Snarky Puppy

Aaron Williams — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 06:56:33 +0000

Being a fan of Snarky Puppy is like being in a club. When you mention the name Snarky Puppy to someone for the first time, they will respond with a quizzical expression but when you mention Snarky Puppy to a fan, the response will almost certainly be enthusiastic.

Thursday night, old fans and new fans enjoyed the funky fusion of Snarky Puppy as a seven member version of the band played non stop for two hours. The band played an impressive mixture of old originals, tunes from their newest record, new tunes and even a world premier.

Fighting through a car accident and a huge detour to New York City, the band finally took the stage at 11:20. Solo shakers quickly led the way to a J Dilla style groove. Grammy award winning drummer Robert Searight was a highlight. His feel was impeccable and he is a great soloist behind the kit. Never short on ideas, Searight seamlessly blended embellishments and fills with the tight grooves and syncopated hits of the rest of the band.

On the next to last tune, the band invited up trombonist Bryan Hooten to perform on a New Orleans inspired original.

Snarky Puppy and Bryan Hooten at Balliceaux:
[audio:http://media.rvanews.com/file0022.mp3|titles=|artists=Snarky Puppy]

Touted as an extremely innovative band, Snarky Puppy is heavily influenced by funk and fusion from forty years ago. Their groove greatly outweighs their originality. That being said, 120 minutes of non stop music is tedious regardless of the band, but the talented soloists were excellent at taking similar canvases and painting them into original pictures.

Snarky Puppy has made a habit out of stopping in Richmond. They will be back soon and they are definitely worth checking out.

Snarky Puppy at Balliceaux:

You can buy their newest album here.

9.24 – Atlanta, GA @ The Five Spot feat. Little John Roberts with Samadha & Floyd
9.26 – Athens, GA @ The Melting Point with Jazz Chronic
9.27 – Birmingham, AL @ Zydeco with TBA
9.28 – Hattiesburg, MS @ Benny’s Boom Boom Room
9.29 – New Orleans, LA @ Howlin’ Wolf with TBA
9.30 – Pascagoula, MS @ Frets Live Music
10.1 – Lake Charles, LA @ Luna
10.2 – Lafayette, LA @ Artmosphere
10.3 – Denton, TX @ Hailey’s with Boxcar Bandits
10.4 – Dallas, TX @ Prophet Bar with TBA
10.5 – Wichita, KS @ North High (afternoon clinic)
10.5 – Witchita, KS @ Rock Island Live
10.6 – Chicago, IL @ Reggie’s for Chicago Guitar Festival
10.9 – Toronto, ON @ The Rex
10.10 – Toronto, ON @ The Rex
10.12 – Montreal, QC @ Club Lambi
10.13 – Burlington, VT @ Nectar’s
10.14 – Boston, MA @ Copperfield’s with Philthy
10.15 – New York, NY @ Rockwood Music Hall

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