#dumpstafunk

Dumpstaphunk @ The Waiting Room – Buffalo – April 9th

Dumpstaphunk stands out among New Orleans’ best as one of the funkiest bands to ever arise from the Crescent City. Born on the Jazz & Heritage Festival stage, and descended from Neville family bloodlines, these soldiers of funk ignite a deep, gritty groove that dares listeners not to move. Their performances combine ingenious musicianship and complex funk and jazz arrangements with soulful…

Where to begin?  I've just stepped off a cloud...  a week later and it feels like it all ended just yesterday.  It was such a whirlwind I didn't have time to snap a picture or take any show notes, so these are just random thoughts and memories of what was my personal best Jazz Fest, ever, and a Jazz Fest that helped solidify The New Orleans Suspects as a real band with something real to offer.

For The Suspects, our Week Two began on Monday 4/29 at Tipitina's "Instruments-a-comin" benefit for The Tipitina's Foundation.  It was filled to capacity, and our slot was between Galactic featuring Anders Osborne, and Dumpstaphunk  We had the normal 30-minutes to play, like everyone else, and we played a ferocious set of music, four songs in all, that sizzled from the first note.  We walked away from that show feeling like we made an imprint, like we truly belonged on that stage, and at that level.  

The next show was onThursday 5/2 at The Republic for Down on the Bayou IV, an event benefitting the New Orleans Musicians Clinic, hosted by Jojo Hermann of Widespread Panic.  The Suspects were the house band, playing behind almost every one of the guests, including John Gros, Billy Iuso, Christine Ohlman, Col Bruce Hampton, Roosevelt Collier (Lee Boys), Dr John, Bonerama horns, Papa Mali, Tanya Shylock, Dave Alexander, Lee Sklar, Harry Shearer,and Judith Owen.  Marcia Ball glowed, as always, bringing her own band on stage with her - and had the crowd in the palm of her hand.  There may be some I've forgotten - it was truly a magical night, and one of the highlights of a perfectly stellar run of shows for The Suspects.

Friday 5/3 featured two shows, starting with the Fiya Fest - a relative newcomer on the Jazz Fest satellite-show scene.  Fiya Fest is and will be a contender for years, boasting all-you-can-eat-and-drink all day, and a line up that rivals the festival itself.  We played with The Bonerama horns, and Big Sam came up for a tune as well.  We only had about ninety minutes after that show before we ran over to The Howling Wolf for the Bayou Rendezvous XI - an established night show that has been an annual staple for many over the years.  This was our first appearance at the event, and we were honored to be the first band on the main stage to perform as the room filled up.  We were joined on a number of songs by New Orleans' own Tanya Shylock - a vocalist who everyone should know about - and guitarist Eric McFadden.

Of course we all had our individual side gigs and sit-ins with bands like The Nevilles, The Mardi Gras Indian Orchestra, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Papa Grows Funk, Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes, The Meters Experience, The James Brown Tribute Show, Widespread Panic, and more that I can't remember...