Article and Photos by: Matt Guevara

NORTHAMPTON, MA — At the center of the western Mass. music scene lies the venue collectively known as Pearl Street, run by the Iron Horse Entertainment Group, which hosts a wide variety of rock, metal, pop, and instrumental bands such as The Soul Rebels.

The soul rebels are an eight piece brass group from Orlando, Florida. The band has a unique sound, and while their music is often labeled as jazz or soul, they incorporate a wide variety of sounds including those from funk, hip hop, rock, and pop in their music. Since early 2014, The Soul Rebels have been touring nonstop, playing shows in Europe, Australia, and as far as China. Now, they have teamed up with hip-hop artist and activist Talib Kweli for another US tour, and will be on the road with Kweli during the coming months. Joining them onstage for this show was local hip-hop group Masla, playing original sounds with impressive beats, instrumentals, and songwriting skills laced into their performance.

     Masla is no stranger to the Northampton music scene and has played at Iron Horse venues in the past. Their style, like many on the hip-hop scene, is fueled by strong beats, rhythms, and focuses in large part on political and social issues, bringing up themes like skin color and the struggle with racism. While creating a strong message, Masla shows off their songwriting skills well on stage, with songs loaded with catchy lyrics, and strong, fast paced instrumental support. While their lyrically dominant style contrasts the heavily instrumental style of the Soul Rebels, they complemented the the band well, leaving the crowd hyped for the headliners.

One of my favorite things about the Soul Rebels is the diversity in their music. You’d be surprised how varied a brass band’s sound can be, and the Soul Rebels are definitely pushing those limits. Playing everything from fast, rock & roll sounds to mellow, jazzy tunes, the Soul Rebels have something in their arsenal of songs for almost anyone. Their upbeat instrumentals alone are well worth the price of admission, but Talib Kweli’s vocals take the band’s sound to the next level. The product is something that is insanely catchy, and equally inspirational with Kweli’s visionary lyrics and smooth vocals. Together, Kweli and the Soul Rebels collide to create a hip-hop/funk/soul/awesomeness combination that you definitely won’t want to miss.