Friday, September 20th The Music Vibes immersed itself in a night of uplifting soulful music as The Soul Rebels and Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe took the stage of the quaint West Philadelphia venue, The Blockley. I must say that this 8-piece New Orleans style brass band truly left our team of music aficionados entirely speechless- but then we snapped out of it because we had a raving review to write! There was perhaps no better band to ease us into our first experience listening to a musical group that had the traditionally solely brass and percussion infrastructure. Not only was that night’s set incredible, but the members of the band themselves were some of the nicest and most genuine musicians we have met thus far.
The Music Vibes was able to obtain a copy of their new album, which they enthusiastically signed for the team as they thanked us for our work and appreciation of their music. Stemming from New Orleans, this eight-piece brass band consists of percussionists, Lumar LeBlanc and Derrick Moss, trumpet players, Julian Gosin and Marcus Hubbard, trombonists Corey Peyton and Paul Robertson, saxophonist Erion Williams, and sousaphonist Edward Lee Jr. The music of The Soul Rebels has evolved from their New Orleans brass style based on the band’s original members Lumar LeBlanc and Derrick Moss’s passion for playing the music they heard on the radio with a twist. They were inspired by popular contemporary music and began incorporating elements of soul, jazz, funk, hip-hop, rock and pop music into a traditional brass band framework.
The Music Vibes had the pleasure of asking The Soul Rebels a few questions about their music, experience playing at the NFL Honors Awards show, and musical collaborations:
Music Vibes (MV): In reference to your name, “The Soul Rebels” in what way would you say your music is traditional and in what way are you “rebelling”?
Soul Rebels (SR): We are only traditional in the sense that our instrumentation is traditional; having two separate drummers with one on snare and the other on bass drum and percussion and a sousaphone makes us real raw and authentic. Also, trumpets, saxophone and trombones points to a more traditional set up. But our sound is totally contemporary, fresh and new, urban in a sense. We love hip-hop/rap, pop music and funk. And we call Jazz our own, its home for The Soul Rebels. We are rebelling against what people think is musically possible for a band with our instrumentation. Rebelling against the preconceived notion of how a brass ensemble should sound and feel.
MV: How was your experience playing at the NFL Honors Awards show?
SR: The NFL Honors Awards Show on CBS was great and such a big landmark in The Soul Rebels history. We had a ball working and hanging with Alec Baldwin; he was so much fun and made us feel very comfortable. The event was very detailed and scheduled to the tee. Even though it was a sporting event in nature, it was really by all means a major prime time TV award show. With many “A” list attendance. We were honored, no pun intended. The NFL did a marvelous job granting New Orleans the stage for this event. We showed how our musical talents and experiences could lend itself to a mainstream audience.
MV: You have played with artists such as Maceo Parker, Galactic and Karl Denson before. However, people may be surprised to hear that you have played with Kanye West, Snoop Dog, Arcade Fire, Metallica and Greenday. How has the festival scene broken down barriers between music genres for your band?
SR: The festival scene has been growing so much and we have performed on the same stage and on the same bills with many of today’s top drawing artists and at many of our world’s major festivals. Music has become free of labeling and barrier breaking. Like our collaboration with Metallica. That was awesome and ground breaking for us and for music as a hole. We continue to break down barriers by producing and developing a style and sound that moves and touches the soul, providing festivals and fans a hi-energy experience.
Festivals have done a great job at transforming the entire popular music scene and culture. You see festivals getting more objective and tasteful in their lineups, as they have to attract younger supporters and a more social media savvy audience in order to move forward and grow. The Soul Rebels provide a tremendously exciting, high energy and over all musical performance that many of the largest and acclaimed festivals need to rock large crowds.
MV: Are you noticing more diversity in your fan base after performing with such an array of artists?
SR: Yes, our fan base has grown tremendously, covering younger and older fans. We’ve even had metal fans showing up to shows from seeing us with Metallica in San Francisco and in Atlantic City at their festival. We TRULY love, appreciate and respect our fans. They are some of the greatest fans in the world and travel near and far to catch our shows, worldwide.
MV: How does the experience playing with funk bands compare to playing with some of the more mainstream artists and musicians?
SR: To be truthful, a musician is a musician at the end of the day. When you do away with all the security and cinema that surround them you’ll find that common bond that we all love, desire, crave and need music. Like working with Robert Plant, Trombone Shorty, Slick Rick to Maceo Parker to Green Day to Metallica; once we practice and perform together it’s as if we are one unit, one band, and one union. Much love, respect and admiration to these great friends we’ve made through musical collaborations, at festivals and shows.
MV: Seeing that you have played at the Blockley several times open for artist such as The New Mastersounds and Marco Benevento, how are you feelings about returning to this venue? Deja vu?
SR: So pumped! We love The Blockley and Philly!
MV: What is your relationship with this venue and how would describe your experience here?
SR: Anytime we get to perform in front of a crowd of people, we always truly treasure it. We love all the venues, for they each have their own special essence and vibe. The Blockley has been incredible to us and we love returning. Whenever we return it feels like we never left. The Blockley is an institution and we are pleased to be a part of their legacy.
The experience that matters most, being one with your audience and being there to lift an audience to a level they’ve never experience and never knew was possible. The Blockley audience gets that.
MV: The deadline for your logo competition was September 9th– how was the response to your logo competition? Any chance you have picked a winner yet?
SR: In closing, thanks for the logo support, all are so great and we are taking our time sorting out these magnificent pieces. Much love to all.
If you are a fan of brass, marching band style instrumentation, or even New Orleans style soul, than The Soul Rebels is definitely a band that you need to give a listen. With backgrounds in various university music programs throughout the South, the Rebels took the marching band format that they learned throughout their musical experience in school and whipped it up with some R&B, funk and hip-hop as seen though their combination of sung/rapped song lyrics. LeBlanc has exclaimed, “Most of our originals have vocals,” explaining The Soul Rebels unique style, “you wouldn’t have done that in a traditional brass band.”
Throughout time the Rebels have garnered a loyal audience. It is indisputable, however, that their opening performance for the Neville Brothers truly put their name out in the music forefront. To get a real taste of the eight-piece line-up you should check out their international debut release, Unlock Your Mind. The eclectic and energetic music of The Soul Rebels gets your feet stomping away as the mightiness of their horns and drums fuels the venue turning the bar into a ginormous dance party!
In recent musical news, The Soul Rebels have teamed up with Big Freedia and Daft Punk in the formulation of the “Get Lucky Remix.” This leaked track from their new mixtape plays tribute to Big Freedia’s Twerking Guinness World Record, an accomplishment of this day and age! If you have the chance catch a performance of The Soul Rebels in their hometown of New Orleans, especially at one of their most frequented venues, Le Bon Temps Roule on October 3rd and October 10th. You can even catch one of their free performances in NOLA on October 3rd at the Louis Armstrong Park or October 18th at the Annual Blues, Brews and BBQ Festival in North Carolina. If you’re looking to catch some awesome music abroad, The Soul Rebels will be making their way to Germany just in time for Oktoberfest playing at Ubberjaz in Hamburg, Postbahnhof in Berlin, Groove Station in Dresden, Mousonturm in Frankfurt and many more!
Review by Rebecca Wolfe
Photography by Rebecca Wolfe
Check out The Music Vibes Preview: Funk Astronomy; Join the Intergalactic Dance Party with Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe & the Soul Rebels
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The Soul Rebels Tour Schedule:
October 3rd Louis Armstrong Park New Orleans, LA Showtime: 6:30pm website | FREE
October 3rd Le Bon Temps Roule New Orleans, LA Showtime: 10pm website | tickets
October 4th Tipitinas New Orleans, LA Showtime: 11:30pm website | tickets
October 10th Le Bon Temps Roule New Orleans, LA Showtime: 10pm website | tickets
October 12th d.b.a. New Orleans, LA Showtime: 10pm website | tickets
October 17th Papa Mojo’s Roadhouse Durham, NC Showtime: TBA website | tickets
October 18th Annual Blues, Brews and BBQ Festival Charlotte, NC Showtime: 9pm website | FREE
October 19th & 20th Lake Eden Arts Festival Black Mountain, NC Showtime: TBA website | tickets
October 26th Uberjazz Hamburg, Germany Showtime: TBA website | tickets
October 27th Postbahnhof Berlin, Germany Showtime: 8pm website | tickets
October 28th Groove Station Dresden, Germany Showtime: 9pm website | tickets
October 29th Mousonturm Frankfurt, Germany Showtime: 9pm website | tickets
October 30th Kulturkirche Koln, Germany Showtime: 8pm website | tickets
October 31th Neue Geblasehalle Neunkirchen, Germany Showtime: 8pm website | tickets
November 1st Domicil Dortmund, Germany Showtime: 8pm website | tickets
November 3rd Halle O-2 Heidelberg, Germany Showtime: 8pm website | tickets
November 4th Ampere Munich, Germany Showtime: 7pm website | tickets
November 6th Tollhaus Karlsruhe, Germany Showtime: TBA website | tickets
November 7th Jazztage Aalen Aalen, Germany Showtime: TBA website | tickets
November 8th Jazz Festival Gottingen Gottingen, Germany Showtime: TBA website | tickets
November 9th Jazz Festival Ingolstadt Ingolstadt, Germany Showtime: TBA website | tickets
November 14th Omaha Performing Arts Center A Night in Treme w/ Donald Harrison Jr. and James Andrews Omaha, NE Showtime: 7:30pm website | tickets
November 15th Wooly’s Des Moines, IA Showtime: 5:30pm website | tickets
November 21st Le Bon Temps Roule New Orleans, LA Showtime: 10pm website | tickets
November 22nd Gasa Gasa New Orleans, LA Showtime: TBA website | tickets
November 28th Le Bon Temps Roule New Orleans, LA Showtime: 10pm website | tickets
November 30th Blue Nile New Orleans, LA Showtime: TBA website | tickets
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