123 Pleasant Street set to get funky

Critically acclaimed funk outfit Dumpstaphunk is primed to storm the 123 Pleasant Street stage tonight at 10 p.m.

Led by world-renowned multi-instrumental musician Ivan Neville, Dumpstaphunk boasts a lineup that can only be described as exceptional.

"The Neville family has funk in their veins," said Adam Payne, event promoter. "Ivan’s father, Aaron, is a Grammy Award-winning artist and founder of the notorious group The Funky Meters. Ivan will show you how he didn’t miss a beat with the family music genes."

Considering his father’s success, Neville certainly had a set of Sasquatch-sized footsteps to follow, but he has achieved greatness in the music business through his relentless attitude and pitch-perfect ear.

Among the acts Neville has either recorded or performed with are The Rolling Stones, Bonnie Raitt and John Mayer, and he will bring this experience and refined stage presence with him tonight to 123.

While Neville provides a rock-solid foundation for the group, Dumpstaphunk will showcase a new drummer tonight in female protege Nikki Glaspie.

Like Neville, Glaspie has performed with some of the world’s best musicians, including Beyonce, Cee Lo Green and Kanye West.

"She (Glaspie) is good enough to drum for as big a star as Beyonce, so you know she’s got a lot of respect in the music business," Payne said.

Along with Glaspie and Neville, Dumpstaphunk features a double-bass attack of Nick Daniels and Tony Hall on bass and Ivan’s cousin Ian Neville on rhythm guitar.

Neville handpicked this group of musicians, and the results are stellar.

Vocal harmonies, groovy funk beats and hammering, punchy drums make up a sound that is 100 percent funk and 100 percent original, and this is what sets Dumpstaphunk apart from most of today’s musical acts.

There is real talent to be found in the group, and each perfectly crafted song makes this fact evident.

What originally started for Neville as a side project is now widely considered one of New Orleans’ most prestigious modern funk ensembles – and such notoriety can only be achieved through excellence.

"If you want pure funk, you have to go to New Orleans, and this band is one of the funkiest bands New Orleans has to offer," Payne said.

Supporting Dumpstaphunk tonight is Morgantown, W.Va., funk rock group Aristotle Jones and the Like Minds.

Like Dumpstaphunk, Aristotle Jones and the Like Minds is led by a sensational power in the musical business in Aristotle Jones.

Jones traveled throughout Appalachia in his quest to deliver a unique blend of funk, rap and acoustic soul to the masses before finally finding a steady supporting group in bassist Justin Bricker, drummer Nicholas Filippelli and multi-instrumentalist Drew Jones to form the Like Minds.

Now, the group comes to 123 Pleasant Street to showcase its versatile style that sees the band seamlessly transition from soulful rhythm and blues to powerful blues-inspired rock ‘n’ roll to funky hip-hop, without missing a beat.

This considered, Aristotle Jones and the Like Minds is the perfect match to warm up the stage for the funk phenomenon that is Dumpstaphunk.

Tonight’s show begins at 10 p.m., and tickets can be bought online at www.showclix.com for $15. Tickets bought at the door are $20, and concertgoers must be at least 18 years old to attend.