The Hot 8 Brass Band has been central to New Orleans street music for over a decade.   Founded by Bennie Pete in 1995, the band has played in traditional Second Line parades--hosted each Sunday afternoon by a Social Aid and Pleasure Club--ever since.   The Hot 8 are famous for playing all day in the sun, then hopping to a club gig and playing through the night.   But even more than their boundless energy, what makes the Hot 8 special are the sounds they coax from their well-loved, well-worn horns.   Listen to the attached track for a sampling of the magical harmonies and the magical, sweet tone that make it impossible to mistake this band for any other.

The Hot 8 Brass Band has toured in Japan, Italy, France, Spain, Finland, England, and Sardinia. They play regularly at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival ("Jazz Fest") and have played in the Zulu Parade, San Antonio Zulu Association Festival, the City of New Orleans New Year's Celebration and Mo' Fest, the Tom Joyner Morning Show, and the Master P music video "Hootie Hoo".

The Hot 8 have been the featured band in an important relief project following Hurricane Katrina and the devastation wrought upon New Orleans.   SAVE OUR BRASS! is a local grass-roots project that has brought music to evacuee shelters, temporary trailer parks, and communities that have reached out to New Orleanians.   As a result, the Hot 8 Brass Band has been featured on CNN, Nightline, and WDSU-TV (New Orleans) and in the New York Times.

The Hot 8 played in the Village Halloween Parade and in Central Park in New York and Putumayo World Music's Concert of Thanksgiving in New Orleans. They are recording their second album.

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