originally published: 06/28/2016
(New Orleans, LA) --Big Sam’s Funky Nation has been crowned NOLA’s “Best Band Of 2016” by Where Y’At Magazine in their 19th annual writer’s poll. The entertainment, dining and nightlife magazine assembled its staff of fifteen journalists and considered numerous acts from a wide range of genres before Big Sam’s Funky Nation emerged as the winner. The band will make a stop in Asbury Park on August 18 at Anchors Bend.
“To be called the best at anything is always an honor, to be called the best band in New Orleans is amazing!”, proclaims Big Sam. “This town is full of outstanding musicians, many of whom I have had the privilege of sharing the stage with over the years. These great folks have been a huge influence in the evolution of my sound and style, and without them in my life this award would not have happened.”
The honor finds Big Sam’s Funky Nation at the start of a busy summer concert and festival season, which will take the band across the country and up to Canada for the Mont Tremblant International Blues Festival. A new record is also in the works, and is tentatively slated for release in the 1st half of 2017.
Big Sam's Funky Nation has been whipping up their unique version of Noladelic Powerfunk for more than a decade. The band’s high-energy music mixes funk, rock & roll, hip-hop, and jazz into the same pot, gluing everything together with the brassy influence — and heavy grooves — of New Orleans.
From national performances at Bonnaroo and Austin City Limits, to hometown appearances at Voodoo Fest and Jazz Fest, Big Sam's Funky Nation have built their reputation onstage. The band's live performances are legendary, filled with blasts of brass, bursts of electric guitar, and the charisma of Big Sam, a frontman who sings, plays, dances, and involves the audience in everything he does. You don't just watch a Funky Nation show. You become part of the show, singing along with Big Sam whenever he demands a call-and-response.
A native of New Orleans, Big Sam first rose to fame as a member of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, whose touring schedule kept the young trombonist on the road for 300 days a year. The group performed with bands from all genres, backing up Widespread Panic one minute before sharing the stage with Dave Matthews Band the next. A fan of diverse bands like Parliament Funkadelic, Jimi Hendrix, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Living Colour, and Prince, Big Sam loved the variety that Dirty Dozen Brass Band offered. He wanted to front his own group, though. He needed to sing, to engage the crowd, to write his own songs. Inspired to chase down that dream, he formed Big Sam's Funky Nation, reaching out to some of his favorite players from around the Big Easy — including Joshua Connelly, Chocolate Milk, Jerry "J Blakk" Henderson, and Drew "Da Phessah" Baham — to create his own super-group.
"We don't cater to one demographic," says Big Sam, rattling off a list of jam band festivals, jazz shows, rock clubs, and funk gigs that his band has played since 2007. "We play music for everybody. It's not just funk; that's the foundation, but the music goes from funk to rock to wild jazz. It's music about love and partying. Everyone can get down with that."
Big Sam’s Funky Nation 2016 Tour:
6/30- Levitt Pavilion- Arlington TX
7/1- The Scoot Inn- Austin TX
7/2- The Continental Club- Houston TX
7/4- The Fourth On The Brazos- Waco TX
7/8- Fairfield Theatre Stage One- Fairfield CT
7/9- Narrows Center For The Arts- Fall River MA
7/10- Green River Fest- Greenfield MA
7/12- Nectar’s- Burlington VT
7/13- Red Fox Inn- Bondville VT
7/14- Mont Tremblant International Blues Fest- Quebec ON
7/15- Parish Public House- Albany NY
7/16- Stephen Talkhouse- Amagansett NY
7/28- Grassroots @ Lafayette Central Park- Lafayette LA
7/29- Vinyl Music Hall- Pensacola FA
7/30- Terminal West- Atlanta GA
7/31- Leaf Festival- Black Mountain NC
8/11- Broadway Oyster Bar- St. Louis MO
8/18- Anchors Bend- Asbury Park NJ
8/19- The Howard Theatre- Washington DC
8/24- Avon Live! Concert Series- Avon CO
8/25- Bluebird Theatre- Denver CO
8/26- Schmiggity’s- Steamboat Springs CO
8/27- Colorado Cider & Beer Circus- Copper Mtn CO
