After celebrating their 20th anniversary as modern day rulers of old school funk, the Brooklyn-based juggernaut Lettuce is not showing any signs of slowing. Having blown up stages from coast to coast last year, ranging from The Fillmore in San Francisco to Terminal 5 in NYC, Bonnaroo to Pemberton and all points in-between, Lettuce is poised to continue their rapid growth throughout 2014/2015.
“We’re more together and set to crush than ever before,” says drummer and chief songwriter Adam Deitch of the all-star group that he and his accomplished band-mates cut their teeth with back in their Berklee School of Music days. That much history, along with the A-list crop of projects that each member has taken on away from Lettuce, gives the group a bottomless well of musical ideas and unrivaled chemistry—in fact, referring to themselves as a band of brothers. “I was in a practice room at 16 with these guys, and it all clicked,” says lead bassist Erick “Jesus” Coomes. “We all felt rhythms in similar ways. We were all about the pocket from day one.”
“People tend to look at funk as a one-trick pony,” says Deitch, “but we aim to smash those limits by drawing on a range of styles that can be traced from the early ’60s through the early ’80s, incorporating plenty of modern hip-hop sensibilities—heavy bass, kick and snare—along the way. Having evolved and refocused, without ever dropping the beat, Lettuce is getting ready to take audiences to the cosmos with a high-octane Fall tour. “Lettuce is like a Learjet that wasn’t getting clearance from the tower,” says Jesus. “But we’re done just rolling around on the runway.” They’re not asking for permission, so put your tray tables in their full, upright and locked position. This plane’s itching for lift off.
Lettuce released a limited edition ‘45 featuring “Don’t Be Afraid To Try” with singerAlecia Chakour (who is also touring with the band) this March, and are recording a new full-length record this fall. So be on the lookout for new music and a guaranteed PARTY!