By Greg Roth / SMI .jpg)
The new mother-ship has landed from another time and dimension....and the Captain is Eldridge Gravy. Listen as he brings with him the mighty Court Supreme to funk you in your ear holes.
Eldridge Gravy and the Court Supreme is one of the tightest, funkiest bands east of the Mississippi. These cats don't sample hip hop beats or loops; they build their grooves organically from scratch - from the ground up.
This outfit takes a little bit of Prince, P-Funk, Otis Redding, Temptations, Sly and the Family Stone, Stevie Wonder and throws it in the musical pot to create a tasty and sexy musical gravy, if you will.
Oh my, your band is so large...
The eleven piece group features the amazing rhythm section of bassist Wilson Mason and drummer, Ol' Pollina. Mason and Pollina have studied the craft of funk, and give playing 'on the one' a whole new meaning. The tones and textures in the song "Do What you Do" from their LP "Us is What Time it Is" makes it one of the best George Clinton numbers that the funk-master never wrote.
The group also features the tasty licks of The Crime on guitar, who lays down some of the cleanest and tightest rhythm tracks this writer has seen in the region. Daddy Diddio comes up with some brilliant Hammond B3 licks, as well as other retro-sounding textures that fill out the group's sound.
A retro / modern funk unit would not be complete without a horn section, and this group has one of the finest, featuring Yeager on tenor sax, The Colonel on baritone sax, and G.I.T. on trombone.
The voices...
This funk and soul army is rounded out with the beautiful sounds of Lady Gravy, Ms. Bean, Donnie Dollerstack, and the incomparable Eldridge Gravy on lead vocals. Gravy, a formally trained opera singer, looks more like the type of individual that would front a Seattle post-grunge band.... but don't be fooled. When he opens his mouth to sing, it's business time. Gravy effortlessly channels some of the greatest soul singers that have ever laid down tracks on vinyl or graced the stage. His range, pitch and general feel for the music is nothing less than astonishing. The man has done his homework, and he gets an A for execution AND effort.
In this writer's opinion, this is not only one of the best bands in the region, but one of the finest bands anywhere. These cats play music for below the waist - but complex time signatures, unique arrangements and clever lyrics appeal to the grey matter above the waist as well.
Closing thoughts...
We live In an age where the audience has been dumbed down, and mediocrity has become the standard of excellence. We live in an age where musical 'artists' sample the work of musicians that actually practiced their craft and toiled in the studio, and dare to call it their own. (P-Diddy, I'm looking at you.) Given those facts, it's great to see a band that can actually play their instruments with skill and precision. Eldridge Gravy and the Court Supreme pay homage to the great American genres of funk, soul, and R&B, by crafting songs with an addictive flavor that appeals to a new generation's palate.
Eldridge Gravy and the Court Supreme are playing live this Saturday, April 17th at The Scarlet Tree.
SMI Radio: On this week’s episode, Seattle Music Insider takes you inside the rehearsal of one of Seattle’s most funkiest and hippest bands, ‘Eldridge Gravy and the Court Supreme’. SMI Radio talks to the group’s lead vocalist and spiritual leader Eldridge Gravy. They discuss the groups influences and the creative process. In addition, the show features several cuts from the the groups LP, ‘Us Is What Time It Is’ and their new single recently released on vinyl, ‘Exceptional’
Become a fan of Eldridge Gravy and the Court Supreme on Facebook
To visit the band's website go here
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