Funk Legends Get Together For Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown
(Blurt Online) Billed as “the biggest, baddest, bombastic dose of pure funk you’ll ever hear,” the Bit Ol’ Nasty Getdown may reek more of hype-speak than funk-stank from that description – but when you consider who’s actually involved in the project, you may choose to believe the hype. The 60-plus musicians and singers that make up Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown features an all-star line-up of funk greats including George Clinton, Michael “Clip” Payne, The Gift of Gab, Fishbone’s Norwood Fisher, Graham Centra Station’s Patryce “Choc’Let” Banks, Kool & the Gang’s Michael Ray, Dirty Dozen Brass Band’s Terence Higgins, P-Funk’s Danny Bedrosian and P-Funk sirens Belita Woods and Kendra Foster as well as Reverend Desmond D’Angelo, Laura Reed and members of Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band.The project is guided by the spirit of Garry “Starchild” Shider who, until his untimely passing earlier this year, was a major catalyst in the birth of the band.
The band’s debut CD, Big Ol ‘Nasty Getdown Volume 1, is scheduled for release on the Getdown Entertainment imprint on May 3 – it was produced by John Heintz, J.P. Miller, and Frank Mapstone and was recorded in New Orleans and at George Clinton’s studio in Tallahassee, FL. It also features some of Shider’s final recordings. “Garry was the glue that made the magic happen,” said Linda Shider, in a statement. “He was the person we all looked to for guidance. Even though he is not here, he left his mark on The Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown. Being a part of this project has been awesome for me and I can’t wait to play again with the band.”
The first single is “Room 2012” – check it out, below.
The project came to life on Dec 15th 2007 when 30 musicians from 15 different bands gathered in New Orleans for a musical experiment that many said couldn’t be done. Members of Parliament-Funkadelic, Galactic, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, The Lee Boys, Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band, Dumpstaphunk, and the Derek Trucks Band, to name a few, got together with the sights set on making a historic album. The idea was to take all of those festival players that sit in with different bands and put them all together to make an album. With the line-up having grown to 60 musicians from 30 bands, plans are also to assemble a touring band and take it on the road this summer.