New Mastersounds on the West Coast

Hey Now! Just back from my first touring trip to the Midwest...

As many of you know, I've had a long-standing love affair with an amazing funk band from Leeds, UK called The New Mastersounds. After playing the hell out of their records in my funk and soul sets for eons, I finally got to not only see the band live, but open for them, too.

There can be a great difference between getting off on a band's music, and actually getting along with them. If you've ever met a favorite band or musician, and found out that they're stiffs (or worse, stuck-up), I'm sorry. I have, too. Not the case with these 4 cats. Very lucky to have spent a weekend drinking, smoking and laughing all in the name of the Funk.

With that, I give you a new NMS tune, "You Got It All", which features honky keyboardist extrordinaire, Bob Birch. Right click, save as, ladies & gentlemen. One curse that often befalls funk, soul and jambands - the studio records are NEVER representitive of the band's live shows. This is NOT the case of the NMS. Their guitarist, Eddie Roberts, produces all the records, and they are as close to the live sound as I've heard captured.

Please remember that their first West Coast gigs in California start June 28th, where they'll be playing 2 nights (with venues TBD) here in LA, then off to San Francisco's Boom Boom Room on the 30th June, and THEN...

High Sierra Music Festival - where they'll play 3 shows (I've been told they are the ONLY band in the history of HSMF to have been booked without being seen live by anyone). Being from the UK, they didn't know much about it. I schooled 'em, and they're looking forward to playing multiple slots at one of the US' most prestigous music fests... Enjoy the tune. The "rock show" stylings of Bay Area band Ride The Blinds up next...