LaBrassBanda is a brass band from Bavaria (hailing from Übersee near the Chiemsee) led by trumpet player and singer Stefan Dettl, who formed the band in 2007 together with bassist Oliver Wrage, tuba player Andreas Hofmeier, trombonist Manuel Winbeck, and drummer Manuel da Coll. The group mixes folksy brass music with modern genres such as ska, techno, funk, and punk. The band's self-recorded and self-produced debut album, Habediehre, was released in 2008 and quickly boosted the popularity of LaBrassBanda, as did their tour from Übersee to Vienna on the occasion of the 2008 European soccer championship (the group used mopeds and a tractor instead of a tour bus). A second album called Übersee was released in 2009, and the band started playing international concerts (in Russia, Zimbabwe, and Denmark). In 2011, LaBrassBanda took a break from their constant touring, which allowed frontman Dettl to pursue solo projects. In 2012, the band released a live album called Live: Olympiahalle München. In 2013, LaBrassBanda submitted their song "Nackert" in the Unser Song für Malmö competition to choose a German entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. Despite support from critics, the song didn't win, but the attention did help boost sales of Europa, the 2013 album that included "Nackert," which rose to number three on the German sales charts. ~ Christian Genzel