Red Wolf Brass Band began as a student brass band at Riverdale Middle School in Old Jefferson, Louisiana, directed by Desmond Venable. The original student lineup, featured on WWOZ's "Cuttin' Class" broadcast series for young New Orleans-area musicians, included Shane Carter and Jamal Peck on trumpet, Oscar Perez on flute, Davionne Turner and Shawn Carter on trombone, Michael Hamilton on snare, Carlos Pernilla on bass drum, and a tuba player known simply as Herb. The band made its French Quarter Fest debut in 2012 while still a school ensemble.
Under Venable's continued direction, Red Wolf Brass Band grew from a school project into a fully professional touring and event band, known for putting a new swing on traditional New Orleans music while bringing jazz back to its roots as dance music. The band has performed at French Quarter Festival, Satchmo Fest, the Treme Creole Gumbo Festival, Bayou Boogaloo, and North Carolina's Lake Eden Arts Festival (LEAF), in addition to weddings, parades, and celebrations of life across the New Orleans area.
Red Wolf Brass Band released their debut album, 7th Period, named for the class period the band once used to rehearse as students. The record blends timeless New Orleans classics with original music, featuring special guests including Shamarr Allen, Tannon Williams of Brass-A-Holics, and Erion Williams and Paul Robertson of the Soul Rebels. Since then, the band has also led seminars and workshops on New Orleans culture, continuing to pass along the same mentorship that shaped their own beginnings.
