Brassroots District was created by music industry veterans Ari Herstand and Andrew Leib after Herstand returned from a weekend writing retreat in New Orleans, where he immersed himself in funk and soul while working on what would become his best-selling book. Days were spent running streetcar tracks and writing in the Garden District; nights were filled with brass bands, funk, jazz, and the raw, communal energy of the city.

When Ari came home, he and his longtime collaborator and best friend Andrew began a weekend of ideation around a simple idea: start a funk band. But the idea kept growing. What if the band existed in the 1970s? What if the audience dressed the part? What if the music lived inside a larger story? One you could step into, explore, and feel unfolding around you?

That weekend of “what ifs” transformed a band idea into something more ambitious and conceptual, laying the groundwork for Brassroots District: a fully imagined world where live funk, characters, and audience collide.

Brassroots District began staging immersive, ’70s-inspired concerts around Los Angeles at venues including The Terragram and the Moroccan Lounge, inviting audiences to dress the era and step into the experience.

Herstand serves as frontman, producer, and music director of Brassroots District. He is also the founder of Ari’s Take, host of the Webby Award–winning New Music Business podcast, and author of How To Make It in the New Music Business. As a musician, he has performed over 1,000 shows worldwide and released four albums, with acting credits including Transparent, Mad Men, and 2 Broke Girls.

Leib is a Los Angeles–based artist manager, producer, and creative entrepreneur. He is the founder of Deep Feel Talent Co., a boutique management company representing musicians, creators, and multidisciplinary artists including Victoria Canal, Andy Arthur Smith, Nu Deco Ensemble and Dana Nielsen. Previously at Red Light Management for 11 years, Andrew has helped guide the careers of artists including Counting Crows, Corinne Bailey Rae, Emily King, Cory Henry, Theo Katzman, Luke James and more. With an upbringing in theater, comedy improv, and music, Leib brings a performer’s perspective to artist development and live experiences.

Together, Herstand and Leib produced the pilot run Brassroots District: Live in the Lot – Summer ’73, which received praise from LA Times, LA Weekly, and No Proscenium, and headlined La Jolla Playhouse and the San Diego Symphony’s Without Walls (WOW) Immersive Festival.