Cimafunk

Cimafunk is a two-time Grammy-nominated, Afro-Cuban Rockstar tearing up stages across the globe with his 9-piece band from Havana, the Tribe. His name refers to his heritage as a “cimarrón,” Cubans of African descent who resisted and escaped slavery, as well as to the essence of his music, which aims to subvert classical Cuban rhythms with innovative mixes of funk and AfroCuban. Considered one of today’s great showmen, Cimafunk became the first Cuban-born artist to play Coachella. The non-stop, action-packed live show has won the praise of the likes of Paul McCartney and George Clinton, who refers to Cimafunk as “the next one.”

 

Cimafunk and the Tribe’s live show is a celebration of groove and an unforgettable sonic and bodily experience, forcing out-of-body experiences for crowds at Austin City Limits, Bonnaroo, BottleRock, Glastonbury, New Orleans Jazz, Newport Jazz, Montreal Jazz, Paleo, Roskilde, Summer Sonic and hundreds of other festivals around the world. Cimafunk is redefining contemporary Cuban music as well as Afro-Latin identity and the fusion of black cultures. His last album, El Alimento (the nutrient), was nominated at the 2023 GRAMMY Awards for Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album. His August 2024 album, Pa’ tu Cuerpa (for your body), includes collaborations with George Clinton, Trombone Shorty, Big Freedia, Monsieur Perine, and Michael Brun.

Gentleman Brawlers, a Brooklyn 6-Piece fronted by the creative duo Matt Walsh and Becca Fox, are psychedelic Afro-soul revivalists known for infusing throwback electronica and acid rock into their funk-based compositions. The ‘Brawlers deliver a live show with plenty of heat, crackling energy, and butt-shaking whomp. While working on the tracks for their next full-length LP (due January 2021), the ‘Brawlers have honed their live show on college campuses and the festival circuit.

Notable performances took place at Brooklyn Bowl, Daryl’s House, Princeton University’s storied Terrace F. Club, Bethlehem’s Musikfest, WNYC’s The Greene Space, The McKittrick Hotel (home of Sleep No More), Brooklyn’s Knitting Factory, and recently an in-studio appearance on WBEZ Chicago (home of NPR’s Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me and This American Life).

Adventurous art-pop experimenters by trade, the band recently expanded their lineup and narrowed their focus to create a live music project dedicated to just one of the sonic ventures hinted on previous recordings—the Lagos-by-way-of-Brooklyn Afrobeat sound of their single My Theory—and began performing in NYC jazz & world music clubs as the Gentleman Brawlers Afrobeat Project.

The band has drawn acclaim in the New York and London music press. They were brought to the attention of the Internet when Veteran BBC music writer Tom Robinson tipped them as a band showing great promise, calling the ‘Brawlers “a virtuoso live band, grooving together like a beautifully engineered machine.”

Formed in 2011, the group consists of Becca Fox (vocals/keys), “Chatty Matty” Walsh (vocals/guitar), Jeremy Warren (drums), Trevor Brown (bass), Oskar Stenmark (trumpet), and Xavier Del Castillo (saxophone). Their first single I Ain’t No Brian Wilson (I Was Made For These Times) appeared on Occupy This Album, a musical tribute to the Occupy movement. The following year the band dropped an EP, We Were Made For These Times, on the band’s own Brooklyn Fields imprint. Since then, the band has been a stylish presence on the tour and festival circuit and will release their next full-length LP in January 2021.