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In: ALBUMS, BANDS, BLOG POSTS

The year 2020 started off great with me first seeing Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio three times in 9 days, opening for Lettuce on January 2nd and 3rd and then as the headliner at Terminal West in Atlanta on January 9.  The Seattle-based soul-jazz groove combo release their new album “I Told You So” this past week on January 29th. The album was recorded in late 2019 for an early 2020 release.  When the Covid-19 crisis hit the band couldn’t tour and decided to postpone the album’s release which ultimately came last week.  The personnel on the album is of courseContinue Reading

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In: Album of the Week, ALBUMS, BANDS, BLOG POSTS

The Dip Plays It Cool. Yes they do. This band is one of my favorites to get introduced to over the last couple of years.  They have a new soul and funk sound with that old school feel and on top of that can play with both an edge and humor. The top-notch is seven piece unit is comprised of two guitars, bass, drums and a three-piece horn section based in Seattle, Washington.  The Dip started at University of Washington around 2013 and since 2015 has put out two full length albums and two EPs and The Dip Plays ItContinue Reading

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In: Album of the Week, ALBUMS, BANDS, BLOG POSTS

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose” and this year it was for listening intently to recorded music.  In a time when live music was unimaginable, there was a plethora of terrific albums in 2020.  This annual recap covers my most enjoyable albums released in the last 12 months.  I tried to listen to as many as I could and  crank out reviews at a good pace – many of those reviews are cited here.  Hopefully you’ll be curious enough to listen to some of them and they will bring you joy. Resonate is theContinue Reading

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One of the coolest things in writing about music is finding out that the funk is alive all over the world. This coverage is on Pickpocket’s newly released album ‘Refraction‘ coming to us from Melbourne, Australia. The 8-piece band plays groove-based instrumental music with a focus on tight, funky rhythms and soaring, singable melodies. Refraction is the band’s third album with most of the recording completed in Melbourne in 2019 with  the final mixes arriving in early 2020 and the album’s digital release just this past week.   Pickpocket was started way back in 2012 by Craig Strain and wentContinue Reading

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Polyrhythmics are a band that I first connected live perform during a scintillating set at Suwannee Hulaween 2019 in Live Oak, Florida. That set was transcendent and many who saw it said it was the best of the fest.  The eight-piece group with impossibly tight grooves and virtuosic musicianship. Back in May 2020 I reviewed their fifth studio album, Man From The Future. “Fondue Party” is a concept record of tracks recorded during the Man from the Future sessions, but deliberately saved for this EP. Polyrhythmics already play a wide range of styles from Afro-beat (their origin) to funk, soul,Continue Reading

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In: BANDS, BLOG POSTS, FunkCity.net Presents...

FunkCity.net has a new, fresher look on the website.  The look enables viewers to catch an excerpt of each blog post before diving in. In addition, “FunkCity.net on YouTube” is a sidebar feature that allows viewers to watch hundreds of live performances of my favorite bands. Another new feature is “FunkCity.net Presents…” also on the sidebar that features videos direct from new and up and coming artists curated by FunkCity.net. “FunkCity.net Presents…” highlighted artists include BT ALC Big Band, Dave Javu, Royce DeZorzi & The New Freedom Movement, Mike Casey, DLG3, The White Blinds, Jay Si Proof, Nick Waterhouse, Friendy,Continue Reading

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Butcher Brown is a quintet out of Richmond, VA playing a mix of jazz, funk and hip/hop, although their music is not easy to characterize nor should it be.  The group’s been around since the early 2010s but only recently has begun more broad national touring. They recall some of the great fusion bands of the 70s including Weather Report and Return to Forever as well as some great individual players like Ronnie Laws, who they cover on this album with “Tidal Wave.” I’ve seen them live four times although I barely remember the first time when they opened forContinue Reading

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In: Aisle 5, BLOG POSTS, Lettuce, Snarky Puppy, Terminal West, The Motet, Variety Playhouse, VENUES

Coming off of a great year for FunkCity.net in 2019, this year was starting out looking even better with a bunch of great shows lined up in the Winter and the fantastic festival kicking off in April.  There was no waiting as I rolled up to Greenville on January 2 to see Lettuce and I was off to the races. The first two months were fantastic and then it all came crashing to a halt at the end of February.  I had been anticipating writing this article somewhat in jest as the pandemic drew on, but ultimately realized that inContinue Reading

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In: ALBUMS, BLOG POSTS, The Budos Band

Budos Band has long been one of my top bands to listen to and see live. They’ve just released their sixth studio album “Long In The Tooth” and in a longstanding tradition, it’s thematic and terrific. Listening to the Budos is always an adrenaline rush. They started out as a superb Afrobeat band on Daptone Records. There always have been dark undertones in their music as you can see from the album covers below starting with the volcano, then scorpion, then cobra.  The Budos Band morphed their sound to be especially dark and edgy with their fourth album “Burnt Offering”Continue Reading

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In: Album of the Week, ALBUMS, Snarky Puppy

Tell Your Friends has a very prescient title, as a bunch of musicians in their mid-20s decided to do something wild – cut a live studio album, with no overdubs, with a small live audience and film crew in attendance.  Sound like a plan? Then the band, with Michael League as its leader decided to put all tracks up on YouTube to build buzz and a worldwide phenomenon was launched. It was the beginning of everyone telling their friends about this great band, Snarky Puppy, and led them to make five more albums in this fashion.  You can view theContinue Reading