Big Sam's Funky Nation @ Levitt Pavilion 6/7/13

Levitt Pavilion, in the heart of Down Town Arlington, is filled with music-goers and their families. Levitt is an outdoor pavilion that offers FREE live music all summer long, and I figured Big Sam’s Funky Nation was the show to check it out.

I’d only ever been to Arlington for Texas Rangers’ games or one of the amusement parks. But after this show, Levitt Pavilion will definitely be one such amusement park on my list! Let me paint the scene for you; Levitt lists capacity on their website at 2,500, which would easily quantify the patronage for Funky Nation. Almost completely full, Levitt Pavilion housed families with lawn chairs and blankets, seemingly arriving way before my friends and I did (30 mins before performance) to snag a great spot.

We start at the back, not wanting to upset these nice families who have waited, but the Upbeat, Funk/Rock seemed to be lost on all but the small children. As expected the music was excellent, but it was a family-type function, which made for significantly less Funk-tion. 

 

“Big Sam” Williams, a New Orleans Trombonist/Singer/Band Leader, got his start with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band at the age of 19.  After one year with the Dirty Dozen, Williams began a broadening his musical goals. Big Sam played with Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint in 2006 on their Grammy-nominated "The River in Reverse" album and ensuing international tour. Big Sam's Funky Nation has become his main band, touring nationally, internationally, and at major festivals such as Bannaroo, Gathering of the Vibes, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Voodoo Music Experience, South by Southwest, & Austin City Limits.

Big Sam’s Funky Nation describes their sound as a “signature Noladelic Powerfunk sound masterfully combin[ing] a rock sensibility with improv-style associated with jazz and the horn-heavy front section that’s the hallmark of big band funk.”

In my opinion the highlight of the show was, after the band had left the stage, our music-going group started to chant the Parliament lyrics “We want the funk, gotta have that funk!”. The band came back out for an encore performance which combined of several songs; “The Treme Song”, “Everybody Needs Somebody”, and a special shout out to yours truly with the camera-phone “You Better Tweet About Me”. They invited people from the audience up on stage, and what had started out as an encore, quickly became a dance party!

All and all, this was a great, did I mention FREE, community event put on by Levitt Pavilion and the city of Arlington. I’d highly recommend catching some more of those shows, I know I will, and will keep ya’ll updated on what will be playing when. 

Thanks Big Sam and Funky Nation for a funky good time, and keep on jammin’ my friends!

SW

Peace, Love, and Understanding brothas and sistas, is what makes the world go round.

Free Music Player for Myspace at ReverbNation.com

Live Music DFW Blog, Week of 6/2/13

Hello all my musical friends, and welcome! Tis’ another installment of my featured weekly shows. I’m not getting started on this until late (sorry), so it will not include Monday. Needless to say, there are some big acts playing this week. Now, based on where these shows are and how big an act it is, ticket prices will vary. I am just doing my best to let you know what I think are some of the coolest shows out there this week. So, without further ado, here is the Live Music DFW blog week of June 2, 2013.

Tuesday 6/4

This one is kind of a biggie guys, Fleetwood Mac will be playing at the American Airlines Center Tuesday night. The multi Grammy-winning and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees last toured in 2009 with the sold out Unleashed tour. The current 34 city tour also marks the 35th anniversary of the release of their classic Rumours album (1977), one of the most successful albums in recorded history with sales exceeding 40 million copies. Rumours planted itself at the top of the pop charts for over 31 weeks and had four top ten singles.

Fleetwood Mac's success has brought fame to its legendary members Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks who can be seen Tuesday at the American Airlines Center.

Wednesday 6/5

Another legend comes to D town, well actually GP town! Peter Frampton will be playing with Robert Cray on Wednesday at the Verizon Center (formerly Nokia Center) in Grand Prairie. Frampton, while needing little introduction, is up to something new and hot. Shortly after receiving his first Grammy Award, Frampton embarked on his Fingerprints Tour. This tour is the artist's first public performances since winning "Best Pop Instrumental Album" for his first all instrumental recording, Fingerprints.

Frampton will be performing material from Fingerprints - as well as favorites spanning his catalog. Frampton's band includes Rob Arthur (keyboards, guitar and backing vocals) and John Regan (bass), as well as Audley Freed (guitar) and Noah Levy (drums).  More band info here.

Robert Cray may need an introduction, as some of you might not be aware of this guy. He is blues guitarist with heavy soul influence, has been recording since the 70’s and has won 5 Grammy’s in his career. He too is going strong, having an album dropping in August. 

Robert Cray will be playing with the Robert Cray Band as part of  Peter Frampton’s Guitar Circus. This will be an excellent show, I promise. Band info here.

Thursday 6/6

Let’s bring it a little closer to home with Fish Fry Bingo, a Bluegrass-Jug Band based out of Ft. Worth. Self-described as “A pure, raw hillbilly tour of American music, original and otherwise”, Fish Fry started playing together in 2006, with the current lineup playing together since 2011. Their music incorporates a variety of instrumentation;  Banjos, electric washboards, wah pedals, boots & bare feet, pots & pans, kazoos, spoons, beers, upright bass, mandolins, jugs, train whistles, guitars...

The Current Fish Fry Bingo line up consists of Dan Benjamin, Tony Drewry, Adrian "Doc" Cook, Matthew Broyles, and David "Blackie" Graham. More info available here.

Friday 6/7

Friday we are back to the big leagues! There are two shows for Friday I’d like to talk about. First is the Big Sam’s Funky Nation free show at Levitt Pavilion in Arlington. I posted about it last week.

The second show is none other than Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue. Reigning from New Orleans, this young Trombone/Trumpet Player and Band Leader has been gaining momentum since the release of his Grammy-nominated 2010 debut album, Backatown. Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue have grown creatively, building a new fan base on five continents. Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews has dubbed the band’s sound as “Supafunkrock.”

Orleans Avenue consists of Mike Ballard on bass, Pete Murano on guitar, Joey Peebles on drums, Dan Oestreicher on baritone sax and Tim McFatter on tenor sax – stirring together old-school jazz, funk and soul, laced with hard-rock power chords and hip-hop beats. More info can be found here.

Saturday 6/8

Saturday is a local day! Got to throw some love to my boys, the Effinays, who play their last DFW show this Saturday before embarking on their first Tour! They will be playing at the CD release party for Spoonfed Tribe, along with other local bands including Yells at Eels and The Venetian Sailors. Should be a rad show, here are some videos of the acts.

More info on that show can be found here.

The second option, the free option is  My Wooden Leg out of Ft. Worth. They play a free show at Sundown at Granada on Saturday night. Their sound blends hard rock, Balkan funk rhythms & Gypsy melodies. Video below:

 

My Wooden Leg consists of Michael Maftean, Joshua Jones, Steward McCarty. More info here.

So that’s it, those are my shows for the week. If you’ve got the money to see ‘em all, I’m very jealous of you! Please like out Facebook page and share this blog! Be sure to subscribe as well. We need to get as many people involved with Live Music in DFW as possible. This is more than a blog, it is a community, and I’d very much like it to be a closed knitted one. So go out and enjoy some music, and keep jammin’ my friends!

SW

FREE Live MUSIC Summer Concert Series @ Levitt Pavilion in Arlington

While I love everything live music, and I would guess so would many of you, it truly is a pleasure when I get to bring music to others. By far, my favorite aspect of this whole thing is getting to tell you guys about FREE MUSIC. You read that correctly, FREE. A week or so ago I posted about the FREE music at Sundown at Granada, but today I will be sharing about the FREE summer MUSIC series put on by Levitt Pavilion Arlington.This is a really cool thing, I'd highly recommend to see as many of the free shows as you can!

The Levitt Pavilion Arlington, is located in Downtown Arlington. Families and friends of all ages are welcome to experience 50 nights of free music every year. The Levitt is a unique experience to see live performances, as well as the star-filled sky above in the heart of Arlington Texas!  Their concert calendar includes artists from all around the world as well as right in our own DFW backyard; from jazz to hot Latin rhythms, home-grown country to Indie rock, and culturally diverse world music, the list goes on and on.

 With that being said, there is one show in particular I would like to highlight. That show is Big Sam's Funky Nation on Friday June 7th, 2013. For those who are not familiar, Big Sam’s Funky Nation combines funk, rock and New Orleans jazz for a sound that makes you want to get up and dance.



Funky Nation has an established presence in the New Orleans music scene, with "Big" Sam Williams exploding onto stage as the trombone player and band leader. Big Sam, formerly of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, is said to be “the top man on the slide trombone in the birthplace of jazz” by the San Francisco Chronicle. Big Sam has played with the likes of Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Dave Matthews, and Widespread Panic. He has also shared the stage with U2 and Green Day at the re-opening of the Superdome in New Orleans, which broadcasted Monday Night Football. Funky Nation also had a recurring role on the HBO series, Treme.

A full list of events can be found here, they've got something to suit every taste. So check it out, and keep on jammin' my friends!

SW