Hot 8 Brass Band On Their New Orleans Sound, Perserverence & More
GRAMMY-nominated New-Orleans funk fusion group Hot 8 Brass Band sat down with DJ Moonbaby at Essence Music Festival to discuss their 20-year journey from meeting as members of their high school marching band and playing for weddings, parties and political events, to releasing their GRAMMY-nominated album The Life And Times Of The Hot 8 in 2012, and how they’ve managed to blend the traditional elements of the New Orleans sound with more contemporary elements of blues and hip-hop to continue to appeal to listeners of all ages, all while surviving the separate losses of four previous members to street violence and illness. They also share some details about their forthcoming projects, and discuss how they’ve kept the group alive in order to honor the New Orleans brass band tradition while introducing new styles to move their sound forward.