The Soul Rebels’ ever-expanding and atypical list of collaborators includes everyone from Marilyn Manson to Matisyahu, Robin Thicke to Robert Glasper. They’ve opened for The Rolling Stones, appeared on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” performed at Jazz Fest with pop superstar Katy Perry, opened the prestigious TED Conference and backed legendary Wu-Tang Clan rapper GZA on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series—all within the last two years. A copious touring schedule keeps the Soul Rebels on 250-plus stages a year, landing them in Australia, China, Europe, Japan, South Korea and Africa. At home in New Orleans, the band holds down its historic residency on Thursdays at Le Bon Temps Roule, plus frequent gigs on Frenchmen Street and at Tipitina’s.
A few years ago, the band began to concentrate on writing and recording its first album since 2012’s Unlock Your Mind. The album, titled Poetry in Motion that arrives October 25, is both a culmination of and introduction to the band’s genre-blending course. Featuring guest appearances from PJ Morton, Trombone Shorty, Big Freedia, Robert Glasper, Branford Marsalis, Tarriona “Tank” Ball and others, it’s the group’s most concerted effort to showcase its versatility.