Friday, April 16, 2010

NOLADELIC!

Tonight’s Sullivan Hall set features a heavy-hitting lineup of all-American funk music. We’ve blogged before about Big Sam’s Funky Nation, the New Orleans brass-funk-rock juggernaut, when they came down to Le Poisson Rouge for the NOLAfunk.com Mardi Gras Ball. Well, they’re back, this time celebrating the release of their newest album, King of The Party (the sound of which caused reviewer Dwayne Fatherree of neworleans.com to coin the term “Noladelic”). To back them up, we have one of the more exciting young brass funk acts in existence in the High & Mighty Brass Band, plus a young and groovy New York funk-rock act, Late Night Machine. Short of being down in the Big Easy itself, you couldn’t find a funkier way to spend your Friday night.
High & Mighty is a particularly exciting opener. These guys are brand spankin’ new (their first album is in final tracking currently) and their shows around NYC are generating buzz. The sound is trad-groove music, but it gets eclectic, and the band is full of talented singers. Like a younger edition of the experimental Funky Nation, HMBB brings fresh energy to the brass band scene and, most of all, promises to induce the booty-shakes.
Late Night Machine is even newer, but they’re not just any opener. Using a more traditional funk-rock setup (guitars, bass, funky keys and drums), they bring a classic funk vibe that feels totally refreshing. The songwriting lies in a great classic soul tradition, but the players imbue the songs with some real energy at a level that surprises for a band on their way up. These are some classy musicians with great material, and the vibe they set ought to be just right to keep the night groovy.

Get ready to funk with the King of the Party. Dancin’ shoes are the dress code.

Doors for the show are at 8. Tix are $25, and you can get them at the door (if it doesn’t sell out!) or right here.