(ASBURY PARK, NJ) -- It’s been more than 25 years since the formation of Lettuce, a democratic ensemble in which there is no leader, but a complete unit that functions as a single entity with plenty of moving parts. The magic continues to grow with the band’s new album, Elevate. They've been called genre-defying, performing a blend of funk, jazz, soul, hip-hop, psychedelic jam, art rock, experimental, avant-garde music. The band will perform at The Stone Pony on Friday, September 20th for a late night show during the Sea.Hear.Now. Music Festival.
Lettuce released their sixth studio album, Elevate, on June 14th. Produced by Lettuce and recorded at Colorado Sound Studio outside of Denver with legendary engineer Russ Elevado (D’Angelo, The Roots, Erykah Badu), Elevate marks the band’s first new original music in three years and is a dynamic showcase of their ever-changing and all-inclusive musical palette. The six-member collective – Grammy-nominated drummer and percussionist Adam Deitch, guitarist Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff, bassist Erick "Jesus" Coomes, Grammy Award-winning keyboardist and vocalist Nigel Hall, Grammy Award-winning saxophonist Ryan Zoidis and Grammy Award-winning trumpet player Eric “Benny” Bloom – maintains its eclectic, free-wheeling approach while embracing a progressive and futuristic vibe, with elements of Pink Floyd, the Grateful Dead, Eno and Miles Davis, thanks to their love of improvisational music and arts.
Elevate (Lettuce Records) features the singles, “Krewe,” which BrooklynVegan called, “a very catchy slice of instrumental funk; you can hear both the psychedelic influence and the hip hop influence coming through on this one” and “Everybody Wants To Rule the World,” their jazzy take on the Tears For Fears hit featuring Nigel Hall on vocals, that Parade Magazine noted, “Lettuce takes this familiar tune and spins it with velvety vocals, a laid-back groove, and some sweet horn punctuation; the result is a satisfying dish of trippy vibin’ with a healthy dose of excellent musical interpretation”.
Elsewhere on the 11-track album, Lettuce explores its funk roots in the Tower of Power-like punch of “Ready to Live” (a cover of a song by Cold Blood’s Lydia Pense), the Prince-like swagger of “Royal Highness” and the OG blues-soul of “Love Is Too Strong,” which sees a vocal cameo from Marcus King. Expanded trip-hop sounds create a space age audio-scape on tracks like “Trapezoid,” “Gang 10” and “Purple Cabbage.”
A powerhouse collective made up of world-class master musicians, Lettuce is known for their incendiary live shows, extensive touring, die-hard fans, and massive two-decade-plus career. They are also some of the most highly sought-after musicians in the industry with roots that run deep into the worlds of hip-hop, pop, and beyond working and performing alongside the likes of Kanye West, Lady Gaga, Stevie Wonder, Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson, Justin Timberlake, The Fugees, Eminem, Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, Britney Spears, DJ Quik, Gary Clark Jr., Skrillex, The Game, Talib Kweli, Anthony Hamilton, Solange, Chaka Khan, Redman & Method Man, Robin Thicke, Preservation Hall, Dave Matthews Band, Gov’t Mule, Bob Weir, John Mayer, Aaron Neville, and more. Get to know the members of Lettuce via a six-part series called “The Krewe – A Lettuce Documentary Series,” featuring behind-the-scenes vignettes filmed during the recording process of Elevate. Click each band member name to watch their interviews: Erick “Jesus” Coomes, Adam Deitch, Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff, Nigel Hall, Ryan Zoidis, Eric “Benny” Bloom.
The Stone Pony is located at 913 Ocean Avenue in Asbury Park, New Jersey.
