff - Trumpet #
Ben Court - Lead Trumpet #
* Recording member, not on tour
# Touring member, not on records
'RVA All Day' Tracklist:
1. RVA All Day
2. Run Around
3. Get It On
4. Infamous
5. Interlude 1
6. Love Seat
7. Interlude 2
8. Iron Palm
9. Jalepenos on the Side
10. Thriller
11. Meat Wagon (outro)
'Fight Song: A Tribute to Charles Mingus Tracklist':
1. Jelly Roll
2. Better Git Hit in Your Soul
3. Invisible Lady
4. Girl of My Dreams
5. Haitian Fight Song
6. Nostalgia in Time Square
7. Goodbye Porkpie Hat
8. Moanin'
9. Haitian Fight Song Stems (For the DJs)
NO BS! Brass Band on the Web:
https://www.nobsbrass.com
https://www.facebook.com/nobsbrass
https://twitter.com/nobsbrass
https://www.youtube.com/user/NOBSBRASS
