Lettuce (band)
| Lettuce | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Boston, Massachusetts, USA |
| Genres | Funk, jazz |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Labels | Royal Family Records, Velour Recordings |
| Associated acts |
Soulive Rustic Overtones Sam Kininger Band |
| Website |
lettucefunk |
| Members |
Eric Krasno Neal Evans Adam Deitch Erick Coomes Adam Smirnoff Ryan Zoidis Nigel Hall Eric "Benny" Bloom |
| Past members |
Jeff Bhasker Sam Kininger Rashawn Ross |
Lettuce is a funk band that originated in Boston, Massachusetts in 1992. Its members consist of guitarists Eric Krasno and Adam "Shmeeans" Smirnoff, Neal Evans (keyboards, hammond B-3 organ, piano), Adam Deitch (drums/percussion), Erick "E.D." Coomes (bass), Ryan Zoidis (saxophone), and partial-member Rashawn Ross (trumpet). In 2011, trumpeter Eric "Benny" Bloom replaced Rashawn Ross in the band. They are known for their energetic live shows.
History
Lettuce began in the summer of 1992, when all of its members attended a music program at Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA as teenagers.[1] Brought together by the influence of various funk bands including Herbie Hancock, Earth, Wind and Fire, and Tower of Power, the band jammed throughout that summer before going their separate ways.
In the fall of 1994, the band reconvened as undergrads at Berklee and attempted to play at various Boston jazz clubs, walking in and asking the club owners and other musicians if they would "let us play", giving birth to the name Lettuce.[2]
Mainly from word of mouth, Lettuce began developing strong followings in New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, and Tokyo. They released their first CD, Outta Here in 2001, followed by their Live in Tokyo album recorded at the Blue Note in 2003.
In 2008, Lettuce released their sophomore effort, entitled Rage!. Drawing heavily from many of funk's forefathers, Rage! features covers of Curtis Mayfield's "Move on Up" and Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band's "Express Yourself".
In 2011, Lettuce played on the Royal Family Ball tour with their brother band, Soulive and accompanied on select shows by Rashawn Ross of the Dave Matthews Band. During this tour, they began playing new songs that would be featured on the band's next album Fly! in 2012.[2]
Many of Lettuce's members have had success in other areas of the music industry. Krasno and Evans are members of the jazz/organ trio Soulive. Zoidis is also a member of the Rustic Overtones. Coomes is a studio and touring bass player for such acts like Britney Spears and The Game. Deitch is a producer who also plays with Break Science, and has worked with the likes of John Scofield and Wyclef Jean, and Smirnoff has toured with Lady Gaga and Robert Randolph & the Family Band. In addition to playing with Lettuce, Ross has been a full-time member of Dave Matthews Band since 2010.
Lettuce played with the Soul Rebels Brass Band on Jam Cruise 2013. The band's latest album, Crush, was released in November 2015 and reached number one on U.S. Jazz Albums chart.[3]
Band members
- Current members
- Erick "E.D." Coomes — bass (1992-present)
- Adam Deitch — drums, percussion (1992-present)
- Neal Evans — keys, hammond B-3 organ, piano (2002-present)
- Eric Krasno — guitar (1992-present)
- Adam "Shmeeans" Smirnoff — guitar (1992-present)
- Ryan Zoidis — alto sax, bari sax, tenor sax (1992-present)
- Eric "Benny" Bloom — trumpet (2011-present)
- Former members
- Jeff Bhasker — keyboards, organ (1994-2002)
- Rashawn Ross — trumpet (2003-2011)
- Sam Kininger — alto sax, tenor sax (1992-2010)
Discography
- Studio Album
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Jazz [3] |
U.S. Heat [3] | ||
| 2002 | Outta Here
|
– | – |
| 2008 | Rage!
|
– | – |
| 2012 | Fly!
|
6 | 20 |
| 2015 | Crush
|
1 | 5 |
| 2016 | Mt. Crushmore
|
||
- Live Album
| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 2004 | Live at Blue Note Tokyo
|
References
- ↑ "Royal Family Records: Lettuce – biography". royalfamilyrecords.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
- 1 2 "Interview: Lettuce". pop-break.com. December 13, 2011. Archived from the original on July 6, 2015. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
- 1 2 3 "Allmusic: Lettuce – Billboard Albums". allmusic.com. Archived from the original on January 24, 2016. Retrieved January 7, 2016.