Topping off a year of high profile festival plays, coast-to-coast tours, and the launch of a new on-demand platform, future funk all-stars Lettuce have released a new digital single entitled “Monorail 3000.” Captured during the sessions for the band’s high-octane 2012 release Fly, “Monorail 3000” pays homage to “The Godfather of Soul,” James Brown, with a pocket rhythm section, hypnotic grooves, and sultry horn lines. Listen to the new single HERE.
“Lettheads” may recognize the first section of “Monorail 3000” as a live intro the group has been playing for their longtime crowd favorite song “Blast Off” for many years. The framework was laid out by drummer Adam Deitch with help from saxophonist Ryan Zoidis to flesh it out, “We were on a bus or van and Deitch as recording & writing on his computer,” recalls Zoidis, “He asked for another honor melody and bassline for the second section and handed me a keyboard.” The track and the aforementioned Fly sessions were one of, if not the first-ever records ever recorded at the newly opened Bunker Studios in Brooklyn, New York recorded & mixed by John Davis and mastered by Scott Hull & John Davis. The result is a poised and collected head bobber that tips its hat to James Brown & The J.B.’s “(It’s Not the Express) It’s The J.B.’s Monaurail.” “‘Monorail 3000’ is an ode to ‘J.B Monaurail’, one of our favorite James Brown tunes. The mood of the song is cool and steady. All aboard, everyone!” adds Deitch.
In addition to the digital single, the new track will be included on a brand new 7” record, part of a brand new 7” collectable series the band will consistently roll out in the coming months. The record is available now to purchase on both a green colorway (HERE) and classic black vinyl (HERE).
In addition to the new single and 7” series launch, Lettuce recently announced ‘The Get Up Tour,’ a 17-date jaunt that includes 7 co-headlining shows with hip-hop icon GZA (of Wu-Tang Clan) and his live band The Phunky Nomads with key plays in Los Angeles, Oakland, Brooklyn, and more. On March 7, 2024, Lettuce will collaborate with The Colorado Symphony for the third time for a show at The Mission Ballroom in Denver, Colorado.
For a complete list of tour dates, merch, and more, please visit, lettucefunk.com
