The Original Pinettes Brass Band changed the game at the second edition of the Red Bull Street Kings brass band competition last Saturday when they took home the Red Bull Street Kings trophy as the first all-female brass band to compete. Now crowned as the Street “Queens,” Red Bull might just have to re-think the name of what is rapidly becoming the largest brass band blowout in New Orleans, and the world.

Thousands crowded under the historic Claiborne Bridge in Tremé on October 26 to watch the four finalist bands in the Street Kings (RBSK) contest battle it out in true New Orleans fashion. Hosts Glen David Andrews (on the cover of OffBeat‘s November 2013 this month) and Q93 FM’s Slab1 were certainly the hosts with “the most.” DJ Mannie Fresh and DJ Wop took turns on the  turntables. Celebrity visits from NBA Pelican Anthony Davis and recent New Orleans transplant, singer Solange, also made the day’s highlights.

The New Breed Brass Band, TBC Brass Band, New Creations Brass Band and the Pinettes all gave polished performances. Each brought some of the city’s top Social Aid and Pleasure Club Grand Marshalls, Mardi Gras Indian Chiefs and Queens and renowned Mardi Gras krewes like the Baby Dolls. Both the New Breed and the New Creations bands introduced their brass versions of pop dance hits like “Get Lucky” by Daft Punk and “Summertime” by Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, while the TBC band brought with them an unmistakable roaring crowd of fans.

Yet, it was the Pinettes that steadied the field in every contest category from traditional second line numbers and musicianship to pop covers and original songs. Judges (Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews; Walter “Whoady” Ramsey of  the Stooges Brass Band–last event’s winning band; radio and television personality LeBron “LBJ” Joseph; OffBeat publisher/editor-in-chief Jan Ramsey; and trumpeter/former Rebirth Brass Band member Kermit Ruffins) were asked to score the bands in four rounds: entrance and parade; a 15-minute round where songs could only be in the public domain or originals; a 10-minute round in which any music could be played; and finally a semi-final round for the two bands with the highest scores. Each band was evaluated on appearance and stage presence, professionalism, musicianship, quality of material selected, and crowd interaction for each round.

The first ladies of brass could not be missed on the street, on the stage or in the crowd with their bold red, white and blue outfits — pulled together right down to their coordinating sneakers and socks. The Cherry Bombs krewe paraded with the Pinettes and kept the crowd hyped with their gold crowns and custom second line umbrellas donning the title, Street Queens. And in the end, all of this won them the 2013 Red Bull Street Kings championship title.

Next, the Pinettes will travel to New York City on an all-expenses-paid trip to record at the state-of-the-art Red Bull Studios with Trombone Shorty (who was also one of the RBSK 2013 judges) as musical director. If the aftermath of 2010’s inaugural Red Bull Street Kings brass band battle is any indication, then the Pinettes should expect to be touring the globe sooner rather than later, as did the 2010 Street Kings champs, the Stooges Brass Band.

Enjoy some of the photos from the Red Bull Street Kings II event below…

 

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View more event photos on OffBeat’s Flickr photostream here.