Q: Hey, can you tell us a bit about where you come from, and what made you want to start a career in music?
A: We all met at university over 10 years ago, and after a slightly accidental late night purchase of a sousaphone from eBay, we decided that forming a New Orleans style brass band would be an excellent idea. We started off playing plenty of loud, sweaty gigs in tiny pubs and the band has grown from there to playing main stages at venues around the UK and Europe, as well as festivals including Glastonbury, Boomtown and Wilderness (although we still love a sweaty pub gig!)
Q: And what other artists have you found yourself listening to lately?
A: We’re always been a fan of trad New Orleans music but our current set includes tracks with influences including everything from girlband, heavy metal and drum and bass – the band has extremely diverse tastes and we love listening to everything.
Q: Who were your first and strongest musical influences, and why the name ‘The Brass Funkeys’?
A: We started off checking out the great New Orleans bands who have been doing this the longest, such as Dirty Dozen, Hot 8 and Soul Rebels. The name just came from a late night brainstorming session and has stuck!
Q: You have just released your new EP, ‘More Is More’. Is there a story behind it?
A: In 2020 we decided to release 4 EPs over the course of the year, to document the band’s journey. We managed 2 releases, before COVID scuppered all our plans of meeting up and doing any more recording. In 2021 we released our 3rd EP of covers, and decided to make a big thing of this final EP “More is More” as we’re really proud of the original music on it.
Q: Can we expect a new album from you in the near future?
A: No plans at the moment, but we’ve got some single release plans after the EP has dropped, stay tuned for those!
Q: What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
A: Our music is always best experienced live – we like to describe it as creative groove music, eclectic and energetic, bursting at the seams with ideas and infectious energy. It’s loud, exciting, fun to listen to and to play!
Q: Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it, or are you expecting something more?
A: We love doing what we do and wouldn’t change anything about it!
Q: Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song?
A: All the band members write material for the group – we usually each bring some ideas along to the table in a rehearsal, refine it in the studio then keep changing and improving songs over the course of our many live shows.
Q: What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
A: COVID lockdown was tough – especially as we were really on a roll with our projects and plan to release four EPs over 2020. The live music industry is still feeling the ramifications of those “lost years” but we’re back on a roll with our 9-date tour over the Autumn and can’t wait to get out playing some gigs to audiences again!
Q: On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?
A: Our favourite stage gig so far was probably Avalon mainstage at Glastonbury, but in terms of career highlights, queuing up for lunch behind Herbie Hancock at North Sea Jazz Festival was pretty special.
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