They had me at World-Famous Go-Go Brass Funk band. Being a D.C. native, I feel a sense of pride when musicians respect and appreciate the DC-bred music art form enough to adopt it into their sound. But, I assure you the New Orleans-based Brass-A-Holics has a sound all their own that transcends any type of categorization or boundary you try to place on them. That’s why after hearing them for the first time a few nights ago, it was no question what I was going to write about next. If you are a lover of live music like myself, or just music period, trust me you will want to have the Brassaholics experience.
And it was just that…an experience. Aside from the 15- or 20-minute intermission, from 8 pm to 10:30 pm, it was nothing but a straight party. Playing every genre of music imaginable from funk and R&B to a little bit of jazz, hip-hop and pop, the Brass-A-Holics had the dance floor completely packed and everyone in the room young & old and every ethnicity imaginable in a groove. There was no one excluded from getting caught up in the experience.
Their versatility, I think, is a huge part of what makes them so dynamic and special. We found the band in any given moment flow from Al Green’s Let’s Stay Together to Lil Duval’s Smile (Living my Best Life) to Katy Perry’s Dark Horse to Chuck Brown’s Bustin’ Loose and of course the traditional New Orleans-style brass band music, keeping us on our toes wondering what would come next. Not only that, the band’s three horn players doubled as vocalists and rappers, effortlessly switching back and forth between talents even mid-song throughout the night. We might have even seen some choreographed dance moves here and there as well.
The other thing that makes them so special, is simply their energy. With each song they played you could feel them give a piece of themselves to the audience. It is evident that these talented musicians genuinely love what they do and that is delivered through their unique sound and energy. Hence, by the end of the evening you had even the most chill and laid back of audience members playing along shouting back to the band their iconic chant, “Feeling that band, what they call it? Word on the street, it’s the… Brass-A-Holics!”
Needless to say, the Brass-A-Holics have made an official fan out of me. I would even go so far as to say this was certainly in my top 10 of live band experiences, which is saying a lot coming from a fellow artist and live music aficianado. If you are planning to head down to New Orleans or if they are heading to a city near you, I recommend making it a priority to have the Brass-A-Holics experience. You’ll be glad you did! You’re welcome.