MUMBAI: ‘Elevate’, then ‘Resonate’, and now, ‘Unify’, the guys in GRAMMY-nominated funk sextet Lettuce have been sending not-so-subliminal messages with their music (and album titles) for going on three decades now. Their newest effort, ‘Unify’, however, showcases exactly what the band has been working towards all these years; not just the unification of humanity through music, but also the coming together of each member to take the band’s most powerful, funkiest form to date. Fans can stream the album here orcd.co/lettuceunify and watch the brand new video for “Keep That Funk Alive” here!
From the fit-for-the-times “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright”, which Parade Magazine called “a mantra for moving out of dark days and into the light,” to the classic Lettuce vibes of “Gravy Train”, to the stamp of approval from funkmaster general Bootsy Collins on “Keep That Funk Alive”, the band-Adam Deitch (drums), Ryan Zoidis (saxophone), Adam ‘Shmeeans’ Smirnoff (guitar), Erick ‘Jesus’ Coomes (bass), Nigel Hall (keyboards/vocals), Eric ‘Benny’ Bloom (trumpet)-have cemented their role as groove disciples for the next generation with ‘Unify’; proudly becoming funk’s torchbearers for all booty shakers, young and old.
The band also shares the brand new music video for “Keep That Funk Alive”, a collaborative effort with legendary funk innovator Bootsy Collins. “Linking up organically with one of the inventors of funk music, eternally iconic bassist and vocalist Bootsy Collins, still feels like a dream,” says Deitch. “Bootsy wants to keep the Funk alive…and we wholeheartedly agree with that statement. Major props to Bootzilla for believing in us!”
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“Dealing with the pandemic, being in separate places, trying to survive without our best friends, without touring, not to mention the political divide in this country,” says Deitch on creating ‘Unify’. “We really needed to unify.” Zoidis recalls, “This album came together at a time when we were away from each other longer than we had been in years.” Although the band was able to do a lot of writing and pre-production from their respective home studios, they hadn’t been in the same room or on the same stage together since their European tour was cut short in March 2021, so the first song on ‘Unify’ captures the raw energy of a much-needed reunion at Colorado Sound Studios—though, that’s not exactly where the story begins.
The roots of ‘Unify’ took hold several years back when Lettuce assembled at Colorado Sound to begin work on ‘Elevate’. Armed with dozens of songs, the band tracked enough material for that record, its successor, and then some. Combined with some stellar pre-existing tracks held over from the prior two albums, Lettuce was now primed for a third. The group decamped to the Denver studio and reunited with its esteemed engineer, Jesse O’Brien, mixing alongside O’Brien, and, once again, self-producing the finished work. And, rather than extensively road-testing the songs, fleshing out the repertoire in countless performances on tour before being recorded, this time the band discovered the music as much as made it; essentially debuting the new material as they tracked it live in the studio.
A totally collaborative effort, there were exciting cuts full of brilliant lyrics and arrangements from Hall (whom Coomes calls “one of the greatest singers ever”) and fiery horn parts from Bloom, not to mention the tantalizing prospect of unveiling it all on the upcoming tour. “It’s very, very exciting. Our audiences are going to hear how we end up interpreting these songs for the first time, in the live form, and then for the 300th time; they’ll get to hear right along with us how the songs will morph and evolve,” says Smirnoff. Adds Coomes, “We’re just getting tighter and tighter. Really, these are the first records made with the six of us as a team, and it’s the best the band has ever been: live and in the studio; the funkiest and the most fun.”
Lettuce will take their plethora of brand new material out on the road (and across the pond) for the Unify World Tour. A full list of tour dates is below and ticket information can be found at lettucefunk.com/tour.
