THE HEAVYWEIGHTS BRASS BAND - Knockout

This week, THE HEAVYWEIGHTS BRASS BAND - Knockout

Trombonist, RJ Satchithananthan, joins Backstage Pass in an informative conversation.

After 15 years of bringing the party wherever they play, The Heavyweights Brass Band are ready to make you dance, strut, and testify with their fifth full-length album, Knockout, dropping June 27, 2025. With a sound steeped in New Orleans brass traditions, Toronto’s reigning brass band champions fuse jazz, funk, and soul into a heady, horn-heavy celebration of everything that makes music joyful and alive.

Knockout was recorded over two days at Taurus Studios, with the entire band playing together in one room. That energy — that sweat-on-the-walls, live-off-the-floor magic — is the soul of the album. With 11 songs and contributions from a new generation of jazz trailblazers like Kae Murphy (trumpet) and Nolan Murphy (tuba), the album is both a celebration and a passing of the torch. “The Toronto brass scene has grown so much,” the band says. “Including younger musicians who are pushing boundaries was vital for this project.”

In their own words, “The Heavyweights Brass Band is a flag planted in the middle of the dancefloor. We hit hard with groove, energy, and originality. We’ve always believed in putting our personalities in the music, from gritty funk to bold soul to pure brass band joy. This record shows where we’ve been — and where we’re going.”

Formed in 2010, HWBB has carved out a unique place in Canadian music. From sweaty club gigs to festival stages, they've opened for The Roots, jammed with Trombone Shorty, and recorded with everyone from Giovanni Hidalgo to Joe Lastie of Preservation Hall.

https://heavyweightsbrassband.com/
https://youtu.be/2fXQmfpoCV8?si=DNoBJywkz9HRHQNY

LISTEN TO THE MUSIC:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2uIq5kxXDHDEk6D7OzZa6C?si=BCR-hEwAR1KEcqPHq7yJyw

This podcast is hosted by Canoe FM. https://backstage-pass.zencast.website/