One story is that of a local brass band that found they’re footing after the storm, and came up with a hit song that captured the spirit of residents that lived through the experience.
According to Ellis Joseph, founder of Free Agents Brass Band, “There actually weren’t any brass bands, and that’s where I think we seized the moment and took advantage of the whole brass band scene by us coming back home, being the first brass band back, by us being home we were able to pick up on a lot of work.”
Prior to the storm, the musicians that made up the band belonged to other groups.
Trombonist Alfred Growe III said, “We were like you’re from this band and you’re from this band, we called it Free Agents. When we came home we all had music on our minds and it kept us away from the foolishness and the trials and tribulations of having to rebuild.”
Making there way back to New Orleans before many other groups gave them a shot at playing just about every event you can imagine.
We depend on our brass bands for all types of celebrations and tributes, and in spite of the fact that many residents were rebuilding their lives, these events still happened.
“Whether it was for a funeral, wedding, relief parade, whether it was Katrina parade celebrating the lives of the ones we lost,” said Joseph.
That constant performing led to a fateful discussion about a song they produced called “We Made It Through That Water.”
The song took off and manager Terence King recalled, “I felt like we were creating an anthem for our people, something they could stand on.”
The song garnered local radio airplay and helped propel The Free Agents, but it also landed on the sound track of HBO’s landmark series “Tremé.” The song also appeared in a couple of movies, opening the band’s sound to the ears of the world.
“I’m from a small town up in Nova Scotia and I remember hearing the album for the first time like well over a decade ago, and it was my favorite track on the Treme Soundtrack,” said Kyle Decoste who’s working with the band to launch a 20th Anniversary re-release and Grammys campaign.
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