The Heard, a Chicago based funk act, is one of the newer bands to be hitting the live circuit. A seven-piece band consisting of blaring horns, smooth guitars, driving drums, and an exciting keyboard player, The Heard is a guaranteed fun time that will keep you grooving until the wee hours of the morning. We were fortunate enough to sit down with them for an interview.

You can catch The Heard with the High and Mighty Brass Band at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn next Friday, May 29th.

Live for Live Music: How was The Heard founded?

The Heard: A few years ago, Taras, our guitar player, found a funk nugget. He planted it in the back yard, watered it vigorously, and out sprouted The Heard. A few clippings here, a few trimmings there… and here we are today!

For real though – After graduating from Berklee and moving from Boston back to our home city of Chicago, Taras began playing with bands in Chicago, but knew he ultimately wanted to start a funk project. A year later, when Mike also moved from Boston back home to Chicago, Taras convinced him to get on board with his vision for a funk group. We scored our first drummer through an ad on Craigslist, and that right there was the beginning of The Heard, as a trio back in 2010. The band has evolved so much since back then, it really is incredible to think about.

L4LM: What do you feel separates The Heard from all the other up-and-coming jazz/funk bands out there?

TH: The Heard puts such a heavy emphasis on pocket above all else – which has helped us arrive at a certain sound and feel that people know us for. Our horn section plays with a lot of power. Focusing so heavily on pocket also helps us ensure that people have an amazing time at our shows – it makes for great dance music and a really fun night.

Several members of the band have been writing and playing music together in different combinations since we were kids in high school, so The Heard benefits from some really deep chemistry, and audiences pick up on that.

L4LM: Has there been a defining moment, or major turning point for your band?

TH: For years in Chicago we held down a residency at aliveOne, where we would play every Thursday night. That’s where we really developed as a band and started to dial in our sound. Theryl Houseman DecClouet, happened to be living in Chicago one summer when the residency was a still a new thing for us, and we were put in touch with him. We ended up performing several weeks in a row with Houseman as our special guest. That was a major turning point in the sense that it was the first time someone of that status, whom we admired and were fans of, actually took an interest in what we were doing – even though we were in such an early stage and still developing everything. It gave us confidence to take the band seriously and push onward.

L4LM: I see that you have collaborated with a number of artists, including The New Mastersounds, Lettuce, The Nth Power, Dumpstaphunk and The Motet. Does one collaboration particularly stand out for you?

TH: We have a blast each and every time we get the opportunity to share the stage with heroes of ours. We’ve had a lot of special moments over the past year, but there are two situations that stand out.

We did two tours with The New Mastersounds within the last year, one on the East Coast and one on the West Coast. Those tours were thrilling for us not only because The New Mastersounds are one of our favorite bands in the world, but also because they are such wonderful people. We were blown away by how genuine they are. There were so many sit-ins on those tours with them that we’ll never forget and just great times overall. We learned a tremendous amount from those experiences.

Another stand out moment was tracking our album out in LA with Sergio Rios of Orgone this past December. We’ve been huge fans of Sergio and his group Orgone for a really long time, he really is a national treasure. Tracking with Sergio in his studio, working with a hero of ours, was an incredible experience for us and so much fun. Sergio also mixed the album. We are so excited to get this first album we created out into the world, but since we’re doing it independently, it has taken a little while. We’re determined to get it wrapped up and delivered to the world as soon as possible.

L4LM: You have a show coming up on May 29th with The High and Mighty Brass Band at The Knitting Factory in Brooklyn. Can you tell me a little bit about this show?

TH: We’re really excited to be back playing Brooklyn again, we were just here last month and had a blast. We have not played with High and Mighty Brass Band yet, but have heard tons and are really looking forward to our show with them at the Knitting Factory. It’s gonna be a great night!

L4LM: What are The Heard’s future plans?

TH: The most important thing on our minds right now is getting our album out as soon as possible. We’re playing a bunch of festivals this summer that we’re really excited about – the biggest ones are going to be Firefly Music Festival and North Coast in Chicago. Since The Heard is going to be popping out of Chicago frequently for runs and festival dates rather than doing a long tour this summer, we’re going to take advantage of the time at home by writing new music. We’re looking forward to releasing our album within the next couple months, and then touring, writing, breaking in new material, and further developing as a band, which is really exciting for us.