Asheville, North Carolina-based brass funk rock band Empire Strikes was founded in 2012. The band consists of a collective of players, singers-songwriters, and producers who have found an original sound that fuses their individual musical influences. The band’s debut album, Theme for a Celebration, was recorded at Asheville’s Echo Mountain Recording Studio and released in 2017. They released their latest album, Brassterpiece Theatre, in 2019.