The Heavyweights
Brass Band
The Heavyweights Brass Band has been a New Orleans-inspired, Canadian brass institution bringing audiences from clubs to theatres to their feet with their exciting mash-up of original songs and unexpected covers. Their music has made it into film, commercials, radio, and television, and they’ve recorded and performed with some of the greats — including legendary percussionist Giovanni Hidalgo, Roger Lewis of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, and Joe Lastie of New Orleans’ Preservation Hall fame.
Two years of pandemic slow down hadn’t completely stalled HBB musically. They released their fourth full-length album, Stir Crazy, in November 2021, and spent two hot summers busking outdoors in Toronto’s west end. Then, as the music scene began to stir and wake up
again, so did the group’s creative drive, leading to renewed energy, fresh collaborations, and what they refer to as The Marigold Sessions. A collaboration with a new friend and videographer, Nick Appleton, at Toronto’s Marigold Label Studios produced a trio of live performance videos and recordings that includes “Fake It.” The group also gave their takes on Duke Ellington’s sultry “Creole Love Call” and the fiery, hard-grooving “Get Along,” written by HBB trumpet player John Pittman.