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Rebel! (Soul) Rebel! New Orleans’ Soul Rebels will be at Bluesfest, north and south. By Steve Bell.
Bringing their music to Bluesfest nd other dates, eight-piece New Orleans brass collective The Soul Rebels are the ultimate party starters, fusing together an infectious blend of disparate sounds and styles such as jazz, soul, hip hop, funk, rock and pop and - in a process akin to alchemy - ending up with a distinctive and exuberant blend which is entirely their own. By Steve Bell
The unique scope and versatility that this approach affords them has found the band sharing stages or collaborating in the studio with an incredibly diverse array of artists spanning the entire musical spectrum - from The Rolling Stones to the Drive-By Truckers, from Metallica to Katy Perry and everyone in-between - a long and exhaustive list of highprofile names who’ve all enjoyed the benefits of The Soul Rebels’ joyous accompaniment. In recent times Australian fans have been privileged to experience the ensemble operating deftly in the hip hop realms. After lifting the roof off the tent alongside iconic NYC rapper Nas at the 2017 instalment of Byron Bay’s Bluesfest - and drawing a similarly rapturous response to their own headlining set the next day - this time around they’re returning to Australia accompanied by an epic bill of vocalists featuring the legendary GZA (of Wu-Tang Clan fame), veteran NYC MC Talib Kweli and New Orleans-bred bounce pioneer Big Freedia. “We’ve been playing with those acts for quite some time now, so we’ve got the show pretty much dialled in. We just get up there and do it man, make it happen,” laughs trumpeter Julian Gosin. “We’re pretty much onstage the whole time - we do our thing, and then we bring out the guests. “We pretty much figure it out the day of the show how many songs - and which songs - we do with each artist, but we have a pretty extensive repertoire which allows us to withstand however much time we need with
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each artist, and to cater to what they want to bring to the table for that performance. “Obviously Freedia is from New Orleans so that was kind of the most organic relationship, and we’ve been doing shows with Talib for quite some time now - it’s been almost 10 years with Talib and we’ve been playing with GZA for at least five years - so we’ve been building those relationships over time, it’s going to be a lot of fun.” While on the surface it seems almost incongruous for an organic brass outfit to be laying down the backing for hip hop artists, Gosin explains that they’re really just flipping the usual genre tropes on their head. “When it comes to replacing samples in a song with live instruments it’s actually really organic, because if you think about it the essence of the sample is actually live instruments,” he tells. “So, it’s not reversing the process as much as taking it back to its most organic form, if you will. So, depending on the song it’s usually a natural transition for us because those samples are made up of actual horns, so it’s really just easy and fun. “And the vocalists seem to enjoy playing with us because it’s a little bit different to what they’re used to, for sure, besides the usual stage band. It’s a little bit different when it comes to the instrumentation”. And as far as The Soul Rebels are concerned, according to the trumpeter, it doesn’t really matter at the end of the day what style of artist they’re performing with, as it doesn’t affect the ultimate ambition of their live experience. “At every show we play - no matter who it’s with - the main goal for us is to connect with the crowd, to make music that’s universal and which can enable you to share your story with fans all over the world, and to bring great joy to people through music,” he enthuses. “We try to always bring an uplifting vibe to the party or the establishment, because you never know what people are going through and what kind of day they had, and if we can assist and make it a little bit better than our jobs are done.” The Soul Rebels have actually been in existence for over 30 years with a slowly evolving lineup, and Gosin - who’s been in the band himself since 2010, having been a fan beforehand - admits they haven’t always been welcomed with open arms by New Orleans traditionalists, purists who don’t appreciate deviations away from their city’s rich history of brass and marching bands. “That’s always a thing, especially with New Orleans,” he reflects. “They treasure their history and when you push the envelope and expand sometimes that’s not always received that well, because they expect you to be what they’re accustomed to having in their own little personal bubble. “But sometimes as artists and creators you just have to follow your own goals and your instincts and do what feels best for you, and sometimes that means stretching the realm and going outside the box, no matter how people feel or what people say. At the end of the day, it’s always about the art - if you stay true to yourself the art will always prevail, regardless of the situation.”
