It was a gorgeous weekend to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Funk Fest as twelve different funk bands took over two stages and funked up the city of Punta Gorda, FL. As the festival entered its tenth year of existence, event promoters rose to the occasion to heighten the fan experience. A newly themed VIP Experience complete with complimentary craft beer and boutique wine, cash liquor bar, bathrooms, leather couches, special effects, and up front stage access. A food truck village, vendors as well as a larger festival grounds aided in maximizing festival goers experience.
Friday night’s festivities kicked off with Hedonistas who set the tone for the weekend with an entertaining set. As the band’s Facebook page states, “They have developed a recipe for cookin’ hot grooves that leave the party in its wake every show,” which was very true. They also played Saturday afternoon and continued to funk the crowd.
The second band to take the stage Friday night was Funk You. As a member of the audience, I was captivated by their passionate vocals and music. They continued their passionate music playing on Saturday afternoon.
The third band to funk the house was Voodoo Visionary. While listening to them play, one could feel the funkiness of their rhythms. Their use of singing synthesizers, amazing guitar licks and unique vocals kept the audience entranced with their music. They also continued with their music funkiness on Saturday afternoon.
The next band in the Funk Fest line up on Friday night was Dead Funk Summit featuring Melvin Seals, Nikki Glaspie and Tony Hall. They also played again on Saturday night. Their music kept the crowd dancingrough the night.
The Floatiez, an Atlanta supergroup consisting of members from Funk You, Voodoo Visionary, Hedonistas, and The Orange Constant joined the party Friday night after members completed sets with their other bands.
The final act of the evening on Friday night was The Werks, a groovy, funky version of The Red-Hot Chili Peppers. They were a great ending to the first night of Funk Fest.
Day two brought perfect Southwest Florida weather as the day’s opening band, Banyan, brought their brand of rock and funk as festival goers filed into the grounds.
Lettuce was one of the final acts of Saturday night. Their music makes you want to move. Between the trumpet and saxophone, you can just feel the funk and jazz coming from the band. Their music makes your heart bump and your hips sway. I truly enjoyed listening to their music especially the instrumental portion of their music. I am not the biggest fan of funk, but they definitely made me want to hear more. I could listen to them over and over again. There was a vibe in the air that just made you want to “move” and “groove” when you listened to them. There was not a soul in the audience that was not moving to their music, even the photographers that were shooting them were moving and grooving. They do know how to put on a show.
Papadosio puts on an amazing production that includes a killer light and to go along with their unique style of funk. Their light show along with their music kept the audience in tuned with their performance. The band’s sound appeared to have a hint of techno to their music which made it more interesting to listen to as well as why the crowd vibed to their music. I really enjoyed their music and look forward to seeing them again. I am a big fan of lights so when a band adds bass, drums and lights together, it makes for an amazing show.
Here Come the Mummies need I say more!! What an amazing show to watch!! Between the saxophones, trumpets and trombones, to the light show and fog, all the ingredients needed for an incredible show. They had the audience enthralled the entire show, regardless if you knew their songs, you were singing right along with them. The music they played was an upbeat funk that gets your feet moving and hips grooving.
Overall, the 10th Anniversary of Funk Fest was an incredible event to be at. Organizers, Matt and Nick Nemec definitely know how to put on a great event. We look forward to seeing what they will do next year because it will definitely be hard to top this year’s event.
Special thanks to Edgewater Events & Funk Fest Punta Gorda for allowing us to be a part of such a great event!! We’d like to also give a shout out to our friends behind the scenes as well…Fat Chris Productions & JTM Pro Sound, LLC.
Review by Melissa Walters. Photos by Steve Carlos and Brian Kreuser.