Band: The Ill Funk Ensemble
Location: Albany, NY
Styles: Hip-hop/R&B/Soul
Similar to: The Roots, Talib Kweli, Soulive, Common
CD: The Duality
Accolades: Ill Funk has performed live with Grammy-winner Mr. Cheeks of the Lost Boyz, opened for Naughty by Nature, Shontelle and Young MC and placed forth in a national competition to perform at Royal Family Affair with Soulive in 2011. They have also had a placement on the show “Road Trip Nation” and honorable mention in the John Lennon song-writing competition.
Members/Instruments:
Jermaine Wells – Lead Vocals/Freestyle
BJ FitzGerald – Guitar/Lead Vocals
Dennie Brooks – Drums
Joe Stoner – Keyboards/Backing Vocals
Duane Etienne – Bass/Backing Vocals
Walking on sticky floors, stepping on to a stage that’s too small for their swagger, let alone their equipment, setting up under dim lights and dropping a sound check on an unsuspecting audience. Eyes look up, jaws drop and the phones come out, inevitably texting their friends to come check out this band, this Ill Funk.
That scene has played out weekly for the Albany-based band, The Ill Funk Ensemble, since 2006 to great results. Described by reviewers as “a kind of 21st century mash-up of Kool & the Gang and the Isley Brothers” and “all hot sand and asphalt”, Ill Funk takes hip-hop and R&B in a different, yet oddly familiar direction. Perhaps it’s the blend of old and new school vibes, the warm smile of Jermaine Wells, the lead singer, or the obvious fun the band has whether they’re recording or performing live; whatever it is, the band has made the most of its position by performing all over the Northeast, selling nearly 1,000 hard copies of their debut album, Catching Wreck, having more than 1,300 combined likes on their Facebook pages and over 15,000 views on their YouTube channel. They’ve even been blessed to perform live with Grammy-winner Mr. Cheeks of the Lost Boyz, Naughty by Nature and Young MC and placed forth in a national competition to perform at Royal Family Affair with Soulive in 2011. They have also had a placement on the show “Road Trip Nation” and honorable mention in the John Lennon song-writing competition.
Slick, smart, engaging and legit, The Ill Funk Ensemble is humble in its origins, ambitious in its goals and will be releasing their second album in Summer of 2012.
Tracklisting:
1. She’s Fearless
2. Afraid of Heights
3. Amazing
4. Bringin’ the Heat (using a cleared sample of Quincy Jones’ theme from Sanford and Son)
5. Hot, Crazy Good Love
6. Interlude One
7. Different Day (feat. Michael Gaydusek)
8. Find a Way (feat. Steven Atkinson)
9. She’s Fearless (Reprise)
10. Interlude Two
11. My Gosh
12. The Duality
Websites: www.illfunk.com, www.facebook.com/illfunk, http://illfunk.bandcamp.com/, www.reverbnation.com/theillfun