Headstash

Lettuce Announces New Album, "Fly"

Celebrating their 20th anniversary as modern-day purveyors of old-school funk, the seven-piece Brooklyn-based outfit Lettuce will drop their third studio album, "Fly," on June 5.

Having blown up stages from coast to coast last year, raging their way from the Fillmore in San Francisco to Terminal 5 in New York City and festivals like Bear Creek Festival and Camp Bisco, Lettuce entered the studio this winter with a fresh batch of road-tested material and a revitalized sound that was honed razor sharp by a year spent on the road.

The results are a decidedly raging slab of relentless groove, hyper-charged syncopation and psychedelicized soul anthems

The rhythm section of Erick Coomes and Adam Deitch (Break Science) set the pace with a deep and wide pocket. Guitarists Eric Krasno (Soulive) and Adam Smirnoff weave electrified six-string rhythms, while keyboardist Neal Evans (Soulive) doubles up the low-end as he simultaneously floats and stings with jabs of Hammond B3 organ.

Along for the funkedelic journey are saxophonist Ryan Zoidis (Rustic Overtones) and trumpeter Rashawn Ross (Dave Matthews Band), punctuating the vibe with blasts of bold and infectious horn lines, while guest appearances by Brian Thomas and Cochemea Gastelum further solidify an already fierce horn section.

On "Fly," the group draws from a range of styles that can be traced from the early 60s through the 80s, but keep the material fresh with plenty of modern hip-hop sensibilities. "Fly" exudes a laid-back vamp, recorded on all-analog to two-inch tape, and received a full Jamaican studio treatment, dubbed out with vintage reverb and delay.

Tracks like "Madison Square" and "Ziggowatt" (Deitch’s ode to legendary Meters' drummer Zigaboo Modeliste) sound like futuristic cuts from the Stax back catalog.

Evans' "Bowler" may be the best evidence of where this supercharged group is headed, with a tasty, stick-in-your-ear type melody that continues through the track and begs to be ripped open onstage. The album's one cover song, an all-instrumental version of War's "Slippin’ into Darkness," is a reminder of the genre's vintage origins.

Soul vocalist Nigel Hall comes in on the Krasno-penned track, "Do It Like You Do" and Charles "Dawg" Haynes provides added percussion on "Let It GOGO."

For more information on "Fly" and Lettuce, check out their official website.

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"Fly" Track Listing:

1. Fly
2. Lettsanity
3. Ziggowatt
4. Madison Square
5. Bowler
6. Jack Flask
7. Do It Like You Do
8. Play
9. Let it GOGO
10. Slippin into Darkness
11. The Crusher
12. Ghost of Jupiter

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Upcoming Lettuce Tour Dates:

May 2 | Tipitina's | New Orleans, LA
May 3 | The Howlin Wolf | New Orleans, LA
May 18 and 19 | The Fillmore | San Francisco, CA
June 6 | Brooklyn Bowl | Brooklyn, NY
June 7 | The Westcott Theater | Syracuse, NY
June 8 & 9 | SPAC | Saratoga Springs, NY (w/ Dave Matthews Band)
July 5 | High Sierra Music Festival | Quincy, CA
July 19 | Gathering of the Vibes | Bridgeport, CT
July 21 | All Good Music Festival | Buckeye, OH
September 8 | Catskill Chill Music Festival | Hancock, NY
September 15 | Jomeokee Music Festival | Pinnacle, NC

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Source: Lettuce