New Orleans' Hot 8 Brass Band Marches Into Keene February 11
KEENE, January 14, 2008 - The thrilling sounds of New Orleans street music will be rocking the walls of Keene State College’s Redfern Arts Center on Brickyard Pond when the Hot 8 Brass Band performs Wednesday, February 11, at 7:30 p.m. The Hot 8 plays the traditional Second Line parades, hosted each Sunday afternoon in the Big Easy by the Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs, infusing their performances with the funk and energy that makes New Orleans music loved around the world.
In addition to their performance, the Hot 8 will lead a lecture/demonstration in the Redfern on the music of the Second Line bands on February 11 at 2 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.
Another free event will be the showing of the Spike Lee documentary, When the Levees Broke, in which the band figures prominently in the relief work on behalf of the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The film will be shown at the Redfern’s Putnam Art Lecture Hall in two parts (each is 2 hours long). Part one will be seen Monday, February 9, at 7 p.m., and part two will be seen Tuesday, February 10, at 7 p.m.
Both showings are free; however, donations for the St. Bernard Project, a relief program to support the residents of New Orleans’s Lower Ninth Ward, are encouraged and will be collected at the door. One can learn more about the St. Bernard Project at www.stbernardproject.org.
The members of the Hot 8 Brass Band were born and raised in New Orleans, and many began playing together in high school. What makes the Hot 8 so special are the sounds they coax from their well-loved, well-worn instruments. An evening with the Hot 8 is a unique musical experience that captures the authentic flavor of New Orleans’ street music.
Members of the Hot 8 Brass Band have toured in Japan, Italy, France, Spain, Finland, England, and Sardinia. The band performs annually at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and world and jazz festivals across the US and Europe. The Hot 8 has released three critically acclaimed recordings and is featured on the latest Blind Boys of Alabama recording on Time-Life Records. One can learn more about the Hot 8 and hear and view clips of their music at www.hot8brassband.com.
The Hot 8 has been part of an important relief project following Hurricane Katrina. They founded the SAVE OUR BRASS! program, a local grass-roots effort that has brought music and instruments to shelters, temporary trailer parks, and communities across the Gulf Coast.
The band’s appearance is made possible through the generous support of Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and the Expeditions program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts regional touring program and the American Masterpieces Initiative, with additional support from the six New England state art agencies.
Tickets are available through the Redfern box office, 603-358-2168, or online at www.keene.edu/racbp. Tickets for this performance are $24 for the general public, $21 for seniors and KSC faculty and staff, $13 for youth 17 and younger, and $5 for KSC students with ID.
Tickets for all of the Redfern’s presenting events and for performances by the departments of Music and Theatre and Dance are also available. Patrons can still purchase 20/20 memberships that enable them to receive a 20% discount for all Presenting Series performances.
