For more than two decades, Lettuce have brought a new vitality to classic funk, matching their smooth and soulful grooves with a hip-hop-inspired urgency and mastery of beat. Now, on their fourth studio album Crush, drummer Adam Deitch, guitarists Adam Smirnoff and Eric Krasno, bassist Erick “Jesus” Coomes, keyboardist Neal Evans, saxophonist Ryan Zoidis, and trumpet player Eric Bloom deepen that sound by channeling the sonic freedom and infectious energy of their incendiary live show.

"Not only does this quintet play tight and vicious versions of some of the most complex songs in the Grateful Dead's repertoire, but they play them with a rawness & energy absent from the stage since the "Live" Dead era. More importantly, all of the jams are wild and incredibly adventurous. Russo's a beast behind the kit who's in the peak of his career. Metzger is a criminally underrated guitarist who has a chameleon-like ability to alter his sound to compliment any situation. Dreiwitz's intensity is unmatched by anyone, while Benevento spouts these crazy tones and layers of sound that mix the best of what each keyboardist in GD history brought to the band. Finally, add Hamilton, whose voice and biting leads help push this ensemble over the top."

Just outside the jazz mecca of Kansas City springs liberal oasis Lawrence, Kansas -- separated only by the waves of wheat from the epicenter of the electronic music revolution in Colorado. From Lawrence, it would logically follow that an act could rise to prominence fueled by the swing of Basie, the birth of Charlie Parker's bebop, and the wild frontier of electronica. Born in funk and bred in the digital age, live electronic duo The Floozies have burst onto the scene at a time when the industry needed them the most. 

The future of funk is clear on new The Motet self-released studio album, Totem. The 12 tracks on Totem, all originals, cover a lot of ground stylistically while never losing sight of the groove. Produced by Lettuce and Soulive guitarist Eric Krasno, Totem was written collectively by the seven members of the band. Each song is steeped in The Motet’s signature style that slaps you in the face with sounds that are fresh and unique.

Break Science was raised and influenced by the rhythm and culture of New York City, and Adam Deitch and Borahm Lee fuse generations of the city’s rich musical legacy with their own deep-rooted connection to hip-hop heritage. Merging their production styles seamlessly, the duo creates a refreshingly original take on electronic music. The live show transcends expectations with Lee’s seasoned trip-hop/dub/jazz vibes on keyboards and Ableton Live and Deitch’s thunderous breakbeat style on drums.

Manic Focus is the musical conception of John "JmaC" McCarten that breaks the bounds of the typical electronic music realm. Being classically trained on piano at an early age, his musical talents have brought him through the realms of hip-hop beats and electronic music, having now evolved into the dynamic, bass-induced sounds of Manic Focus. A Minnesota native and recent transplant to Chicago, this producer is now blowing up the EDM music scene and gaining a huge following. 

Picture Stevie Wonder fronting a combination of Led Zeppelin & Daft Punk. The future of live Rock N Roll looks like this – and it’s unlike anything you would expect. Soul-shattering vocals blend with electrifying guitars, lush synths, and raw energy, leaving audiences resurrected. After forming in 2010 at Indiana University, The Main Squeeze began selling out clubs to frenzied college students in just a few short months. Their captivating live performances have since earned them a devoted national following and even caught the interest of legendary producer, Randy Jackson, who produced their latest album “Mind Your Head.” The dynamic 5-piece is currently based in Los Angeles.

Oteil Burbridge (born August 24, 1964) is an American multi-instrumentalist, specializing on the bass guitar, trained in playing jazz and classical music from an early age. He has achieved fame primarily on bass guitar during the resurgence of the Allman Brothers Band from 1997 through 2014. He was also a founding member of the bands Dead & Company and The Aquarium Rescue Unit, and has worked with other musicians who include Bruce Hampton, Trey Anastasio, Page McConnell, Bill Kreutzmann and The Derek Trucks Band, with whom his brother Kofi Burbridge is the keyboardist and flautist.

It was at the young age of three that Antwaun's mother, Khadija Stanley, first recognized his vocal gift. While sitting in the kitchen, in his yellow little tike’s chair, his mother was preparing dinner and singing “Amazing Grace,” all of a sudden he starts to sing the song. His mother was very surprised by how good he sounded. After telling family and friends about his voice, people wanted to hear him and Stanley made his singing debut at his great-grandmothers birthday dinner. By the age of four, he was singing at youth conventions and church functions across the country.

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. 

For nearly two decades, Eric Krasno has been an omnipresent figure in popular music. We've heard his virtuosic, innovative guitar playing with Soulive and Lettuce (both of which he co-founded), seen him onstage supporting the likes of the Rolling Stones and The Roots, watched him take home multiple GRAMMY Awards, and benefited from his deft, behind-the-scenes work as a producer and songwriter for everyone from Norah Jones, Tedeschi Trucks, and 50 Cent to Talib Kweli, Aaron Neville, and Allen Stone. Krasno's rousing new solo album, 'Blood From A Stone,' reveals a previously unknown and utterly compelling side of his artistry, though, inviting us to bear witness as he both literally and metaphorically finds his voice.

Jaw Gems, an electronic outfit from Portland, Maine, is a collective of young, experimental producers bringing beat-music – traditionally programmed and played on samplers – to a live band setting. The mesmerizing result is a harmonic convergence. Combine legendary beat-makers like J Dilla and Flying Lotus with indie rock and electronic icons like Deerhunter and Washed Out, then add Radiohead’s dreamy ambience and you begin to approach the sound of Jaw Gems. “Dilla is the common thread for how we all met and began playing together,” says keyboardist Hassan Muhammad. “Not many people in Portland knew about him seven years ago, so through various friends we were all pointed out to each other and we were blessed with the opportunity to hold a weekly residency at a bar, playing all the stuff we liked and getting increasingly weird.”