Photo Courtesy of Joey Wharton
Brass Band
Richmond, Virginia
While most people associate funk-infused brass bands with New Orleans, the No BS! Brass Band has soundly put Richmond on the genre’s map. Founders Reggie Pace and Lance Koehler formed this 11-piece powerhouse band in which nearly every member has had conservatory training, holding various degrees in music. In putting together the compositions and arrangements, the “b.s.” has been stripped to give the audience something solid, unique, organic, real, and powerful. They have the look of New Orleans with a raw sound all their own—and their music is a seminal addition to the “Richmond sound.”
TheNo BS! Brass Band has quickly earned a reputation as a premiere band to see for heart-pounding energy and uncontrollable dancing. They take their music into uncharted territory, embracing the spirit of New Orleans into its original East Coast modern funk and fearlessly combining elements of James Brown, John Coltrane, Michael Jackson, and Led Zeppelin into their fiercely original sound.
There is no doubt they No BS! will close the day at the Center For Cultural Vibrancy’s stage on Saturday in grand fashion. RVA ALL THE WAY!