Over its past 17 years, Dumpstaphunk has earned its reputation as the most well-regarded next-generation New Orleans live powerhouse, the type of band whose live shows attract sit-ins from legends like Carlos Santana, Bob Weir and Trombone Shorty. Alongside Hall, Daniels, Alex Wasily, Ryan Nyther and drummer Devin Trusclair, cousins Ivan and Ian Neville have built upon their family’s iconic NOLA legacy as they’ve transformed Dumpstaphunk into the city’s pre-eminent 21st-century funk-fusion export, resulting in recent career highlights like their July 2019 opening gig for the Rolling Stones on their home turf at the Superdome.
Modernizing and reinvigorating the Neville family groove has been one of the driving forces of Dumpstaphunk ever since the band spontaneously formed during Jazz Fest in 2003. Daniels and Hall both played with the Neville Brothers for years, but the band has never stood in the family’s shadows during its nearly two-decade career. For his part, Ian Neville never could have predicted he’d still be in the same band 17 years later, but the guitarist could sense the group’s historical weight from the onset. Since releasing their last album seven years ago, Ivan Neville became a father for the second time, an experience that shaped his outlook on the future-facing originals on the group’s new album. “The unknown, sometimes, is scary,” he says, discussing the band’s latest album, ‘Where Do We Go From Here’, “but sometimes you just have to take that ride. We’re at a crossroads right now in this country, and some shit’s got to change.” The band’s mix of classic and modern influences can be heard throughout the party-friendly mix of R&B, funk, rock, swamp-pop and blues. “We hope people can hear the new songs and are inclined to dance and inspired to think at the same time,” says Ivan, speaking to the new album’s delicate balance between topic material and dance-floor rockers.
‘Where Do We Go From Here’ is perhaps the best evidence yet of Dumpstaphunk’s ability to strengthen and transform their singular NOLA roots in combination with the deeper outside musical and philosophical influences on which the band is founded. ‘Where Do We Go From Here’ is available via The Funk Garage, an imprint of Mascot Label Group.
* Dubbed “the best funk band in New Orleans” by The New York Times
* This is Dumpstaphunk’s 4th studio album
* Dumpstaphunk's latest single, "Justice 2020", featuring Chali 2na and Trombone Shorty, has been chosen by The New York Times as one of the Best Songs of 2020
1. United Nations Stomp
2. Make It After All
3. Backwash
4. Let's Get at It
5. Where Do We Go from Here
6. Itchy Boo
7. In Time
8. Do You
9. Dumpstamental
10. Sounds
11. Justice 2020
