KUNG FU is Tim Palmieri (The Breakfast - guitar) Todd Stoops (raq - keys) Dave Livolsi (Scofield/Jazz is Dead - bass) Rob Somerville (Deep Banana Blackout - sax) Adrian Tramantono (The Breakfast - drums)
Forming out of a Monday night jam session in late 2009,this jazz/funk/fusion quintet have hit the ground running and show no signs of slowing down!
Kung Fu is making “fusion music” cool again. The band is pure talent and have been able to ride the line between Headhunters era Herbie Hancock and Jaco Pastorius’ Weather Report while incorporating some of the progressive jazz/rock of the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Kung Fu is JAZZTRONIC! In their first 2 years Kung Fu have earned themselves repeat performances at Gathering of The Vibes and Strange Creek as well as sets at Mountain Jam, Camp Barefoot, The Big Up, Liberate, Bears Picnic, Rock n Roll Resort, Jam at the Grove and many more. People are talking!
The members of Kung Fu have played with and/or recorded with The Allman Brothers, John Scofield, Bill Evans, Jazz is Dead, Umphrey’s Mcgee, T. Lavitz, The Disco Biscuits, Stephen Perkins and Karl Denson to name a few.
The buzz has been big on Kung Fu and the expectations are high! Expect to see Kung Fu on your favorite summer festivals and in clubs near you.
SMOOTH MONEY GESTURE
Smooth Money Gesture is infectious groove funk with ear twitching space jams, face melting solos and tight rhythmic changes. Since the new millennium, the band has been honing in on their sound, bringing their music from the East Coast to Alaska; finally landing in Nederland, Colorado where the band permanently resides. The sextet’s sound is rooted in rock and roll with elements of funk, bluegrass, metal, and electronica producing a jam based high energy psychedelic creation all their own. With a variety of musical influences feeding the improvisational groove, and the majority of members contributing vocals and to songwriting, Smooth Money Gesture takes one on an adrenaline rich celebratory journey that never runs out of fuel. The band has just released their debut CD "The Grand Scubian: Evolution” and with their ever expanding tour schedule, are making forays beyond their homebase of Colorado. This next year will see them traverse the Western states and cross the great Mississippi.
At the core of Smooth Money Gesture are the Diminico brothers and lifelong friend and fellow musician Josh Gitlin-Rich. Doug Diminico plays lead guitar and sings alongside his brother Dan Diminico (bass guitar and vocals). Josh Gitlin-Rich adds his own brand of guitar riffs to compliment Smooth Money's ethereal jams. On keys is Pete Goldberg, contributing a whole new dimension to Smooth Money's music with his energetic playing and gritty vocals. Scott Llewellyn on drums and Nathaniel Haas on percussion and vocals, keep the band driving while adding a touch of polyrhythmic flare. Guy Erickson, of Colorado Music Buzz recently remarked “Smooth Money Gesture is the very Wiki of a happy jam band...Helixes of ebullient guitar...cerebral texture from the organ and keys provides that rare, full, Psychedelic-Funk expansion augmenting the complex interplay as two drummers / percussionists mesh in ever-evolving labyrinths of rhythm...Uplifting and a reason to smile!"
Sprinkling in the occasional and unexpected covers or teases from bands such as The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Frank Zappa, The Allman Brothers, The Grateful Dead, or Phish: SMG is constantly twisting and taking the jams to new heights. Integral to the SMG expansive experience, is the job of Bryce on lights and effects. Bryce has been working with SMG, adding a light show that's as over the top as the music, furthering the planetary excursion into vast and grand, Scubian worlds.