Friday, Oct. 11, Madison welcomed the Brass Queens and Mama Digtown’s Brass Band to High Noon Saloon. 

Hailing from Brooklyn, New York, the Brass Queens are an all-female lead band with sounds inspired by the New York and New Orleans music scene. The band started in 2019 after seeing a lack of representation for female musicians in the New York City brass band scene, Alex Harris, co-founder of the group, told The Badger Herald in an email statement.

“We knew so many amazing female musicians and we wanted to give them a home to showcase their talents,” Harris said in the email.

The Brass Queens credit an annual trip to see live shows in New Orleans as an outlet to be inspired by other musicians. The city’s Second Line tradition, a subgenre of jazz iconic to New Orleans culture, is something the band uses to influence their sound, according to Harris. 

The band has toured across the country and world, appearing at music festivals such as the Ottawa Jazz Festival, Northlands Music Festival, Exit Zero Jazz Festival and several others. 

The group aspires to play in front of new audiences to spread the visibility of female brass bands and welcome crowds into the “Queendom”. 

“The Queendom is a space where you can be your true authentic self and share in the community that live music creates,” Harris said in the email.

Despite the band’s prominence and musical ability, they still face challenges being a female band in a male-dominated genre. Harris gave examples of some of the band’s commonly received misogynistic remarks:

“‘Wow that instrument looks heavy, can you even lift it?’ or ‘You’re all beautiful girls, and you can even play too!'” Harris said in the email.

Harris explained that the band responds to these comments by acknowledging how special the chemistry among their collective is, and by using their music to fight against harmful stereotypes. 

They are always searching to play for as many audiences as possible to increase female visibility in the brass band scene. 

“This band means so much to every single one of us because it’s constantly providing new opportunities for us to show that ladies kick brass,” Harris said in the email. 

Currently, the band is performing throughout the country promoting their upcoming album, “Hot Tub Sessions Vol. 1” which is set to release Friday, Oct. 18. 

The album consists of original music and songs made by band members inspired by a night the group had on tour in 2023. The album has a wide range of sounds and genres including classic rock, pop, and the signature sound of the Brass Queens.