Funk/rock music will always be near and dear to my heart. Unfortunately, the genre doesn’t seem to be exploding with popularity these days and the strength of its icons might be partially to blame. New music will always be compared to groups like Sly & the Family Stone or Parliament-Funkadelic, and those are very big and very groovy shoes to fill.
Open the Sky, the latest album from Chicago funk rockers The Velcro Lewis Group, proves that raw, psychedelic funk can still exist, and even thrive, outside the likes of Sly Stone and Bootsy Collins.
Open the Sky hits hard and grooves even harder over the course of its six tracks. From the album’s opener and lead single, “Bernadette”, to the almost sixteen minute closer, “The Occulus of the Winged Man”, The Velcro Lewis Group pours funk, soul, psych, and rock into each gritty track, creating something truly refreshing while giving a respectful nod to their influences every step of the way.
The LP is currently available on vinyl + download code through Beyond Beyond is Beyond Records for $15. You can also grab a copy of the “Bernadette” single b/w its instrumental on cassette or 7″ – both in limited runs of 50 – through Eye Vybe Records. Check out the single, below.
Tracklisting:
1. Bernadette
2. Eagle Momma
3. No Dream
4. They’re Having a Party
5. Inside My Cloud
6. The Occulus of the Winged Man
Officially released on October 15, the Empty Bottle (1035 N Western Ave) will be hosting the 21+ record release show on Monday night. Kicking things off at 9:00 PM will be Lovely Little Girls and Ludus Lovestlye. As an added bonus, the show is part of the Empty Bottle’s occasional “Free Mondays”, which means that it will cost you absolutely nothing to get in. Groovy.