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The electric flow of SOCKET’s Hammond organ-powered instrumental groove
music is firmly grounded in funk and jazz, and charged with a nasty smudge
of East Bay grease. Based in Oakland, CA, the band’s lineup includes
members of the SF Music Award-winning Afrobeat ensemble ALBINO!, and has
been a long-term fixture at Bay Area’s worthiest groove venues including
The Boom Boom Room, Jupiter, and Elbo Room.
SOCKET’s key influences include Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters, James
Brown, Medeski Martin and Wood, Fela Kuti, and Charlie Hunter. The band’s
patented “jazz funk junk” sound also includes elements of latin,
afrobeat, samba, second line, and hard rock.
SOCKET’s core members include Taylor Heanue (organ), Cal Reichenbach,
(guitar), and Brad Harbidge (drums). Nathan Endsley (sax, flute) is a
regularly featured guest of the band, and Dave Ellis (sax), formerly of the
Charlie Hunter Trio, makes a guest appearance on SOCKET’s self-titled
debut album.
The band was founded by Taylor Heanue in 2002 as Guru Garage, and was
rechristened as SOCKET upon the release of that same album.
Over the years SOCKET has shared stages with Hamsa Lila, Samba Da,
Aphrodesia, Frequinox (Will Bernard, Stanton Moore, Eric Levy), Vinyl,
Topaz, and Bat Makumba; members of Soulive and Meshell Ndegocello’s band
have sat in with SOCKET as guests.
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