Balkan Brass World

The story of the Bolting Brassicas from tiny Lasqueti Island is not the story of your everyday Balkan Gypsy Klezmer Marching Brass Band from any remote community.

The story of the Brassicas is a heartwarming tale of struggles met and adversities overcome by a ragtag gaggle of stalwart musicians from a place where the fine trappings of culture, like espressos, electricity, soap and blackberries, are hard to come by.

Our story began with a candle-lit meeting over hot cups of nettle tea on a cold, rainy night in a little cabin with future band leaders Pachiel Smith and Jacob King. Jacob had just taken an inspirational road trip to Honk! Fest in Boston, a marching band festival. While listening to a few CD's he had picked up, they came to hear the essence of their their own souls echoed in the joyful exuberance of the Roma, the wandering Gypsies, and the proud and hopeful Klezmer music of the Jewish people. They mused at how amazing it would be to form a Brass Band on small, remote Lasqueti Island and to play this music from the other side of the world. They thought how funny and stunning it would be for people to witness a full brass band march out of the woods like some sort of carnivalesque apparition from a Fellini film.

They became resolved to form a Marching Band. Permanently shelving their ubiquitous guitars, they set out to accumulate and master enough brass instruments, as well as to accumulate enough passionate bandmates, to bring their dream to fruition. Eventually, their fledgling band had fourteen members who would put down their pitchforks, wash their hands and pick up their instruments to perform at local community events.

Fast Forward a few years: Fresh from their successes at Honk! Fest West Marching Band Festival in Seattle and Ederlezi Balkan Music Festival in Vancouver, The Bolting Brassicas have catapulted themselves from the woods and into festivals and concerts all over BC and Washington and has developed a worldwide following online. They have quickly become known as an amazing band not to be missed!

The Bolting Brassicas line-up