If you see one band live this month, make it The Hot 8 Brass Band. For the past 20+ years, the New Orleans-based group have been nesting their sounds in the bodies of audiences from over the globe, earning themselves a world-wide following of party-loving fans.
So, before they return to Sydney’s Factory Theatre tomorrow night, we caught up with band member Big Al to chat about their return to Aussie shores, Joy Division, and the global nature of their music.
Ahead of their performance at Sydney’s Factory Theatre tomorrow night, we caught up with The Hot 8 Brass Band’s Big Al for a chat.
HAPPY: Congrats on getting the new EP done! How does it feel to have Take Cover out there in the world?
AL: Man, I’m just glad to have the next one out there. I’m looking forward to seeing what the reaction will be.
HAPPY: Yeah for sure. Upon first listen, I was pretty surprised at the Joy Division cover. Honestly, I didn’t expect The Brass 8 Band to whip out a cover of a British post-punk band. What drew you to Love Will Tear Us Apart?
AL: Well actually, it was just a bit of a challenge. When we first heard it, we had no clue what we were going to do it. As you said, it’s totally different. It’s a totally different vibe, a totally different feel. We just wanted to put the Hot 8 on it… make it new. People are really loving it.
HAPPY: What’s the process of choosing a cover for you guys? Is there a lot of consideration put into it?
AL: Definitely man. Because there are a lot of different genres, and we’re fans of so many different styles of music. You’ve gotta be keen on what you’re playing, especially when it comes to the old-school. Music is just really repetitive man, it repeats itself over and over. We take pride in our part in that.
HAPPY: Do you have any favourite covers that you’ve done in the past?
AL: Oh man, all the ones that do well. We never expected the Sexual Healing one to do what it does for us.
HAPPY: Reading about your band’s history, I was surprised to read about all the things you’ve lived through… because your music is so full of joy. Was this a conscious decision to approach your music this way?
AL: It just comes out of us that way, because that’s who we are. We are the products of the culture we come from, so we can’t be anything but it. You talk about being original, that’s what we’re good at capturing – from our city and from our culture.
HAPPY: Do you feel that in modern music, that joyful approach to music making is lacking?
AL: There’s a lot of music… it’s really on the individual interpretation. Different music makes different people feel good, that’s why it’s the universal language. It makes people feel good. It’s all open to interpretation. I mean, every genre of music has music that makes people feel good. It depends on what you’re using the music for. If you’re going to work out, you want something more pumped up. There’s something all across the board. But to answer your question, I don’t think the game is lacking that, no.
HAPPY: Well that’s good to hear. Going back to when The Hot 8 Band first started, what was your main mission statement as a band?
AL: Mainly to keep a spot down and keep our culture alive. There weren’t as many bands that were coming out in the new style that was still the New Orleans style. But it was still deeply rooted in the culture. There were still school marching bands, which were competitive. They taught you to be good at your instrument, and be competitive in a friendly way. So I think it all stemmed from that.
HAPPY: Do you think, with the success of your band, you helped revive that kind of music?
AL: Most definitely. And not only in New Orleans, but worldwide. All over the world, we have people coming up to saying they love what we do, that they love our band, that we’re the reason they started a band. I didn’t really understand that we had a global effect on people man. Musicians everywhere, when they hear the music, they can’t believe they’ve been missing out for this long. So we were kind of naive to the fact that we had an international effect on people.
HAPPY: Well, welcome back to Australia! It’s a perfect case in point.
AL: (laughs) Thank you, thank you. It’s a pleasure.
HAPPY: This is your first Australian tour in two years. From past times playing here, what are your general impressions of Australia?
AL: Oh man, our first time in Australia was on another level. We did some huge festivals as well as some local venues. The people were receptive to the music, and I was able to get them into it, no problem at all. We’re expecting it to be just as wild this time around.
HAPPY: Do Australians live up to the partying standards of New Orleans?
AL: It’s all in the people man. Because we do nothing different when we come to Australia, and the shows are just pumping man. The people love what we do.
HAPPY: Well hopefully we turn out in full force for you tomorrow night.
AL: I’m confident that you will.
Catch The Hot 8 Brass Band live at the Factory Theatre in Sydney on Wednesday, March 6th. More info here.
