The Funky Knuckles / Progger

Saturday, February 18, 2017, at 7:30 pm

This is an archived event, not part of the current festival.

The inevitable result of a talent-soaked soul and jazz community, The Funky Knuckles are taking the sound of Dallas to an entirely different level. They have been together six years and have held a weekly residency since the beginning. The band is comprised of sidemen from some of the most respected acts in the music industry (Beyonce, Erykah Badu, Chrisette Michelle, Talib Kweli, P. Diddy, The Polyphonic Spree, etc.), yet possesses a sound distinctly separate from any of their individual projects.

The Funky Knuckles move together musically as a school of fish, never complacent and always stretching the boundaries of improvisation and composition. Whether performing original music or standards, they draw from each member's musical experiences to create their unique genre-bending sound. After the release of their debut album on GroundUP Music, As of Lately, The Knuckles added a full-time horn section and began touring nationally.

Meta-Musica (also on GroundUP), climbed the iTunes Jazz Charts to become the #1 selling record in the United States the day it was released.

Progger lays beautiful, sophisticated melody and harmony over visceral grooves and beats from funk, soul, world, and electronic dance music. Combining the experience of some of the most in-demand touring and session musicians from the vibrant Texas music scene, Progger has quickly built a reputation for being one of the most skilled, tight, and captivating live bands in the country, and has garnered praise from producers and musicians throughout the nation. Their debut album, Beatmaker, was released in February 2013.

With their shared love of soul, jazz, and rock music, the musicians quickly found a common desire to create captivating, innovative, fresh music built on the foundations of their heroes: Herbie Hancock, George Clinton, Weather Report, Stevie Wonder, and, notably, Dallas funk and gospel legend Bobby Sparks, among many others. As bandmates and friends, the members of Progger are constantly seeking out new inspiration from nature, art, and the club to keep developing their unique music with no end in sight.

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