Whippersnap Music and Arts Festival is shaping up to be a fabulous respite from winter — perfect setting with a superb lineup of funk, jam and soul. This fest is very personal for me as I’m a huge fan and friend of several of the bands. Right from the top, The New Mastersounds haven’t played in the U.S. since the pre-pandemic tour in 2019 so it’s gonna quench that thirst that I’ve had for a looong time.
It’s worth noting that this fest should feature a lot of great jams that you won’t see elsewhere based on a terrific trio Artists-At-Large. First up it the itinerant guitarist, Joe Marcinek, who compiles rotating lineups of some fantastic musicians for each album and each show he plays. The video here shows his set from Suwanee Rising a couple of years ago that featured the second A-a-L, Jessica Jones on vocals for a bit, so that could be a reunion of sorts. Dani Jaye, is a personal favorite, since her days with Come Back Alice, and she’s now a member of Tire Fire on violin and vocals.
The three-day event taking place in Central Florida at the beautiful Florida Sand Music Ranch is gonna be an event you don’t wanna miss! Here’s my rundown of daily schedules and the acts I’m most looking forward to!
Thursday
The New Mastersounds
The New Mastersounds are one of my fave bands of all time and I see them every chance I get. That’s why I’m so pumped to see TWO sets from them at this fest. The band, formed in Leeds, England have been cranking out the best retro funk music around for 25 years! Here’s a video of the last time I caught them live! And check out my review of their most recent album here – The Deplar Effect
Guavatron
Guavatron is an improvisational, jamtronica quartet out of West Palm Beach, FL. They’ve been touring a bunch lately in the Southeast, recently opening for Dopapod on a bunch of dates. This set is from super late night at North Beach Music Festival in 2022. It was a lot of fun – you can see they got the crowd moving and I’ll expect more at Whippersnap
Thursday Afternoon
I’ve got limited prior knowledge of the other bands on Thursday but I’m looking forward to Sauce Pocket, a psychedelic funk/jazz band out of Jacksonville. They’re recommended by my friends at MusicFestNews.com and that’s good enough for me. Of course, for FunkCity.net, any brass band anywhere piques my interest so I’m definitely pumped for Sooza Brass Band with five brass players and a drummer. Hell yea. I’m sure, the entire Thursday program is gonna be a blast from start to finish!
FRIDAY
Cool Cool Cool
Cool Cool Cool was formed in the aftermath of the breakup of Turkuaz and they haven’t missed a beat. The seven bandmates reformed and added Digo on bass from Electric Kif and are hitting the road with new music as excellent as ever. The tight horn licks, great vocals from Shira and Sammi and tight as a fist rhythm section are so much fun. Check out my video from one of their first live shows at North Beach Music Festival in 2022 and you’ll be hooked!
Ajeva
Ajeva is a funk/rock band from St. Petersburg, FL that I first came across at Hulaween back in 2016. I’ve since beome a fan and friend of the band with their funky grooves, and fine vocals and melodies. Their set at last year’s Hulaween was a lot of fun as I’m sure their Whippersnap set will be.
Funk You
Funk You are my hometown homies, good friends from Atlanta, and the best young funk band around. They’ve been touring nationally hitting major festivals like Hulaween regularly so they’ll light up the Whippersnap stage. Here’s a little taste from an Atlanta-area festival I caught last year.
Tire Fire
Tire Fire is a red hot jamgrass band and I’m totally into their stuff. As mentioned earlier, it’ll be a real party when they all get down to business and it’ll be the first time I see this band live.
Friday Afternoon
Friday afternoon features Tamayo, Boxcar Hollow, Bodhicitta and Matcha. I’m gonna try to make all of the sets which shouldn’t be too tough since there’s only two stages. But I’m particularly interested in Matcha because they were recommended to me at Hulaween but I didn’t get a chance to make their set. I heard that they’re funky and of course they’ve got a sax and trombone so that figures. If this vid is any indication, they’ll be one I’m tracking going forward.
SATURDAY
TAUK Moore
TAUK, as a foursome, is one of the best funk-fusion bands on the scene today. Over the last couple of years, they’ve collaborated with the incredibly talented, Kanika Moore, the vocalist from the Charleston band Doom Flamingo. I caught their collab when they came through Atlanta last year and looking forward to another dose.
John Papa Gros
John Papa Gros is one of the artists I’m most looking forward to. I first saw his band Papa Gros Funk back around 2006 at the Chatanooga Riverbend Festival about the time when I was reinvigorated by the surge in funk music like Lettuce, Bonerama, The Motet and The New Mastersounds. A few years later at Bear Creek Music Festival 2010, I caught them again and had lunch in the VIP area with John. An finally, I caught them again at one of their final shows at Candler Park Music Festival in 2013. They were one of my favorite bands of that era and I was sorry to see them break up. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, “Do U Want It? about their history as well. Now, with the 2023 passing of drummer Russell Batiste Jr., this is a sure shot for greatness at Whippersnap.
The Heavy Pets
The Heavy Pets out of Fort Lauderdale are a funk, jazz and reggae-infused jam band. They’ve been around for nearly 20 years and I’ve always enjoyed their sets, both as a mainstay of the festival circuit and as a headliner whenever they come to Atlanta. They’ll be a great way to spend a Saturday in Florida as a break from the winter doldrums up north.
Tru Phonic
At Hulaween 2023, I caught the last 1/4 of the Tru Phonic set on the Campground Stage and was glad I did. The crowd was deep into it and apparently was comprised of a bunch of Florida loyalists as well as new fans like me. The last tune ‘Things Are Lookin’ Up” is a new release from them.
Displace
Displace, from nearby Tampa, is always a fun set. In particular he multinstrumentalist Chris Sgammato on vocals, saxophone, guitar and keytars will keep you guessing and make the set interesting. On top of that Chris Barbosa on keys and violin adds another dimension that you don’t often hear in jam bands. Their funk-fusion sets are always a treat with their improv and sojourns into unexplored territory.
Saturday Afternoon
I’ll be up early to catch the afternoon lineup of Sgammato Music School Showcase (run by Chris S from Displace) Kat Hines, The Family Funk, Light the Wire and Frank Bang 4. I’ve not seen an of these performers yet and as always, that’s half the fun of a festival like this — exploring and hearing new talent. You never know where the path will take you.
Hope to see some of you down in Brooksville next month!