THE SOUL REBELS OF NEW ORLEANS

The leaders of the eight piece ensemble talk NOLA, funk and second line rhythms

With all the devastation and chaos that’s happening in America now, its hard to recall how terrible the flooding of New Orleans as a result of Hurricane Katrina on August 29th 2006. The federal response was tepid. Local lives have never been the same. The city has never fully recovered. Spike Lee’s ‘When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts,’ a great and tragic documentary that deserves rewatching as we have another administration in office fumbling disaster relief due to flooding.

One of the few positives to come out of the flooding was that New Orleans’s bass bands became a hot item on the club touring circle, becoming vivid representatives of the Crescent City’s culture and its central role in defining America. The eight piece Soul Rebels are one of the best of those ensembles. Using two stand up drummers and tuba to create the second line rhythms, the Soul Rebels dip into rock, soul, hip hop and have accompanied a slew of singers and rappers over the years. When I was shooting Finding the Funk, the band was in New York at the Blue Note and I was able to sit down with founders Derrick Moss and Lumar LeBlanc. Even better they did a perform for us that showcased the fire and funk of NOLA.