Five Alarm Funk
Juno-nominated Canadian groove masters Five Alarm Funk are gearing up for a string of U.S. tour dates in support of their recently released album Sweat. The summer run will kick off June 9 with a performance at the Riverbend Festival on the Bud Light Stage at 8 p.m. and include stops in Northern California, Boise, Id., Seattle, Wa., Whitefish, Mt., Cleveland, Oh. and Rochester, N.Y.
Review for Five Alarm Funk:
The live experience is where the eight-piece collective really shines--hot, sweaty dance floors with feet stomping and everybody moving. Five Alarm Funk has taken their relentless and unforgettable live show to clubs and major festivals across Canada and the United States for over a decade; some highlights include the Ottawa Jazz Festival, Saskatoon Jazz Festival, Sunfest, and Summer Meltdown in Washington. The band recently released a live DVD/album called LIVE In The Moment and a clip of them performing "Gods (May The Funk Be With You)" can be seen here .
Their most recent album, Sweat, released March 3, is the latest in a string of projects that has earned Five Alarm Funk a Juno nomination and several Western Canadian Music Awards. Sweat is produced by Ben Kaplan (Rise Against, Mother Mother, Biffy Clyro), who also worked on their 2014 release Abandon Earth.
"Sweat is the culmination of over a decade of writing and playing music together," drummer/vocalist Tayo Branston explains. "It's by far the hottest, funkiest work we have ever created!
Five Alarm Funk - Tayo Branston (drums/vocals), Gabe Boothroyd (guitar), Oliver Gibson (guitar), Jason Smith (bass), Thomas Towers (congas), Carl Julig (timbales), Eli Bennett (saxophone) and Kent Wallace (trumpet)--remains as impossible as ever to put into a box. Although they are rooted in the style that gives the outfit its name, Five Alarm Funk thrives on being able to transcend genre by seamlessly mixing in elements of gypsy rock, Afro-funk, Latin, ska, punk and even prog-metal.