The Hot 8 Brass Band was founded in New Orleans in 1995. Although most current members started playing music together in high school, over time the lineup inevitably changed and continues to do so. The members, driven by band leader and tuba player Bennie Pete, have been influenced by artists such as Tuba Fats, Louis Armstrong and Stevie Wonder, and have individually recorded and performed with many well-known musicians. Hot 8 Brass Band have known their share of adversity: four band members have died, three of which due to violence, causing the group to become active in the anti-violence campaign ‘Silence Is Violence’. Having survived Hurricane Katrina, the band have also thrown themselves into the subsequent relief and awareness projects to aid their community’s redevelopment and recovery. The band members’ focus now lies with keeping the problems of their city on everyone’s minds as they travel around the US and the world.
