LOUISIANA RED HOT RECORDS

Posts in the R&B category

Gregg Martinez: Soul of the Bayou

One of the most powerful, knock-the-paint-of-the-wall vocalists South Louisiana has ever produced” – Offbeat Magazine

A premier, powerhouse vocalist from the Spanish Creoles of Bayou Lafourche of Louisiana, the sensationally soulful Gregg Martinez was recognized early on in local churches and bars with comparisons to Sam Cooke and Luther Vandross. The young Martinez rapidly ascended all the way to an exclusive contract with billionaire Donald Trump in Atlantic City, and a seven- figure recording deal with multi-platinum Philly producers Victor Carstarphen and Keith Benson. When the bubble burst on the brink of stardom, Martinez found himself returning to his native Bayou, crooning the Blues and Soul of his roots, ultimately bringing him the recent incredible honor of singing for the funeral of the great Percy Sledge.

On his latest collection, Soul of the Bayou, Gregg Martinez delivers the deep, healing kind of soul that only this veteran baritone knows how to conjure. Produced and engineered by Grammy award-winning Tony Daigle (Hunter Hayes, John Cleary), Martinez’s 11th studio album showcases his astounding versatility as a vocalist and performer. While the blues-driven grooves of “I Can’t Stand the Rain” and “If You Want Me to Stay” prove that Martinez can still pack the dance floor, the mournfully piercing ballads of “Who’s Loving You” and “You’ve Got to Hurt Before You Heal” remind listeners that this is a voice of a man who has lived through it all. With stellar, standout performances from Charles Ventre on keyboards, Gregg Kingston on slide guitar, and Pat Breaux on sax, not to mention all the grit guitar titan Sonny Landreth offers on “That Old Wind,” Soul of the Bayou soars out of the swamps and onto a plain untouchable by time.

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722512394971​​”Lilli Lewis has Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s virtuoso commitment to her instrument and Odetta’s vocal power, creating a show that is a force of nature.” Eric Cager, Cutting Edge CE

Emerging Psychedelic folk-rock and soul diva Lilli Lewis unleashes her national debut on Louisiana Red Hot with her latest single “O, Let Your Light Shine Bright.” Lewis is an award-winning pianist, composer, and songstress of rare grace and grit who conjures the likes of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Big Mama Thornton, Odetta, and Janis Joplin when in full gear. The Athens, Georgia native first made her presence known in New Orleans through “The Shiz,” her indie rock and soul band known as the Alabama Shakes of the Northshore. Lewis made her home here in New Orleans in 2014, and immediately began performing with some of the city’s favorites including Betty Shirley, Sharon Martin, and sousaphone maestro Kirk Joseph’s Backyard Groove.

In 2016, following an independent release of a new EP Orange Music, Vol. 1, Lewis teamed up with Louisiana Red Hot Records for national debut release with her latest single “O, Let Your Light Shine Bright,” making her the only woman currently represented among Louisiana Red Hot’s esteemed roster. Co-produced by Lewis with TJ Barends, the single is a warm and unassuming invitation that sinks easily beneath the skin while its B side “Walk Upon Water” is an all-out festival style jam complete with a saxophone chorus and searing guitar work.

With vocals said to have “enough energy to power a large city,” Lewis brings her songs of empowerment and personal responsibility to ever widening audiences, never failing to deliver “innovative, soulful music that will never go out of style.” www.lillilewis.com

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dirty word“Ivan’s so good…I play with him.” – Keith Richards

“Dumstaphunk has grown from a small side project into one of music’s most prestigious modern funk ensembles.” – Rolling Stone

A decade into the formation of Dumpstaphunk, the New Orleans’ all-star collective – Ivan Neville (vocals, B3 and Clav), the double bass attack and soulful voices of Tony Hall and Nick Daniels III, Ian Neville on guitar, and the monster addition of Nikki Glaspie (formerly with Beyonce’s all-female band) on drums and vocals – releases their third studio album, Dirty Word.

Initially started as an impromptu line-up of some of New Orleans’ tightest players, hand-picked by Ivan Neville to accompany his 2003 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival performance, Dumpstaphunk has become a stalwart touring act, richly deserving the title “Heavyweight Champions of Funk.” Press accolades for the band have ranged from the New York Times hailing, in 2007, “Dumpstaphunk is the best funk band from New Orleans right now,” to Bass Player Magazine saying, “The colossal low end and filthy grooves they threw down from the Gentilly Stage must have set a Jazz Fest record for baddest bass jams ever.”

Dirty Word offers a fresh and varied take on funk, blues, gospel, second-line, R&B and rock ’n’ roll. The album features special guest appearances by Art Neville, Trombone Shorty, Rebirth Brass Band, Skerik, Ani DiFranco and Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers). Catch the band, supporting the album with major venue and festival appearances, throughout 2013. But be forewarned…the groove will be nasty and the funk will be deep!

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DUMPSTAPHUNK

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Dumpstaphunk stands out among New Orleans’ best as one of the funkiest bands to ever arise from the Crescent City. Born on the Jazz & Heritage Festival stage, and descended from Neville family bloodlines, these soldiers of funk ignite a deep, gritty groove that dares listeners not to move. Their performances combine ingenious musicianship and complex funk and jazz arrangements with soulful melodies that are simple enough for anyone to enjoy. In Big Easy tradition, dueling baselines from Tony Hall and Nick Daniels III set off one of the dirtiest rhythm sections on the planet, while Ivan Neville lights up the Hammond B3 keys and cousin Ian Neville’s funky guitar riffs send the groove into overdrive. The band recently welcomed their newest member, Alvin Ford Jr. to the quintet, a New Orleans born and raised powerhouse drummer. Dumpstaphunk tosses around lead vocals and four-part harmonies the way Sly & the Family Stone did, but with three studio albums under their belt, Dumpstaphunk stands on the merit of their own material. Songs like “Dancin’ To The Truth” off their latest record, Dirty Word (July 30, 2013, Louisiana Red Hot Records), offer an escape into the funky sublime, sharing the true spirit of New Orleans with every note.


PRESS

“I don’t expect to hear anything funkier this year.” – Jon Pareles, New York Times

“[A] jackpot of a funk record from Dumpstaphunk.” – WNYC

“Dumpstaphunk’s self-produced sonic approach feels live, nasty, and greasy. The band’s writing celebrates community, self-reliance, and social responsibility.” – iTunes

“Dumpstaphunk’s ‘If I’m In Luck’ brings the bass… boasts a fiery lead vocal from drummer Nikki Glaspie” – USA Today

“Funksters and those who relish solid musicianship and incredible vocal harmonies can just be glad that an album like Dirty Word is still being made — that the ‘one nation under a groove’ remains vital. It’s a head noddin’, booty shakin’ disc…” – Louisiana Weekly

“If Dumpstaphunk was a 3 course meal it would start with a juicy rhythm section, then move on to a beautiful arrangement of guitars and keys, seasoned with some soulful vocals and add a pinch of Cosmic Slop for good measure.” – Austin Chronicle

“Dirty Word offers a remarkably fresh update on a sometimes neglected genre.” – Mix Magazine

“[Dirty Word] stands on its own as the harbinger of a new style of 21st century funk.” – The Vinyl District

“Dumpstaphunk has grown from a small side project into one of New Orleans’ most prestigious modern funk ensembles.” – Rolling Stone

www.dumpstaphunk.com

COREY HENRY

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Born in July 1975, Henry grew up on Barracks Street just down from Little People’s Club, a now shuttered popularized spot for second line parade stops in the Treme. Henry was the third child born to a family of five boys and two girls. His grandfather Chester Jones played bass drum in a traditional jazz band at Preservation Hall. His uncle is Bennie Jones of the world renowned Treme Brass Band. “Being in Treme was my biggest inspiration, being around all that music at once. We always had brass bands playing – the Pinstripes, Olympia, the Dirty Dozen. I’d go outside and they’d be playing a party or doing a second line. I got inspired by that and of course it’s in my family, my uncle and grandfather.”

As a result of this unique environment, Henry didn’t learn his craft in the school band the way many other brass band musicians in New Orleans learn. Treme was his music classroom; family members and neighbors on every block were his teachers. “I always had people like Tuba Fats giving me tips on what I needed to do during gigs; Freddie Kemp, sax player with Fats Domino; also Stack Man, Frederick Shepard, Roderick Lewis. They all lived in the neighborhood and played with the Treme Brass Band.

Henry started on the snare drum but switched over to the trombone at the age of 10. When he turned 16, his uncle Bennie hired him to play with the Treme Brass Band. “He just threw me in the mix with all those bad musicians, said ‘This is how you gon’ learn. Just go for it.’ So I learned doing it live, not during rehearsals. It was like learning on the job.” Showing him the ropes along with his uncle was trumpeter Kermit Ruffins. “They put me with a lot of musicians who were phenomenal, taught me a lot about stage presence, how to conduct yourself, coming to gigs on time.” He counts legendary trombonists Keith ‘Wolf’ Anderson and Revert Andrews as mentors who helped him develop his unique sound. “It was these two different musicians showing me things and me listening and practicing and just researching, being hungry and eager to learn.”

With “Lapeitah,” his national debut from Louisiana Red Hot Records, Henry reveals a signature playing style with the capacity to lead a band with its own muscular voice, his trombone blasting through the crowd like a fast-coming train, charging audiences with fire and excitement.

www.coreyhenry.com
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