One of North Carolina’s best-kept musical secrets is starting to get some word of mouth. On the heels of its 2023 EP Instru-Mental, Winston-Salem’s Marvelous Funkshun returned with a guest-fueled single “Harris the Hater” and is gearing up for a show alongside The Meters bassist and New Orleans funk royalty George Porter Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners. For band leader Sam Robinson, this recognition is a long time coming.
The guitarist/vocalist formed Marvelous Funkshun back in 2014, and for the past decade, the band has infused psychedelic rock, classic funk, electric blues, and jam rock with the soul of sacred steel. A veteran live musician, Robinson once told the Winston-Salem Journal (amid the COVID concert lockdown) that “I’ve played a fundraiser at Fiddlin’ Fish at noon on a Saturday and a Widespread Panic after-party in Raleigh on the same day.”
Though Robinson may have launched Marvelous Funkshun, the band centers around the pedal steel of Durell Randolph, nephew of Robert Randolph, whose iconic playing has brought the time-honored instrument to a new generation of musicians and fans. Helping bring the music to life both live and in the studio are Will Bagley on bass, Zach Landon on drums, and Ian McIsaac on keyboards.
For the band’s latest release, “Harris the Hater”, Funkshun brought in even more support from blues guitar torchbearer Eric Gales and New Orleans institution John “Papa” Gros. The resulting instrumental single is a heady brew, melding together Robinson’s hard-edged lead guitar with Randolph’s soaring steel, Gros’ infectiously groovy organ work, and rumbling psychedelic guitar from Gales. The song’s inspirations are as varied as the finished product, with Robinson telling Live For Live Music the song was inspired by Snarky Puppy guitarist Mark Lettieri‘s solo releases, The Meters, Ghost-Note, and some of Eric Gales’ older and heavier work.
“The tune actually came to me while I had COVID and I saved the idea in my phone and forgot about it until I started looking through my ideas to put together new music,” Robinson recalled. “I literally got up, picked up the guitar with the idea in my head, and then went back to bed for two days after saving the idea in my phone back in November of 2020. Four years later, I rediscovered it. I made a demo at my house in my home studio and sent it to the other guys. We worked it up in the studio right before recording. It didn’t take very long and most things don’t come together that easily but this time it did.”
Working with Gros was the perfect primer for Marvelous Funkshun’s upcoming gig supporting George Porter Jr. On August 23rd, Marvelous Funkshun and George Porter Jr & Runnin’ Pardners will perform at the second annual Green Street Funk Jam on Funkshun’s home turf in Winston-Salem, NC. A flyer for the event promises collaborative sets, and the band has previously shared the stage with Porter in addition to Gales, the late Kofi Burbridge, Snoop Dogg, and more. Marvelous Funkshun even gave a nod to Porter’s foundational work with The Meters by including a cover of “Look-Ka Py Py” on last year’s Instru-Mental.
Following Green Street Funk Jam, the band has dates in Charlotte, Raleigh, and Radford, VA in September and October. Find tickets and a full list of tour dates on Marvelous Funkshun’s website and stream “Harris the Hater” via the player below.
Marvelous Funkshun, Eric Gales, John “Papa” Gros — “Harris The Hater”
Harris the Hater ft. Eric Gales and John “Papa” Gros by Marvelous Funkshun
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