Christmas in L.A. (... in June)

Funk music peaked in the 1970s with bands like Kool & the Gang and CHIC, who both centered their music on bass lines and even fused the genre with disco.  Recently, there has a been a funk revival that is represented through bands like The Meters and Snarky Puppy.  Leading this revival is the Michigan-born band Vulfpeck.

Vulfpeck is currently considered one of the best and most original funk bands.  Rather than sticking with classic elements of funk, they shift between adding different pieces of jazz and soul, giving their work a unique take on the timeless genre.  A large portion of their songs are instrumental, which represents how talented they are.  All of their songs, both instrumental and vocal, showcase all of the elements equally as to not mask the abilities of the band members individually, along with how well they mesh together.

[Photo:  Vulfpeck]

Very minimalistic, each member and their respective instrument play their role and their role only in the songs.  In "Game Winner" from their 2015 album Thrill of the Arts, singer Charles Jones and guitarist  David T. Walker feature in the song.  The two of them, with Charles also on the rhodes, gives the track a gospel swing.  While the track can appear to be too packed with elements, everything from the synth to the background vocals are distributed evenly, leaving no room for confusion, only room for complete amazement.

The group's talent does not stop at instrumentation and delivery.  They seem to be masters at strategically placing samples throughout their songs.  In "Game Winner," leading out of the bridge with the line "Give me the ball," there is a sample of a basketball swoosh.  Also, the one-minute-long instrumental track "Walkies" on Thrill of the Arts has a dog bark sampled alongside a groovy bass line and a rhodes.

"Christmas in L.A." was first released as an instrumental track on their 2014 EP Fugue State.  The same track was used on Thrill of the Arts, except this time with vocals and the most Christmas-y instrument of all--sleigh bells!  The vocals are often sung by featured artists, however on this track it is sung by Vulfpeck drummer Theo Katzman, who happens to have the perfect funk voice.  The track is also backed by some more gospel-like vocals, giving them a funk-soul fusion.

Vulfpeck is available for purchase and streaming everywhere because they're awesome.  I HIGHLY suggest listening to their albums and EPs in tracklist order.  I mainly say that because "Welcome to Vulf Records" (the first track on Thrill of the Arts) will get you extremely excited for the rest of the album.  The track has an insane piano introduction that really just screams "Opening" and "Listen to me first!"  Listening to it first will only benefit you in the end... I'll place that song below for your convenience.

[Courtesy of Vulfpeck on YouTube]

Purple

Joe Parella, Chris Donofrio, Jon Rodney, and Jozii Cowell may not be familiar names now, but if you wait around a little bit longer, you will know them as the successful and up-and-coming group, Deal Casino.  This alternative rock band has formulated a sound that is unique to them, rather than conforming to the norms of the genre.

[L-R:  Joe P., Jozii, Chris, Jon / Photo: Cody Cutter]

Between 2014 and now, Deal Casino has held residencies at the most popular venues at the Jersey Shore--specifically Asbury Park--quickly earning them recognition as one of the hardest working bands in the scene.  All of their hard work has paid off, giving them a whopping 612,000 streams of their song "Anything That's Bad" on Spotify.  And if that wasn't good enough, their songs have been streamed on Spotify over 1.5 million times.  With a following as large as theirs, what is it about Deal Casino that has drawn so many people in?

Over the past five years, the band has recorded five EPs:  Cocaine Love, The Runaways, Heck, Nika, and their most recent, Human Cannonball.  All recorded at Asbury's Lakehouse Recording Studios, their team includes audio engineer Erik Kase Romero and producer Jon Leidersdorff (aka the owner of Lakehouse).  It is not uncommon for bands to venture into different studios with different producers and engineers to help release their work.  With Deal Casino, however, keeping things consistent has definitely helped their sound naturally progress and mature.  Since the beginning, their recordings have achieved a polished sound, despite their desire to have them sound as if they are live recordings.  For a four-man band, they put out a sound that is well-developed, rich, and are as high in quality as any monumental rock band.

One of my favorite songs by them is "Purple" off of Human Cannonball (the new video was just released so I'll post it below for your convenience).  The song is lined with country-like guitar licks between the stanzas, and pulled together with "Ol' '55" Eagles harmonies in the chorus.  While their musical style is no where close to that of a southwestern / country rock band (like the Eagles), they have strategically placed elements of those genres in their songs.  "Panama Papers" (my personal favorite) has obvious '70s and '80s rock influences, with blaring guitar bends throughout the chorus as well as in individual parts of the song.  The guitar existence in all of their songs is very prominent, which was a common characteristic in 1970s music, regardless of genre.  "Bare Hands," from 2015 EP Nika, the guitar in the chorus and second verse has a groovy vibe, which when followed by "Purple" on a playlist, it is apparent that their signature style has merely just matured, rather than changed

You can purchase their EPs Heck, Nika, and Human Cannonball on iTunes, Amazon, and Bandcamp, as well as stream them on streaming services.

["Purple" Official Video / Courtesy of Deal Casino on YouTube]