FILTER
The Heavy Bring the Funk
- Author: Min-Q Kim
- Posted on: Wednesday January 20, 2010 at 9:00 AM
- Filed under: music, exclusive, the heavy, david letterman
Photo: Will Cooper Mitchell
UK outfit The Heavy took the US by storm when they invaded SXSW in '08, guns literally blazing. They played the still-talked-about Playboy party that year with a, then, little known band called MGMT, Justice, and a late night DJ set by Moby. Commonly known as the Big Bad Wolf, the band’s blistering combination of hard-hitting R&B beats, funk, soul, and skuzzy rock n’ roll had fans and critics... well… howlin'. Their first album Great Vengeance and Furious Fire was a pagan dance, with the spirits of Curtis Mayfield, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Led Zeppelin, Tom Waits, and the Devil himself dancing around a blazing bonfire. Their new album, The House That Dirt Built, has a grittier, more live sound, and will without warning explode into arms-flailing madness, leaving in its wake a floor littered with broken glass and sweat. If you stir your brandy with a nail, you'll find a kindred spirit in The Heavy.
The boys invited JT-dot-com backstage before a recent gig to do an exclusive interview, indulging us with their thoughts on the state of Soul and Funk music today, a brush with death on the streets of Poland, and how the band got hooked up with the Dap Kings for their recent appearance on the David Letterman Show. Check it:
Plus, here is their performance on Letterman, featuring the Dap Kings on brass. Dave liked the band so much, he declared them the American Idol, and then clicked rewind and had them play the song again. I'm told it's the first time he's ever asked for an encore. Seems Mr. Letterman has a new favorite band. Wikked!
Like that? Well, when HBO's Entourage needed a track for Ari Gold's triumphant return to his old agency, whose music do you think they turned to? "You people use our music for so much shit, man," said Swaby, "it's incredible." The next frontier for this band is sports. Can't you just hear one of their tunes on ESPN for a kick-ass highlight package?
This just confirms what I've always said about this band: if The Heavy is the soundtrack to your life, you're probably doing something awesome. Boom! Home run.
Thanks again to Swaby, Chris, Spence, Daniel, with an extra special thanks to tour manager Tim for making this happen.
Europe, The Heavy are headed your way next. Hide the women and children.
