What's The Latest With Funk You? We've Got You Covered January 27, 2022 14:21

.
Words by Jordan Kirkland
Photo by Mike Schwarz
.
We're giving away a pair of tickets to any upcoming Funk You show, one free vinyl copy the band's self titled album, one official 'Moving Forward' t-shirt, and a sticker package to one lucky winner. To enter the contest, share this article directly from the Live & Listen Facebook page, and tag a friend in the comments section of the post. We will announce the winner in the coming days!
.
Back in 2013, I was living in Columbia, South Carolina, and I drove down to Augusta to catch Moon Taxi's Halloween show. They were the one band that I'd seen successfully climb from the ranks of Bourbon Street Bar in Auburn to the nationally touring circuit. Upon arriving at Sky City, I learned that a local band called Funk You was opening. This was my first time hearing of them, but if their name was any indication, it was about to be a damn good opening set.
.
I quickly realized that I was watching one of my new favorite bands. I don't remember too many specifics, but I do recall frontman Gavin Hamilton singing his heart out, while dressed as a storm trooper. While Moon Taxi played a killer show, I walked away that night talking about Funk You. Since that night, I've caught their live show on countless occasions, and it's always an absolutely raging dance party. The band has since expanded with a full horn section, and they've become a staple on the national jam/festival circuit. 
.
Earlier this week, I had a chance to sit down with Geoff Wood (trumpet/guitar) and Will Foster (keyboards) to catch up on all of the latest happenings. Fresh off a New Year's Eve show in Asheville with Pigeons Playing Ping Pong and Keller Williams to close out 2021, Funk You is gearing up for another huge year, and I'm as excited as anyone to see what comes next. Check out the full conversation below, and make sure the follow the band on Facebook and Instagram for all of the latest updates. 
.
.
Great to speak with both of you guys today. I know that Funk You just wrapped up a successful year, which ended with a big New Year's Eve show with Pigeons Playing Ping Pong & Keller Williams. Tell me about that experience. 
.
Geoff: New Year's was great, man. It's always interesting when you go on at 7:00 PM, but we had a great crowd there already. The benefit is you're not playing 'til 1:00 AM, so we were able to get off stage and enjoy the evening as a band. Asheville is a place we have played so many times. We have a whole lot of homies there that always show up. Other homies came in from out of town too. It was a fantastic night. 
.
I feel like the chain of command in Asheville is starting out at The One Stop, gradually moving up to Asheville Music Hall, and if the ticket sales are there, moving on to The Orange Peel, Salvage Station, and larger outdoor brewery stages. I'm sure playing the Civic Center on New Year's Eve was a full circle moment. 
.
Will: Definitely. We got started at The One Stop. Then, we started opening for bands at the Music Hall. From there, we then had bands opening for us at the Music Hall. We went over to Salvage Station for several events, and it's continued to grow. 
.
Another thing I'll add about New Year's is that this is the first New Year's, that I can remember in years, that we weren't on stage playing at midnight. We were together, not on stage, listening to other people play music. That was different...
.
Geoff: But not necessarily bad!
.
Will: Not at all. Just a different experience. It was a really good lineup. I thought that Pigeons and their team did a great job organizing and managing the event. That was right during the time that Omicron was spreading everywhere, and so many bands were having to cancel their New Year's Eve performances. The Pigeons team came up with a plan to try and do it as safely and responsible and possible. I know a lot of hard work went to keep that event in place and in accordance with city guidelines. Everything was fantastic.
.
You're right about that. It seemed like every day someone new was canceling a New Year's show due to COVID related reasons. And yes, Pigeons' management, and just the band in general, always seem to do things right. I'm glad that show was able to play out. Didn't Keller Williams end up sitting in with y'all?
.
Will: Keller sat in with us on "West LA Fadeaway," which was a lot of fun. I'm not sure about Keller's set, but several of our guys ended up sitting in during Pigeons' set as well. I believe Keller did as well.
.
Geoff: There were several guests on stage when the clock struck midnight, from what I recall.
.
Speaking of Pigeons, I saw that Funk You was listed on the recent lineup announcement for their annual DomeFest weekend. It's on the earlier side of festival season, which is great way to start the summer. Have you guys played that festival before?
.
Geoff: Yes we have. I haven't been in the band since day one, but I know we've played at least once. That must have been in 2019. That summer before COVID shut everything down. Then we did HomeFest, which was a pretty cool live streaming concept they put together when DomeFest couldn't happen in 2020. We're excited to get back to Legend Valley in Ohio. It's a beautiful place to play, and they put together another killer lineup this year.
.
That's a great one to be a part of once again. I know you guys can attest to how important these festival plays are. They're a big piece to the puzzle and so crucial for building your audience through new exposure. 
.
Geoff: That was one of the many super disappointing effects of COVID. We were slated to play a bunch of really great festivals that summer. We had some prime time slots as well, between Summer Camp, SweetWater 420 Fest, Electric Forest, and several other big opportunities. That was especially painful about COVID striking when it did. We were poised to be in front of a lot of new faces.
.
Will: Thankfully, it worked out the best that it could once bands started playing again. We were fortunate to maintain just about all of those cancelled festival plays, with the exception of 420 Fest and Electric Forest. Like Geoff alluded to earlier, we had some great opportunities that were casualties of COVID. But we picked up some new ones as well.
.
Right on. So the band is gearing up for another big run of shows. That starts this weekend in Florida. Tell me how the calendar is shaping up for you guys.
.
Geoff: I think we're all really excited to get back to Florida. We were there right before COVID hit, and this will be our first time back. I keep bringing up COVID, but that was the last run we did before things shut down. We love playing The Funky Biscuit, and we're really stoked to do three nights at The Green Parrot in Key West. It's always a fantastic weekend.
.
This will be our fourth time down there. We've made friends and almost feel like a little part of the community when we're in town. Also, we get to play a whole lot. In addition to three nights, we have three sets on Friday and Saturday. As a trumpet player, it's exhausting by the end. From a musical perspective as a band, we get to stretch so much. It's great from a jamming and creativity standpoint. 
.
Will: As a keys player, it doesn't really affect me at all playing three sets a day (laughs). So the last time we were in Florida was technically Hulaween last October. 
.
Geoff: Oh yeah. That's right!
.
Will: Going back to what Geoff said, the unique thing is that they call it a residency there. It becomes like a family-type environment. It's so hard for bands to get down that far into Florida. That's why they do the three-night, three sets a day thing down there. You can just drive down to Key West for a one off. Even if you finished in Miami, there aren't many other stops along the way. Miami isn't necessarily a hopping music scene. Once you pass Boca Raton, that's kinda it until Key West. 
.
Geoff: I think this is the most cities in Florida we've ever hit on a single run. Jacksonville, Boca, Tampa, Orlando, Jupiter, Key West, and Fort Walton Beach. Then we head over to Texas. I'm realizing now that basically all of these shows are places we hit just before COVID, and we haven't returned since. 
.
Will: The last run we did before COVID was that Florida run, and right before that Florida run, we were in Texas and a few other places with Perpetual Groove. This is kind of a mirror image of the pre-COVID months. Hopefully that's not a sign of another fuckin' two years off (laughs)
.
Don't blame you guys for being excited about this particular tour, and I'm sure those who know and love your music in these particular cities are equally as stoked.
.
Geoff: Yeah, absolutely. We're stoked to get back to Houston, too. We're playing at Last Concert Cafe. That's our usual spot there, and it's such a cool outdoor venue. You can get away with that during this time of the year in Texas.
.
That's great. It looks like that run of shows wraps up with Oxford, Jackson, and New Orleans. Where do you guys play in New Orleans these days? There are obviously so many venues there. 
.
Geoff: We're at D.B.A. It's a venue on Frenchman Street. I think it's our first time there, but not our first time playing on Frenchman. That's another city we love to play. It's also the first weekend of Mardi Gras, which is a big plus. That's gonna be exciting.
.
There isn't really a bad time to visit and play New Orleans, but Mardi Gras is certainly a wild time down there. 
.
Will: It's always a great time just to be visiting. Even visiting as a musician and not playing, because of the history down there. We always enjoy getting down there. 
.
Well you guys aren't too far past the release of the new album, Moving Forward, back in September. Aside from all of the upcoming tour dates and festival plays, what do you guys have in the works?
.
Will: We're always writing. It's just a matter of us finding the time to get in the studio, between touring and our personal lives. We tend to play 75% of the songs (that will ultimately become a new record) live before we actually record them. I can tell you that we're well on our way, song writing wise, for another full length album. 
.
Geoff: We are planning on taking some time to get back in the studio after this run. The plans are in motion for releasing another album. It's tough to say when that will happen, but it's definitely in the works. 
.
Will: Correct me if I'm wrong, Geoff, but I know we've been going through our archive of recorded shows. There will be some special, archival releases at some point in the future as well. That's about all we can say.  
.
Geoff: Correct. Stay tuned for an announcement on that. And lastly, getting back to Moving Forward, we are finally taking pre-orders for some really dope vinyl copies of the album. I believe we're doing custom colors only, rather than black vinyl. If anyone feels like getting some good looking, and good sounding vinyl, we hope you'll consider grabbing one. (Click here to pre-order your copy today.) 
.
Will: We will also have some really dope tour posters available at all of our upcoming shows. People can take a look at those on our Facebook page if they're interested in grabbing one. 
.
All great things to hear. Couldn't be happier to see Funk You's continued success. I know you guys aren't even close to finished. Best of luck with the upcoming tour. Be safe out on the road. It was a pleasure catching up with you boys today.
.
Will: Absolutely. Thank you Jordan!
.
Geoff: Thank you! We hope you at a show in the near future!
.
Check out Funk You's official tour poster by Hoverchair Studios below!
.
/
Watch Funk You's complete set from The Caverns in Pelham, TN [11.21.21] here:
.
.
Watch Funk You perform "Red & Black" from their Echo Sessions in Asheville here:
.