No BS! Means Business

I don’t think I can allude enough to No BS! Brass’s title of “Richmond’s Manliest Band,” awarded by Style Weekly in their April Music Issue. If I were to offer the band some off-the-cuff awards of my own, I might call them “Richmond’s Band That Knows Its Audience the Best,” and maybe call Reggie Pace […]

August 27, 2009; 6:10 PM • by Dean Christesen

I don’t think I can allude enough to No BS! Brass’s title of “Richmond’s Manliest Band,” awarded by Style Weekly in their April Music Issue. If I were to offer the band some off-the-cuff awards of my own, I might call them “Richmond’s Band That Knows Its Audience the Best,” and maybe call Reggie Pace “Richmond’s Most Sincere Marketing Wizard.”

No BS! knows its appeal and is quite aware of its wide reach across age groups and musician statuses. By having younger bands open the show on certain occasions, the band has tapped the local high school market, which is filled to the brim with eager students coming to have a good time and learn from their elders. (Word is there’s a No BS! cover band at a local high school) The musicians in the group are some of Richmond’s best, thus boosting their musical street cred in and outside of Richmond. And, as Style’s award describes, the sheer power behind the band’s music is hard to match.

Having a great band is only half of the game, though. Pace happens to be quite adept at the other half: business, hustling, and getting people out to shows. Pace and No BS! have executed some fantastic ideas in the past, all of which seem to aim to keep people excited and bring something new to the table each and every performance: they organized Summer Brass Fest at Bogart’s with Jeff Albert Quartet, R2Dtoo, and Verbatim; their “With Our Powers Combined” series had them performing with different local artists like Old School Freight Train, ILAD, Gull, and Rachel Warren; the Halloween Parade began at Monroe Park and ended at The Camel, inviting all to join.

So tomorrow night will not be as out there as, say, performing with a one-man-band donned in a skull mask. Their angle is a Back to School Party. Makes sense. They can potentially reach an entire new audience of VCU freshmen and maybe — this is just a thought — show them that culture exists and is fun. The special twist of the show is a discount at the door for those bearing a camera and willing to send their photos to the band. Free admission goes to anyone with an HD video camera who shoots part of the show and sends it to the band. A music video might be in the works with the footage.

Certainly there is rarely a drought of No BS! performances. Fans can see them live at least once a month in Richmond if they choose. But with new musical ideas and collaborations happening constantly, you never really know what you’re going to get.

Friday, August 28, 2009
No BS! Brass at The Camel
9:45pm
$6, all ages
1621 W. Broad St., Richmond, VA 23220
More details at the No BS! blog

August 27, 2009 6:10 PM 3