As the follow up to their 2019 GRAMMY® Award-nominated album Elevate, genre-defying funk-jazz-soul-hip-hop-psychedelic-jam-rock-experimental music titans LETTUCE have announced their seventh studio album, Resonate, will be coming this spring. Set for release on Friday, May 8th via Round Hill Records, Resonate finds the acclaimed six-piece once again breaking rules, pushing boundaries and uplifting spirits as evidenced with the first single, the funkified "Checker Wrecker" - PRESS HERE to listen. Drawing on a longstanding collective passion for Washington, DC go-go music, Lettuce welcomes scene legends Big Tony Fisher of Trouble Funk and Tyrone "Jungle Boogie" Williams of Rare Essence into their ecosystem on the new song, which features funk guitars and simmering horns dipping in and out of a percussive pocket before the track struts into swaggering chants, "Put some stank on it," backed by warbling synths and spacey organ. PRESS HERE to watch the lyric video for "Checker Wrecker."
"Go-go music is the style of music that links funk to hip-hop and this song is a tribute to that groove," the band shares. "Having Tony and Boogie, iconic go-go legends, as features on the track gives it even more of a boost in energy and swagger." Of the new album, Lettuce adds, "Resonate is a definite continuation of the vibe of Elevate. There's brand-new tracks on it along with some stuff that we've only played live at shows. When listening Resonate, we hope you can feel the groove, be moved to dance and allow it to shine a bright, positive light on any lingering negative vibes. We want the good vibes we have as brothers, a band, and musicians to resonate with those that hear this record and see us live. We're stoked for all our peeps to hear it!"
Written and recorded during the same Colorado Sound Studio sessions that spawned Elevate, the six-member collective - Adam Deitch (drums, percussion, arrangement), Adam "Shmeeans" Smirnoff (guitar), Erick "Jesus" Coomes (bass), Ryan Zoidis (alto, baritone, tenor sax, Korg X-911), Eric "Benny" Bloom (trumpet, horns) and Nigel Hall (vocals, Hammond B-3, Rhodes, clavinet, keyboards) - brought Resonate to life alongside iconic producer and engineer Russ Elevado [D'Angelo, The Roots, Erykah Badu]. The 11-track album, available now for pre-order, finds Lettuce feeding the rich history of funk while combining it with jazz chords, psychedelic passages, big horns, strains of soul and go-go, and elements from the instrumental side of hip-hop for an eclectic and often improvisational sound all their own. PRESS HERE to pre-order Resonate.
Upheld by deft riffing, hummable horns, and "Tower of Power energy," Resonate ignites with the boisterous "Blaze," which the band has kicked around live for years. Meanwhile, "Moksha" explores the edges of psychedelia with legendary sitarist Indrajit Banerjee blessing the tune with sitar conjurations floating in and out of ethereal guitar transmissions. Nearing the nine-minute mark, the closer and title track "Resonate" sees the band once again tread new territory with a more meditational, mood vibe. Full track listing below.
Last night (February 18th), Lettuce kicked off an extensive 21-date European headlining tour, their largest outing overseas in the band's nearly three decades together. The road warriors return to the States this spring and summer for a selection of headlining shows and festival appearances, including their 5th annual Jazz Fest After Show RAGE!FEST taking place April 25th at the Orpheum Theater in New Orleans with support from The Motet and Louis Cole Big Band. Catch Lettuce at SweetWater 420 Fest, Summer Camp Music Festival, Camp Greensky, Sonic Bloom Festival and High Sierra Music Festival, among others, and look for their summer headlining tour plans to be revealed soon. See below for full list of upcoming tour dates and visit www.lettucefunk.com for ticketing details.
Lettuce's ever-changing and all-inclusive musical palette is often praised for the way it blurs lines and smashes together genres into exciting and compelling art - drawing acclaim from everyone from NPR, New York Times, Consequence of Sound and Billboard to BrooklynVegan, Earmilk, HipHopDX and Relix. Their latest album Elevate certainly did just that for the sextet when they received their first-ever GRAMMY nomination in the category of Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for the #1 album (Billboard Contemporary Jazz Album Chart and iTunes R&B Albums Chart).
A powerhouse collective made up of world-class master musicians, the members of Lettuce are also some of the most highly sought-after musicians in the industry with roots that run deep into the worlds of hip-hop, pop, and beyond, working and performing alongside the likes of Kanye West, Lady Gaga, Stevie Wonder, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, Justin Timberlake, The Fugees, Eminem, Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, Britney Spears, DJ Quik, Gary Clark Jr., Skrillex, The Game, Talib Kweli, Anthony Hamilton, Solange, Chaka Khan, Redman & Method Man, Robin Thicke, Preservation Hall, Dave Matthews Band, Gov't Mule, Bob Weir, John Mayer, Aaron Neville, and more.
In the end, Lettuce are more alive than ever on Resonate, and hope to give listeners a sensation of genuine emotion and personal transformation. As Deitch puts it, "if you let good vibes resonate with the people around you, they'll hit hearts, minds, and souls."
RESONATE TRACK LISTING
1. Blaze
2. Good Morning Mr. Shmink
3. NDUGU
4. Checker Wrecker
5. Silence Is Golden
6. Moksha
7. Mr. Dynamite
8. Remember The Children
9. 'Lude
10. House of Lett
11. Resonate
LETTUCE TOUR DATES:
Europe
February 19 London, UK @ The Garage
February 20 Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Paradiso Noord
February 21 Dortmund, Germany @ Musiktheater Piano
February 22 Brussels, Belguim @ Ancienne Belgique
February 24 Esch-sur-alzette, Luxembourg @ Rockhal
February 25 Paris, France @ New Morning
February 27 Madrid, Spain @ Sala Clamores
February 28 Barcelona, Spain @ La Nau Locales De Ensayo
February 29 Arles, France @ Cargo de Nuit
March 1 Zurich, Switzerland @ Kaufleuten
March 3 Savona, Italy @ Raindogs House
March 4 Milano, Italy @ Santeria Toscana 31
March 5 Rovereto, Italy @ Auditorium Fausto Melotti
March 6 Wien, Austria @ WUK
March 7 Frankfurt, Germany @ Nachtleben
March 9 Berlin, Germany @ Frannz-Club
March 10 Hamburg, Germany @ Knust
March 11 København K, Denmark @ Loppen
March 12 Oslo, Norway @ Cosmopolite Scene
March 13 Stockholm, Sweden @ Nalen Klubb
North America
April 10 Estes Park, CO @ The Stanley Hotel
April 11 Estes Park, CO @ The Stanley Hotel
April 16-18 Live Oak, FL @ Suwannee Rising
April 19 Pensacola, FL @ Vinyl Music Hall
April 20 Memphis, TN @ Minglewood Hall
April 22 Indianapolis, IN @ The Vogue
April 24 Atlanta, GA @ SweetWater 420 Fest
April 25 New Orleans, LA @ RAGE!FEST at The Orpheum Theater
May 22-24 Chillicothe, IL @ Summer Camp Music Festival
June 4-6 Oak Hill, WV @ Mountain Music Festival
June 4-6 Wellston, MI @ Camp Greensky
June 18-21 Rye, CO @ Sonic Bloom Festival
June 18-21 Bend, OR @ 4 Peaks Music Festival
July 2-5 Quincy, CA @ High Sierra Music Festival
