Soul Rebels Brass Band formed when Lumar LeBlanc and Derrick Moss, originally members of Dejean's Young Olympia Brass Band, decided they wanted to play the new, exciting music they were hearing on the radio while respecting the tradition they loved. Both New Orleans natives, the pair was steeped in the fundamentals of New Orleans jazz, but inevitably, contemporary styles of music began to seep into their psyches. They found a stylistic middle ground when they formed a band of young, like-minded local players. Soul Rebels honed their skills where most New Orleans brass bands do-in the street. They incorporated hip-hop, especially through half-sung, half-rapped lyrics. When Hurricane Katrina struck their hometown in 2005, band members scattered across the region, but frequently reconvened for gigs. Since the storm, the band has been more successful than ever serving as an international ambassador of the New Orleans sound. Now a hardcore touring band with a solid-as-ever lineup, the title of 2010's live album, No Place Like Home, reveals exactly how the band feels about its hometown.
