Forecasters Predicting Unseasonably Heavy Grooves for Funk Fest Punta Gorda When Lettuce Hits Its Shores
A cyclone of raging cosmic beats is about to hit Southwest Florida when Lettuce, the guardians of intergalactic funk, descend on Punta Gorda Funk Fest on Saturday, February 16th, to help celebrate the festival’s 10th anniversary. Funkateers who know them already realize the forecast is for heavy Crunk and soaking dance rhythms. For those who are not yet acquainted with the funkiest sextet in the land, come closer. You know not what it is about to hit you.
Next to the word “rage” (as in: to dance and party with the mad intensity of a person about to get raptured up) is a picture of Lettuce. For more than 20 years, Lettuce has been creating psychedelic, sonic landscapes sumptuously layered with R&B, jazz, hip hop, and improvisational grooves that suck unsuspecting audiences into a vortex of kinetic energy and spit them out as die-hard apostles of funk.
The seeds for Lettuce germinated back in 1992 when core members Adam “Schmeeans” Smirnoff (guitar), Adam Deitch (drums), Erick “Jesus” Coomes (bass) and Ryan Zoidis (alto, tenor and baritone sax) met at a summer program for high school-aged prodigies run by the vaunted Berklee College of Music in Boston. They were later joined by Eric “Benny” Bloom (trumpet) and Nigel Hall (organ, keys and vocals) to complete this band of brothers who are inspired as much by each other as they are their musical heroes.
Taking inspiration from idols like Miles Davis, Tower of Power and Earth Wind and Fire, Lettuce has racked up six albums, one mega-successful EP with 2016’s Mt. Crushmore, and countless appearances around the world. Their no-holds-barred performances and brilliant musicianship has won them accolades from Billboard Magazine, The New York Times, Relix, NPR and more.
Currently in the midst of a massive 34-date tour, they continue to lay waste to legendary stages like The Joy Theater in New Orleans, where they will host Rage!Fest on May 2, and Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheater, where they will hold their fourth “Rage Rocks” on June 15.
No strangers to Florida, Lettuce is practically the house band at the mystical Spirit of Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, where they spent eight years headlining the beloved but now defunct Bear Creak Music & Arts Festival. They’ve also regularly destroyed SOSMP’s Amphitheater stage at Purple Hatters Ball and at the mother of all Halloween parties – Suwannee Hulaween.
Now they’re about to rock the sleepy little seaside town of Punta Gorda to its core. For Funk Fest promoter Nick Nemec, who has worked long and hard to get them there, the thrill is personal.
“We are so excited to have Lettuce and the entire lineup for our 10th anniversary!” Nemec said. “We have worked really hard to make this all happen. I was dead set on Lettuce.
We had tried to bring them in for over four years. Timing just wasn’t on our side. This is not only exciting for me as a fan but hopefully will be symbolic for our small town that change is coming! Overall we know they were the right choice for our headliners and can’t wait to watch the power funk unfold Saturday night!”
Lettuce will be joined by a stellar lineup including Here Come The Mummies, The Werks, Joe Marcinek Band and more. Funk Fest Punta Gorda is set for this weekend on February 15 and 16 at City Marketplace. Some tickets are still available and can be purchased by clicking here. For more information, click on the links below.
