An Interview with Reggie Pace of NO BS! Brass and More

I recently had the opportunity to meet up with local musician Reginald Pace, co-founder of NO BS! Brass and a fellow who is involved in a staggering number of creative projects.  He was kind enough to meet me at Kuba Kuba, a favorite that I was SURE I’d reviewed before, but guess I haven’t.  It’s awesome.  You should go there.

Back to Reggie.  I first got the idea to interview Reggie when I saw NO BS! Brass play at Gallery 5‘s Halloween bash last year.   They absolutely rocked my face off.  I mean, I was so impressed I couldn’t stand it.  I talked about them for days.  I told my mom about them.  I was like a little geek fan girl all over again.  It was great.  It had been a long time since I’d gotten jazzed over a local band.

So I contacted the band, and Reggie wrote back.  Right away.  That was back in NOVEMBER, but we finally met up and he told me all about the band, his projects, and more, so here you go, Richmond – the sweetest guy in Richmond showbiz:

From the time Reggie was a small child, he has loved music.  He wasn’t like most kids, who jump on a musical bandwagon and later discover what their taste is really all about.  He started off seeing the beauty and complexity in movie themes, and Merry Melodies songs.  He discovered Hip Hop when he was in middle school, and his own style became a wonderful, crazy combination of Hip Hop, Funk, Prog Rock, Jazz, Metal, and movie soundtracks.  This style carries over into NO BS! Brass, a band he started with co-founder Lance Koehler in 2006.

NO BS! Brass is a 10-piece band made up of a group of friends who have a love for music.  Many of the members have conservatory experience, and the entire group practices one time per week.  That’s dedication.   The members knew each other through school – Reggie graduated from VCU in 2005 and went on to teach trombone, tuba, and trumpet at Richmond Music Center.  He still does that, in addition to directing the University of Richmond’s Pep Band, all the while keeping up with his independent musical endeavours.

In addition to NO BS! Brass, Reggie is involved in at least 5 other bands.  Glows in the Dark specializes in jazzy, experimental movie music.  The guitar player, Scott Burton, writes whole suites of music for movies he likes.  That’s Reggie’s kind of collaborator.  They play once per month at Commercial Taphouse – the next show is on September 19th.  Fight the Big Bull is an indie-ish Jazz/Southern Rock 8-piece that has a wild sound.  Fight The Big Bull will be playing September 17, 18 and 19 at Hayti Heritage Center in Durham, NC.

That’s not all.  The Big Payback is a James Brown tribute band that plays all over the East Coast.  The Trio of Justice is a roots experimental band that, to my chagrin, played just days before this post will go live.  Finally, ETAKA is an electronic/drum/trombone duo Reggie’s in as well.  There might be more.  There probably ARE more.

But what about NO BS! Brass?  Many of the other 9 members of the band have multiple projects going on at one time.  Lance runs Minimum Wage Studios, Taylor is a doctoral candidate, and Bryan is a professor at VCU.  And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.  There is only so much information you can squeeze out of an hour long conversation, even when the interviewee is as easygoing and forthcoming as Reggie.

Despite the crazy schedules, the multiple projects, the crappy economy, the hot hot weather, NO BS! Brass practices every week.  They manage to bring a lively, honest party attitude to every show and they are, to quote Harry Kollatz, “sheer musical joy.”  Reggie says that they have fun playing together – that they are a bunch of nerdy music school people – and that they take that nerdy music school stuff and make it danceable – and therefore accessible.  Their music is about 95% original, and the covers they do choose to play are an absolute delight to the audience.  Put it this way, I didn’t expect to hear Led Zeppelin, but I was sure glad when I did.

A new, self-titled album will be released at a two-day event at The Camel, one of the band’s favorite places to play. It’s their third studio album, and the CD Release Party promises to be an amazing time.  It’s October 1st and 2nd, at The Camel.  Tell your friends.

If you want to see the band play before that, you can head on over to Balliceaux this Thursday, August 26th.  That’s another favorite venue of the band’s.  They also love playing outdoors (you might have seen them at Best Friend’s Day this past weekend) and they like playing Gallery 5, which is where I first saw them.  They are super good about posting their news on the NO BS! Brass blog, so bookmark that thing and get ready to rock out.

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Historic Jackson Ward – “The Harlem Of The South”

Historic Jackson Ward is one of Richmond, Virginia’s oldest and well-preserved neighborhoods.  Located east of Belvidere, west of Shockoe Bottom, and north of Broad, Jackson Ward is home to some of Richmond’s most beautiful historic buildings, in addition to being the historical center of African-American culture during the early 1900’s.

While Jackson Ward was settled by European immigrants, the neighborhood has been a predominantly black neighborhood, and home to many influential figures over the years.  Maggie Walker, the first African-American woman to run a bank, lived there.  Giles Jackson, the first African-American to practice law before the Supreme Court of Virginia, lived and practiced there.  We get this information, and much more, from a book found in the Virginia Commonwealth University James Branch Cabell Library’s Special Collections titled Jackson Ward Historic District.  While the book focuses mainly on the architecture and political significance of the neighborhood, many other sources refer to Jackson Ward’s rich cultural and artistic heritage – the things that brought the neighborhood to be called “The Harlem of the South.”

The Dementi family made a name for themselves as photographers of the wonders and people of Richmond.  Wayne Dementi and a fellow named Brooks Smith put a book together called Facts and Legends of The Hills of Richmond, which is, in essence, a love story devoted to Richmond.  In it, the authors discuss Jackson Ward, and confirm what many different online sources tell us – that Jackson Ward was THE place to go for young, hip black men and women in the 1920’s.  Just as Harlem was the center for black art and music in 1920’s New York, Jackson Ward was the same for Virginia.

While Harlem had The Cotton Club, The Stork Club, and the Silver Slipper; Richmond had Happy Land, Top Hat, and Shorties.  Jackson Ward saw many famous acts perform at these clubs.  Cab Calloway performed in town.  So did Lena Horne, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, and Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, among many others.  Robinson was actually a Richmond native who got his start dancing local bars in Jackson Ward and other neighborhoods in Richmond.  He became famous all over the United States, appearing in plays and films.

Other Richmond natives that contributed to the cultural boom of the 1920’s were the members of Roy Johnson’s Happy Pals.  A swing orchestra, they were 10 Richmond natives – Jackson Ward natives, in fact, who beat out Duke Ellington’s orchestra in a 1929 New York band contest.  You can hear their music on Jazz compilations or you can buy their songs on Amazon.com.

Today Jackson Ward is home to wonderful restaurants, grassroots art galleries, and many artists and homeowners who are dedicated to revitalizing one of Richmond’s finest neighborhoods.  One woman, Jenni Mennella, wrote about a tour she took of Richmond in 2002 – the point of which was to visit some sites in Richmond that are key to understanding Virginia’s African-American culture.  In addition to seeing many of the historical sites, she also ate at Croaker’s (one of Jackson Ward’s fine eateries) on 2^nd and Leigh, and heard Jackson’s Ward’s own Soul Fantastic perform.

While Soul Fantastic might not be around anymore, you can still eat at Croaker’s, and you can check out events and exhibits at Jackson Ward’s own Gallery 5, 1708 Gallery, Quirk Gallery, and more.  Make sure to visit the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia.  Other restaurants to visit are Comfort, Tarrant’s Café, and Nick’s Market.  Jackson Ward is not only full of a rich history and bearer of an even richer legacy, but it also a hub of cultural activity and great entertainment in Richmond, Virginia.

Article by EM Downing Johnson

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What to Do In Richmond, VA – Halloween Weekend (10/30/09 – 11/1/09

One of the coolest things to happen in Richmond is Gallery 5′s Carnival of 5 Fires.  Few places in our fair city put the time and effort that Gallery 5 does – a pull-out-all-the-stops, spare-no-effort type of event that will bombard you with visual, musical, and performance art and put you into a total sensory overload.  In a good way, of course.

This year, the folks at Gallery 5 are giving Richmond a weekend to remember.  There are events Friday night, Saturday night, and Sunday evening, and each one promises to be the party of the year.  How does that work?  I’m not exactly sure, but I’m planning to check it out.

Friday night October 30 at 7PM kicks off the weekend with the Dark Queen’s Boudoir:  A Burlesque Variety Show.  Tickets are $12 and the show features performances by some of Richmond’s premium burlesque performers.  Here is G5′s description of the event:

“For hundreds of years, The Dark Queen has been collecting her favorite pets – living dolls of mystery and vice.  For one night, you are invited into her den to see her collection of Southern Gothic Oddities.  Be warned… her enchanted creatures are more intoxicating then the opium dens she often frequents.  In honor of All Hallow’s Eve, The Queen has granted permission to the citizens of Richmond to attend her yearly festival of lascivious beauty.  Come sit at her table, feast on her bounty, and fall in love with the dark arts….”

Saturday night is a good and proper (if by proper you mean spooky, exciting and sexy – which of course I do) Halloween party.  Tickets are $10, unless you wear a costume, in which case they’re $8.  And why wouldn’t you wear a costume?  What are you, 80?  My grandma’s 83 and she wears a costume.  Get in the spirit, dang it.  G5 Fire will be out in the street to greet you – and if you’ve never seen that you have GOT to.  People who have an amazing command and control of fire.  You’ll want to learn to twirl and breathe fire.  Don’t try it at home…

Saturday’s (10/31/09 – Halloween, ya’ll) performances include Lonesome Liz’s Mojo Sideshow, HotDamns, and so much more.  You can get your cards read by someone who knows how to read ‘em, and in addition, there is going to be some amazing art on display.  But that’s Gallery 5 all the time.

Sunday, November 1 at 7PM brings you to the end of your Halloween weekend and the Gumbo & Ghosts Dinner Theater and Seance.  Talk to your departed loved ones, plus with the ghosts who are in residence at Gallery 5.  See some great theater art, and listen to some great music while you wind down in the spookiest way possible.

I know I normally give you some options on what to do in Richmond for the weekends, but I honestly can’t find anything near as cool as this that is happening, so this is all you get from me.

Check with me next week to see what’s what in Richmond, VA for the weekend of November 6, 2009.

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