Riding the wave of their 2015 album release, Jukestone Paradise, today, the Pimps of Joytime announce a whirlwind 2015 Fall Tour.
Performing their latest Brooklyn-bred funk and dance tunes, the group's high-energy tour kicks off in Burlington, VT Oct. 1 at Higher Ground. Highlight performances will include Chicago, IL Oct. 9 at Martyrs', Phases of the Moon Music & Arts Festival Oct. 16 in Ozark, AK, Halloween at the Gothic Theater in Englewood, CO Oct. 31, and the Fillmore in San Francisco, CA Nov. 14.
Anyone familiar with the Pimps of Joytime live experience knows the feeling—that moment when a deep bluesy groove morphs into a full-on EDM dance beat; the sensation when the wide-eyed audience collectively elevates to the band’s tangible energy. With the 2015 release of Jukestone Paradise, the Pimps of Joytime raise the bar of their own potential with swagger to spare, crafting songs that ring out like the soundtrack for a ride through Brooklyn's multi-cultural neighborhoods, where their sound materialized.
“It’s a sonic tapestry that’s representative of this time and place that we live in,” says lead guitarist and singer Brian J. “In terms of genres, everything has been done. But, not every combination has been done.”
Pulling Brian J’s deep discography of influences, the magic behind Jukestone Paradise sparked more than a decade ago, when he first penned anthems like “Sky” and “Freedom Dancer.” The album's recording sessions took the energy further, recording with the full band—dual female vocalists and percussionists Mayteana Morales and Cole WilliamsX, bassist and keyboardist David Bailis, and drummer John Staten—over looped riffs on-the-spot, culminating in signature tracks like “Red Golden” and “Body Party.” With the addition of a few friends like Ivan Neville, who adds New Orleans flavor to “Sky,” and Rubblebucket’s Alex Toth, who co-wrote the quirky and infectious “Dance Cardia,” Jukestone Paradise takes the group's undeniable musicianship to a higher plane.
And that’s where the Pimps excel, by mashing up ‘70s funk with a house beat, and then pulling off the whole thing with a live band. In-house samples and creative effects (vocals run through a guitar amp, for example) ensure that every moment is rich with intrigue. For listeners weary of today’s DJ culture but eager to dance with abandon, the Pimps of Joytime is the antidote.
You might accurately call this Brooklyn-bred quintet a ‘post-genre’ band; a group whose sound—even within a single song—mirrors the diversity of our era’s wide musical tastes, like mashing up ‘70s funk with a house beat, or salsa infused hip-hop. It all goes into the Pimps’ pot, over a rich roux built on a foundation of groove.
Just as Brooklyn has changed in the decade since the Pimps landed there, so has the band’s sound. But as Williamsburg gentrifies, the Pimps of Joytime’s continuing multi-dimensional evolution keeps the borough’s true spirit alive.
Pimps of Joytime 2015 Fall Tour Dates:
10/1 Burlington, VT - Higher Ground
10/2 Providence, RI - The Spot Underground
10/3 Seymour, CT - Smoke in the Valley @ Seymour Community Center
10/8 Bloomington, IN - Bluebird Nightclub
10/9 Chicago, IL - Martyrs'
10/10 Kalamazoo, MI - Bells Eccentric Cafe
10/13 Lexington, KY - Cosmic Charlie's
10/14 Nashville, TN - 3rd & Lindsley
10/15 St. Louis, MO - Old Rock House
10/16 Ozark, AK - Phases of the Moon Music & Arts Festival
10/17 Jackson, MS - Martin's
10/18 Birmingham, AL - Workplay Theatre
10/21 Asheville, NC - New Mountain
10/22 Louisville, KY - Headliners Music Hall
10/23 Columbus, OH - Park Street Saloon
10/30 Fort Collins, CO - Hodi's Half Note
10/31 Denver, CO - Gothic Theatre
11/4 Phoenix, AZ - Last Exit Live
11/5 Flagstaff, AZ - Green Room
11/6 San Diego, CA - Casbah
11/7 Los Angeles, CA - Teragram Ballroom
11/10 Santa Barbara, CA - Soho Restaurant and Music Club
11/11 Sacramento, CA - Harlow's
11/12 Grass Valley, CA - Center for the Arts
11/13 Arcata, CA - Arcata Theatre
11/14 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
11/18 Eugene, OR - Hifi Music Hall
11/19 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
11/20 Seattle, WA - Nectar Lounge
11/21 Bellingham, WA - Wild Buffalo
