Rock Candy Funk Party sounds like a high-budget 1970s heist movie reimagined with 21st-century production clarity. It is a dense, celebratory collision of deep-pocket bass lines, metronomic drumming, and shimmering Fender Rhodes keys that provide a lush foundation for dual-guitar pyrotechnics. The music feels expensive and effortless, capturing the kinetic energy of world-class session players finally cutting loose for the sake of the groove.
What sets them apart is the specific blues-rock DNA injected into the jazz-funk template. While many fusion acts lean toward academic complexity, RCFP prioritizes the 'stank' - that visceral, physical reaction to a perfectly placed beat. The interplay between the two lead guitars, often panned hard left and right, creates a wide, immersive soundstage where bluesy bends meet psychedelic textures and wah-wah filtered rhythms.
Start with 'We Want Groove' to hear the band at its most foundational and hungry. It is the perfect entry point for anyone who loves the grit of classic funk but demands the sonic fidelity of a modern studio. It is music that doesn't just sit in the background; it commands the room with a sophisticated, muscular swagger.
Rock Candy Funk Party is an American jazz-funk band from Los Angeles, California. It was formed in 2009 by drummer Tal Bergman and guitarist Ron DeJesus, who had previously released Grooove, Vol. 1 in 2007. After adding guitarist Joe Bonamassa, bassist Mike Merritt and keyboardist Renato Neto, the band released its debut album We Want Groove in 2013, which reached number 5 on the US Billboard Jazz Albums chart and number 6 on the UK Jazz & Blues Albums Chart. Percussionist Daniel Sadownick joined after the album's release, featuring on the band's first live album Rock Candy Funk Party Takes New York: Live at The Iridium in 2014. In 2015, Rock Candy Funk Party released its second studio album Groove Is King, which featured additional contributions from musicians including trumpeter Randy Brecker, saxophonist Ada Rovatti and ZZ Top frontman Billy Gibbons. The album reached number 5 on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart and number 7 on the UK Jazz & Blues Albums Chart. The band released its third album The Groove Cubed in October 2017, which also features vocalists Ty Taylor and Mahalia Barnes.
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