Brassville aims to reclaim the deep scope of Nashville music history, stage by stage

In Instagram footage of Brassville's very first performance back in 2019, four founding members of the band can be seen taking a distinct sonic strategy to the streets of Nashville. They chose an evening when they knew that NFL draft festivities hosted by the city would draw the tourist hordes, and set up on a corner in front of the Music City Center and across from the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, two gleaming monuments to the storied, predominately white music business presence that long ago became intrinsic to the city's brand.

While a nearby outdoor PA piped out the modern, rocking country you'd expect, Brassville's horn players jovially launched into jazz tunes they knew in common. Since they'd already decided on a moniker that bent the name of the city to accommodate a brassy, new musical association, they made sure to display it on a sign.

The band was busking, a familiar sight