Formed in 2003, Dumpstaphunk was initially assembled by keyboardist Ivan Neville on a whim, to perform a solo slot at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Ivan tastefully selected the unique double-bass attack of both Nick Daniels and Tony Hall on bass, enlisted his own bloodlines for the scorching guitar rhythms of cousin, Ian Neville, and most recently, added the newest member to the group, heavy-hitting female protégé Nikki Glaspie on drums, replacing original powerhouse Raymond Weber. The project has since grown from a chance side-project into what is now widely considered to be one of New Orleans' most prestigious modern funk ensembles. An offspring with a direct lineage to their fathers in The Meters and The Neville Brothers, Dumpstaphunk is a recipe for creating a new standard for an entire genre.
Dumpstaphunk's musicians have shared the stage with many legendary figures. Ivan and Ian‚ the sons of Neville Brothers Aaron and Art Neville respectively‚ seem to play their instruments flawlessly, and the dirty funk resonates organically from their souls as the offspring and kin of the legendary New Orleans Neville Brothers family. A conservative sample of the impressive list of bands Ivan has either recorded or performed with includes The Rolling Stones‚ Bonnie Raitt‚ The Neville Brothers, Gov't Mule‚ John Mayer, Keith Richards and The X-pensive Winos, to name a few. Trey Anastasio and Dave Matthews have both tapped bassist extraordinaire Tony Hall for their own official side projects, and Nick Daniels, who supplements the bottom as one of two bass players in the band, boasts an impressive list of colleagues including Etta James and Boz Scaggs. Guitarist, Ian Neville has played with the likes of Funky Meters, Lettuce & Dr. Klaw with Eric Krasno of Soulive, and recently sitting in and adding some flavor to the Southern Cali reggae fusion of Slightly Stoopid. Nikki Glaspie, Dumpsta’s newest addition, has performed with Beyoncé, Cee Lo Green, Me'Shell Ndgeocello, Vernon Reid, Maceo of De La Soul, Vernon Reid of Living Colour, and numerous Jazzfest cameos with Meters bassist George Porter Jr., Karl Denson and Soulive.
Dumpstaphunk’s latest 10 song self-released LP, Everybody Want Sum (2010) contains original material including the single “Oughta Know Better” (co-penned by Allman Brothers/Govt. Mule’s Warren Haynes), and a more obscure cover of Meter's drummer Zigaboo Modeliste's composition "Standin In Your Stuff". The band’s first EP, Listen Hear was also self-released in 2007. Both albums were recorded at New Orleans' infamous Music Shed Studios in New Orleans, LA and have received outstanding praise from key music tastemakers like Relix Magazine, Off Beat Magazine and Jambase; to name a few.
Not uncommon to the festival and live touring circuit, Dumpstaphunk has unleashed notable performances at some of the nation's largest music extravaganzas including Bonnaroo, VoodooFest, 10,000 Lakes, New Orleans Jazzfest 2005-2011, Bear Creek, Wanee, High Sierra, All Good, JamCruise 2011, Gathering of the Vibes, Ottawa Blues Festival, Dave Matthews Band Caravan and Monterey Jazz Festival. They have recently supported everyone from Widespread Panic and Slightly Stoopid to Galactic and String Cheese Incident, not to mention sit-ins with Derek Trucks, Mike Gordon from Phish and Warren Haynes, which only begin to scratch the surface.
Moving forward in 2011, the band continues to develop its sound and further push the envelope within a progressive funk sound that has arguably become the most defining in the modern genre from New Orleans. The band continues to receive accolades and awards such as "New Orleans Best Funk Band" by Offbeat Magazine and Gambit Weekly in 2007 and 2009. They also took home the trophy for Best Funk Award at the 2010 Big Easy Awards.