The Funky Meters still bring it: Bear Creek Music Festival 2011 VIDEOS: FULL SET

I don’t have much time to write about this performance, but I’ll just put it out there as proof that The Funky Meters are still a band in full swing and that Art “Poppa Funk” Neville can still play like the 75 year old legend that he is.

This was one of the most enjoyable sets of the weekend for me. Maybe it was the flask of rum in my pocket, or maybe it was just the joy exuding from both the players and the crowd. I suspect it was a combination of both along with the magical atmosphere of the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park.

There are some nice sit-ins on this set by Pee Wee Ellis, Billy Iuso, Nikki Glaspie, Ivan Neville and Ian Neville.

The Funky Meters
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Live Oak, FL @ Bear Creek Music Festival
Part 1 of 2: Jam > Funkify Your Life > Look-Ka Py Py > Soul Island > Hang Em High

The Funky Meters
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Live Oak, FL @ Bear Creek Music Festival
Part 2 of 2: (Doodle Oop) The World Is A Little Bit Under The Weather (with Pee Wee Ellis) > Keep On Marching (with Pee Wee Ellis) > Art chastises George > Love Slip Up On Ya (with Billy Iuso) > Fire On The Bayou (with Billy Iuso & Nikki Glaspie)

The Funky Meters:
Art “Poppa Funk” Neville: keys, vocals
George Porter Jr: keys, vocals
Brian Stoltz: keys, vocals
Russell Batiste Jr: drums, vocals

AUDIO: Schoeps mk22/cmc6 } Sound Devices 788 by Steve Bazley
VIDEO 1: Canon Vixia HF21 by RLBayers
VIDEO 2: Zoom Q3 by Adam Firtel of CHeeSeHeaDPRoDuCTioNS

And here’s the end of the show, shot by just CHeeSeHeaDPRoDuCTioNS:
Cissy Strut > People Say (w/ Ivan Neville & Ian Neville) > Welcome To New Orleans (w/ Ivan Neville & Ian Neville) > Ain’t No Use (w/ Ivan Neville & Ian Neville)

Eric Krasno’s Chapter 2 at Bear Creek Music Festival 2011

B. Getz, in his recent Bear Creek Music Festival review on JamBase, described Lettuce as Voltron: “individual vehicles joined together to form a giant super funk robot”. I, however, would give that moniker to Chapter 2.

Early Saturday afternoon at Uncle Charlie’s Porch Stage (arguably the best sounding stage at the festival), Eric Krasno, Adam Deitch, Nigel Hall, and Louis Cato joined forces to provide a wake up call to any Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park campers that might have overslept. WAKE UP! Chapter 2 at 2:25 p.m., The Funky Meters at 3:30, The New Mastersounds at 5, Medeski, Scofield, Martin & Wood at 6:30, Lettuce at 8, The Trey Anastasio Band at 9:30, and Dumpstaphunk’s Dumpstajam at midnight. There was no time to waste. And that was only 2 of the 7 stages operating that day! Not to mention that the music started at 11:30 a.m. and wouldn’t be stopping until 5 a.m.

I can’t say much about this group that you can’t find out by watching the videos. (Here at Funk It we like to let the content do the talking.) But I will point out that Louis Cato was the definitive all star of the entire festival. As far as I know, he played bass with Chapter 2, drums and percussion with fSnarky Puppy, trombone and bass at the Dumsptajam, drums with Dumpstaphunk the next night, and percussion and bass at the Tree House After Party Jam Session.

Seeing as this was the first full fledged Chapter 2 show with this lineup in over 7 months, they came out energized and at full force.

Here are the videos in raw HD with audio from my external mic:

Chapter 2 – 76 (end of the song):

Chapter 2 – Be Alright, Roll Out:

Chapter 2 – Roll Out (cont.):

Chapter 2 – Stratus (Billy Cobham cover):

Thanks to Bob Adamek & Dino Perrucci for the use of their photos.

And if you haven’t seen my Bear Creek teaser video, you should check it.

Russell Batiste Band & Snarky Puppy at Bear Creek Music Festival 2011

I’m gonna start my Bear Creek Music Festival flood with some of the videos that I can upload raw without audio upgrades (since I’m pretty sure no one was taping these shows and my audio already sounds fine). First up is the Russell Batiste Band‘s set from early Friday afternoon at the Campground Stage (this stage was nestled back in the woods near the lake where you can bring you own drinks from your camp, since you’re not officially in the festival grounds).

Russell Batiste Jr. is the drummer from The Funky Meters and PBS (Porter Batiste Stoltz) and Vida Blue. His band has been gigging for a few years and I’ve been interested to see how they sound (although I could already imagine that it was a heavy dose of NOLA funk with some warped Russell Batiste vocal shouts and maybe a request for the audience to do the hokey pokey or skip around [Russell’s weird like that]).

I left the Dr. Lonnie Smith Trio set early and jumped a ridge on a golf cart with Harry Zegers and the Fan Club HQ crew down to the Campground Stage to find George Porter Jr. and his wife standing by as the Russell Batiste Band was soundchecking. I was less than 2 hours into the festival and already primed to witness some sit-ins!

I watched the first few songs and still no George Porter sit-in, so I decided to make my way back to the music park to catch some of Anders Osborne and then the Chali 2na Band. As I was about to leave ear-shot of the Campground Stage, I heard Russell invite George up, so I headed back. George joined for a version of The Meters tune, Ease Back and then they did the classic Cissy Strut (actually Russell’s rearrangement “Cissy Got The Blues”), which you can watch below. This is one of the very few times you will see George actually plucking the bass. Yeah you’re right.

Russell Batiste Band with George Porter Jr – Cissy Got The Blues 11/11/11 Bear Creek Music Fest:

Russell Batiste Band – first song 11/11/11 Bear Creek Music Fest:

This next video is from Sunday afternoon. I was only able to catch Snarky Puppy‘s last song and I was sold immediately. These guys have a huge jazz fusion sound that is also very organic. I’m definitely going to be keeping my eyes on these guys….

Snarky Puppy – Phoebus 11/13/11 Bear Creek Music Festival (with Louis Cato on percussion):

Stay tuned, cause the flood of videos is about to continue…with the secret tree house after party jam session with WRD (Robert Walter, Eddie Roberts & Adam Deitch).

« 1 2 3 4 … 6 »