This week at Friday Cheers: Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe / Pimps of Joytime

This week Friday Cheers brings a funksplosion to your Friday evening, featuring Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe and The Pimps of Joytime.

June 17, 2013; 8:23 AM • by Ross Catrow

The penultimate Friday Cheers of 2013! This week brings a storm of funk¹ down to Brown’s Island in Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe and The Pimps of Joytime. Things kick off at 6:00 PM; tickets are $10, and children under 12 are free. Here’s a quick preview of what to expect this week, and, of course, there’s more info on the Facebook event page.

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Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe

• Genre: Jazz-funk-rock
• Sounds kinda like: A jazz flute and a saxaphone giving you a double high five
• Sweet jam: “Shake it Out” or “Mighty Rebel”
• Listen to the album Brother’s Keeper on rdio »
• karldenson.us

Karl, you had me at jazz flute. But, assuming some people out there aren’t jazz-flute aficionados like myself, there’s still a ton to love about Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe. He was a member of Lenny Kravit’s band and has played with a diverse group of artists that stretches from the Blind Boys of Alabama to Switchfoot(!). Worth both the price of admission and an addition to your rdio collection!

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The Pimps of Joytime

• Genre: Funky latin soul swing
• Sounds kinda like: A 100% humidity dance party
• Sweet jam: “Janxta Funk!” or “Take the L Train”
• Listen to the album Janxta Funk! on rdio »
• thepimpsofjoytime.com

First, and totally unrelated to the extremely funky experience you will have on Friday night, Mayteana Morales, one of the founding Pimps, was a cast member of Ghostwriter! Mindblowing!

Anyway, if you somehow manage to survive Karl Denson’s funky onslaught, I doubt you’ll have much success making it through The Pimps of Joytime. I fully expect to see a recreation of Thriller’s group dance scene, but with all of RVA blissed out in a funk-induced dance trance.² While they may be Brooklyn-based, and we can forgive them for that, their sound feels like it was born somewhere much more humid.

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Photo by: Tabercil

June 17, 2013 8:23 AM 0