The No BS! Brass Band: Richmond's New 'Folk'

By Chris Davis

RICHMOND, Va. - The 2010 Richmond Folk Festival blew through town in early October, bringing with it music from around the world. But one of the festival's most animated acts is from right here in the River City.

It's called the No BS! Brass Band.

But it's not a very traditional brass band sound. It's more of "a very animalistic, strong, explosive, brass, rock 'n' roll, funky, hip hop, emotional sound," said trombonist and co-founder of No BS! Reggie Pace.

It's not just the sound that has crowds - and band members, for that matter - on their feet, though. The band's on-stage antics and dance moves, said Reggie Chapman, get people more involved.

"Some people definitely hear with their eyes," he said. Chapman plays bass trombone with the group and sings on a few songs. He said the band's presence when they perform brings audiences closer to the music.

"People need that," said Chapman. "They need to feel up close. It needs to feel personal."

 Formed in 2006 by Pace and drummer Lance Koehler when the latter moved here from the Big Easy, the band quickly took on a different sound from the one envisioned by the founders.

"Our original idea," said Koehler, "was to cross New Orleans stuff...with a more traditional samba line."

But a city full of Virginia Commonwealth University-trained musicians has helped shape the music across three albums over the last four years.

"The songs we started writing as a band were totally funk Richmond and not at all what we started off to do," Koehler said. "And we just went from there...just let it happen natural."

The next step for the ten-member brass band is to get out of town a little more. The group has been up and down the East Coast over the years, and now it's time to branch out.

"We're definitely...trying to push outward and carry the Richmond sound" to the rest of the country, said Koehler.

"Maybe getting to Europe and hitting those areas," Pace added. "Just - what's the word - spreading the joy, spreading the gospel of the band."

But no matter where the group goes, the players are going to keep doing the same things.

"Music is movement," Chapman said. "That's what we're doing. We're just moving and blowing into tubes and beautiful stuff comes out. And on the other side, people decide to move as well."