Tayo Branston - Drums/Vocals
Tom Towers - Congas/Bongos
Justin Kennedy - Shekere/Percussion
Carl Julig - Timbales/Percussion
Neil Towers - Bass
Oliver Gibson - Guitar
Gabe Boothroyd - Guitar
Ryan Naso - Trumpet
Kent Wallace - Trumpet
Grain Stimulator - Tenor/Alto Sax
Nimish Parekh - Trombone
Influences
Fela Kuti, Santana, James Brown, Kool and the Gang, Tower of Power, Earth Wind and Fire, Antibalas, Parliament Funkadelic, Tito Puente, Prince, Rick James, Frank Zappa and the weather.
Imagine yourself alone on a beach, the sun in your eyes, the wind in your hair. Your gaze travels down the sandy expanse before you, revealing a silverback gorilla splashing, wading in the white capped breakers as they crash around him. Suddenly, from out of the waves comes forth the sleek, shimmering body of a great white shark, his jaws bared to reveal row upon row of razor sharp teeth. The two mighty beasts have only a moment before they collide. A moment to wonder, "How can this be happening?"
Welcome to the sunny shores of Five Alarm Funk, where Anything is Possible.
This genre-spanning, groove-straddling third album from the heavy-set funk machine reveals 14 tunes of unbridled energy. The album’s first track, Infernal Monologue, begins with an angelic children’s choir before quickly moving into classically inspired heavy prog-rock. From there the party gets started with some straight-ahead funk on Zenith Escalator before turning to driving world-rhythms and burning middle-eastern inspired horn lines on Titan. Influences as diverse as Frank Zappa, Yes, J.S. Bach and Antibalas all make an appearance before Anything is Possible is finished.
Five Alarm Funk is a horn powered, percussion fuelled sonic and visual assault. For more than six years the band has brought their relentless and unforgettable live show to clubs and major festivals across Canada and the United States. After over 300 shows some highlights include: Vancouver Jazz Festival, Toronto Jazz Festival, Ottawa Blues Fest, Shambhala, Sunfest in London Ontario, Ness Creek Festival in Saskatchewan, Summer Meltdown in Washington, the Keelung Mid-Summer Festival in Taiwan, and numerous sold-out shows at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver.
Recently the band had a number of performances for the Vancouver/Whistler 2010 Olympic games. Minutes after Canada was awarded the gold medal in hockey Five Alarm Funk took the stage at the Hockey House and performed to a delerious crowd.
Buy Anything Is Possible here - http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/FiveAlarmFunk1
Voodoo Hairdoo, the band’s second studio album, captures the boundless energy of Five Alarm Funk’s live show. It is a journey from fast funk and dance-crazed Latin to epic reggae and thunderous Afro-beat.
Buy Voodoo Hairdoo here - http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/fivealarmfunk
Buy our self-titled debut right here - http://cdbaby.com/cd/fivealarmfunk2 -
HEY GUYS WAZZUP ?? WE SEE THAT YOU COMING IN MONTREAL ... SO NICE. PAPA WILL BE IN ALBERTA AND B.C. BETWEEN THE 12 OF AUGUST TO 23 ... HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE. PEACE AND KEEP THE GROOVE
I hope you all made it back to canada safely and Also I will be talking to one of my people down here to get you guys more gigs for this spring and Summer! We have some bitchen Festivals and Also I just stopped by and laid some word down with the Winthrop R&B Festival this July. I laid it thick! So hopefuly they will take the line and do something with it Like call you all to come play! Still getting ahold of the other festival for you all! OH Ya Bitchen show at the Pub! Hands down awsome!
Always with the thick grooves. THICK. we likey. If anyone out in webland likes our sound, come by the backstage lounge this tuesday night for ze good mix of ze riffs and ze funkenzen. Adieu
can't wait to see you guys @ nectar. Saw the summer melttdown show and it blew me away.love the high energy funk. My buddys band scarlet room is opening with some awsome cabarret rock. Gona be a great nite
