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In: BANDS, BLOG POSTS, Lettuce, The New Mastersounds, Voodoo Visionary

Just had the most spectacular festival experience and will be writing some expanded coverage over the next couple of weeks but wanted to dash off a note to express thanks to all those involved and just touch on some of the highlights! First, hats off to Paul Levine and his crew for pulling off a monstrous feat in just two months time. The festival appeared to go off without the slightest hitch – who knows how much effort it took and what might have happened behind the scenes. The SOSMP crew was top notch hospitable as always. OMFG the musiciansContinue Reading

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In: Album of the Week, ALBUMS, BLOG POSTS, Snarky Puppy

Snarky Puppy‘s latest album Immigrance drops on March 15, a full three years after their Culcha Vulcha album which won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Instrumental. This is an early pre-review of the album which I had a unique opportunity to compile based on hearing each of the 8 tunes on the album + 2 bonus tunes LIVE at the GroundUP Music Festival in Miami Beach, FL. That’s right, the band performed the full album + at the festival before the album was released and it was grand. I’m going a little out on a limb here in writing thisContinue Reading

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In: Aisle 5, BANDS, BLOG POSTS

Funk You, out of Augusta, GA put fort a New Year’s Eve celebration that stacks up with any I’ve been to. With The Brotherhorns from Athens, GA they teamed up to set the night on fire. It was a 3 hour set and we caught 2.5 hours worth not including the 1/2 hour encore. The band is one of the hottest new funk acts around and their New Year’s Eve show at Aisle 5 in Atlanta was definitely the best show for the money to celebrate the evening. The band played an excellent selection of original material from their albumsContinue Reading

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In: BLOG POSTS, Snarky Puppy

Bill Laurance, keyboard/pianist virtuoso, of Snarky Puppy fame recently performed a short concert series with the world famous WDR Big Band.  The band was conducted by Bob Mintzer (saxophonist from The Yellowjackets) and the result was an extraordinary brilliant performance by all concerned.  Previously Bill has toured not only with the Pups but also as a solo act and a quartet. His own albums include Flint, Swift, After Sun, and Live at Union Chapel (with Michael League, Felix Higginbottom and Robert “Sput” Searight.  It was on the Live at Union Chapel that we got a taste of how Bill’s tunesContinue Reading

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In: Aisle 5, BLOG POSTS, Naughty Professor, Snarky Puppy, Terminal West

Special Big Band edition capturing that huge horn driven sound along with some new terrific releases.  This set will keep you movin’ and groovin’ with rapid beats and lotsa horn bleats. We’ll tie together all the loose ends to tell how each song blends. Bokanté & Metropole Orkest – All the Way Home:  This is the fist single off the upcoming album “What Heat”, available in the US on October 5th.  Bokanté, the world music “side” project for Michael League, bassist and leader of Snarky Puppy goes all out on the second album and brings in the Metropole Orkest which of courseContinue Reading

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In: BLOG POSTS, Terminal West, Voodoo Visionary

This second installment of the FunkCity.net weekly Spotify playlist compilation including songs from recent and upcoming shows.  It’s comprised of some of our favorite new and old songs and artists and a brief description of the tune and its significance follows – Simple – Phish:  Not your typical phunk, but we got to see our third and fourth Phish shows this week and Simple stands out because we love a saxophone in the band.  Definitely learning to appreciate this group and this tune is as catchy as they come. On the Run – Hedonistas: These young turks are having anContinue Reading

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In: Aisle 5, BLOG POSTS, Snarky Puppy, The New Mastersounds

This is a new FunkCity.net feature where we’ll compile and feature a new Spotify playlist every week comprised of some of our favorite new and old songs and artists and a brief description of the tune and its significance. La Fonda – Lagoons:  Lagoons is a local Atlanta band that held its album release party for “Between the Middle” at Aisle 5 on Friday, July 27th.  I had the chance to listen to the album on the way down to the show and then hear much of it live.  The band slayed the crowd with its high energy and wonderfulContinue Reading

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In: BLOG POSTS, Terminal West, The New Mastersounds

Recently, our good friends at Inside Out with Turner & Seth did an excellent job on an insightful and delightful interview with Eddie Roberts, one of the leaders of Matador! Soul Sounds (and co founder of The New Mastersounds).  They covered the origins and progress of the band, some history of NMS, Eddie Roberts’ influences and even the terrific Nick Etwell band The Filthy Six.  Listen to this episode of the podcast below. https://simplecast.com/s/07d10fbf Matador! Soul Sounds is Eddie Roberts new band outside of The New Mastersounds.  FunkCity.net had the good fortune to see one of the very first shows ofContinue Reading

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In: BLOG POSTS, Snarky Puppy

You never know what you’re going to get with a Snarky Puppy show other than one of the best live music shows of your life and this Friday night in Philly was no exception.  First it was a unique and special lineup with Marcelo and Larnell, after a U.S. hiatus, on percussion, Bobby and Shaun on keys (boding well for things to come), and Mark on guitar.  The near sell out crowd was the usual mix of of the usual Pupophiles and new fans who are anxious to see their first performance and it was a helluva way to getContinue Reading

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In: BLOG POSTS, Lettuce

Lettuce is undoubtedly one of the most righteously acclaimed funk bands on the scene today.  They combine deep funk bass from Erick “Jesus” Coomes, with tight horn licks from Eric “Benny” Bloom and Ryan Zoidis, with slick pickin from Adam “Schmeans” Smirnoff, with groovalicious keys and vox from Nigel Hall, and all held down by some of funkiest syncopation from Adam Deitch on the drums.  They have outRAGE!ous original material and are always a highlight of any festival they play. But did you know they have a deep and abiding ancestral tie to the legendary funk-soul horn band Tower of Power?Continue Reading