Members of Dumpstaphunk & The Neville Brothers pay tribute to The Meters at private jazz fest party at the Maple Leaf

Nearly a year ago, during the 2nd weekend of the 2011 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, the 4th Annual SF Management Crawfish Boil kicked off at the Maple Leaf Bar. The music started at 7pm, so you’d have to forego your after-jazz fest nap if you wanted to see this show. All proceeds from the event were donated to the New Orleans Musicians Assistance Foundation.

Shari Frank, the event coordinator, always makes it a point to put together a unique combination of musicians. For 2011, it was Ivan Neville, Ian Neville, and Tony Hall (from Dumpstaphunk) with David Russell Batiste (from The Funky Meters). Mark Rechler’s Circus Mind opened the show with choice covers such as Bill Wither‘s Use Me and Joe Cocker‘s version of Traffic‘s Feelin Alright. Midway, Gaynielle Neville, Cyril Neville‘s lovely wife, and her entourage stormed the stage for a few originals and a romp through the Sly & The Family Stone classic, Everyday People.

Video 1 of 4: Ain’t No Use (To Cut You Loose) [w/ Mark Rechler & Steve Finkelstein],
Doodle Oop (The World Is A Little Bit Under The Weather) [w/ Steve Finkelstein]

Slowly, the musicians filtered in and out, before we were left with 3/4th of Dumpstaphunk (Ivan Neville, Ian Neville & Tony Hall) + 1/4 of The Funky Meters (Russell Batiste). This is when things got interesting with some very deep cuts from The Meters‘ time-honored back catalog. What’cha Say. Gettin’ Funkier All The Time. These are Meters tunes that rarely if ever have been played live by either the original lineup or the Funky Meters lineup. Ivan and his friends put forth faithful interpretations that also expanded into heavy funk improvisations. Mojo Hannah, a Tami Lynn tune that was a staple of The Neville Brothers‘ repertoire was particularly soulful.

Just when I thought it couldn’t get much funkier, Cyril Neville busted onto the stage with an exhilarating performance of The Meters’ Chug A Lug, which then turned into a percussion jam between Cyril and Russell Batiste. Then Ivan teased in the chords of Zigaboo Modeliste‘s crescent city anthem, Welcome To New Orleans. That’s when my crew and I knew that we’d arrived.

Video 2 of 4: Chug A Lug [w/ Cyril Neville] > Welcome To New Orleans [w/ Cyril Neville]

Video 3 of 4:Gettin’ Funkier All The Time, Just Kissed My Baby

Video 4 of 4:What’Cha Say, Mojo Hannah,
The Same Thing (Makes You Laugh, Makes You Cry) [w/ Steve Finkelstein]

The full audio recording of this performance is available to stream or download over at Live Music Archive.

And if you’re interested in the 2012 SF Management Crawfish Boil, to take place on Saturday, May 5th, go to the SF Management website.

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)