Imagine if the people who made James Brown dance, Kool and the Gang “Celebrate”, and P-Funk’s Mothership fly, all joined forces with some of todays greatest talents for a big, funky, nasty collaboration…Woven with the threads of funk, soul, gospel, blues and rock–and executed by some of the industry’s most beloved players–The Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown is back and gearing up to release their second album, Volume 2. The new release, due out January 12th, 2018, will serve as the long-awaited follow-up to the musical collective’s globally-acclaimed debut 2012 LP, The Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown: Volume 1.

Improvisation is at the root of The Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown, which was conceived by bassist John Heintz at a music festival in 2007. Heintz found himself in a jam session with members of Galactic, Papa Grows Funk, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band and more, and sought to re-create that serendipitous, unrehearsed vibe that’s unexpectedly created and can carry music into uncharted territory. As Heintz espouses, “We want to capture the feeling of a late night backstage jam – sounds that only musicians have heard before.”

Heintz began presenting the idea to the musicians he’d been meeting on the road. “Everybody seemed interested, but touring schedules being what they are, it was an uphill battle,” he explains. “I asked Derrick Johnson and John Paul Miller from Yo’ Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band if they’d help me organize a collaborative project, and they came on board. We started calling every musician we knew including Frank Mapstone, a knowledgeable producer and musician from Florida. Frank and I clicked instantly and it was apparent that he was the most versed in the studio environment. Frank ultimately became my production partner with the Getdown. We have worked side by side for the last decade on this project.”

The first Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown took place in a 14-bedroom house on Royal Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans in December 2007. Heintz assembled a free-floating ensemble that included 35 musicians from 17 bands, including The Lee Boys, Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Galactic, and Dumpstapunk, as well Ralph Roddenbery and The Funky Meters, Garry “Starchild” Shider and Belita Woods from P-Funk. The eight day session was unplanned and unrehearsed. Bar-b-cue smoked in the backyard, songs were written in the living room and tracks were recorded all over the house, as the inspiration flowed. The result of the experiment was eventually crystallized as Volume 1.

Heintz and his robust, talented crew of musicians used a similar approach for the making of Volume 2. The first session for Volume 2 was cut at a massive cabin in the woods outside of Asheville, NC. “We used the same blueprint,” Heintz explains. “We assembled, created a sense of camaraderie in the house and let it fly. We all stayed together for a week straight, living in the house together and basically having a week-long house party during which a lot of the music was written. We then went to a studio down the road and started recording what we were putting down in the house.”

The funky supergroup’s new album celebrates a one-of-a-kind, large-scale collaborative idea more than a decade in the making. Says Heintz of the new album, “The Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown: Volume 2 was an amazing journey to embark on. During the process of recording this album, we had the opportunity to work with generations of the most talented players to have graced our airwaves and stages from the 60’s to the present day. I think the excitement and love from all the folks involved in this album shines through in the songs.”

More than 50 musicians participated in the making of Volume 2, including Vernon Reid (Living Colour), Larry Dunn (Earth, Wind and Fire), Speech (Arrested Development), Fred Wesley (James Brown, Horny Horns), Karl Denson (The Rolling Stones, Tiny Universe,) Michael Ray and Clifford Adams (Kool and the Gang,) RonKat Spearman (Katdelic, Parliament-Funkadelic), Alvin Ford Jr. (Dumpstaphunk), Norwood Fisher, Angelo Moore, Dirty Walt (Fishbone), and Ivan Neville (Dumpstaphunk, The Funky Meters), just to name a few.

Today, Live For Live Music is proud to premiere an exclusive single off the long-awaited The Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown: Volume 2, and appropriately down-and-dirty classic funk jaunt that goes by the name of “Groove Nasty”. As Heintz says of the track, “‘Groovy Nasty’ is full-throttle energy from the very first note. It’s just one of those songs that makes you want to get up and dance.”

Listen to an exclusive stream of The Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown’s “Groovy Nasty” from their upcoming sophomore release, Volume 2, below:

The Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown: Volume 2 will be available to download/stream on January 12th. For more information about The Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown, their fateful formation, and their unique approach to timeless collaboration, head to the band’s website.

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[Artwork via Matt Leunig]

The Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown: Volume 2 Full Tracklist:
01. Rock It (Featuring Speech)
02. Love Somebody (Featuring Laura Reed)
03. Groovy Nasty (Featuring RonKat Spearman)
04. Mantra (Featuring Kendra Foster and Speech)
05. B4U Loved Me (Featuring Rev Desmond D’Angelo)
06. Dream (Featuring Taylor Dayne)
07. Past Present Future
08. Words (Featuring Laura Reed)
09. Creatures of Habit (Featuring Angelo Moore)
10. Rock It (Instrumental)
11. Love Somebody (Instrumental)
12. Groovy Nasty (Instrumental)
13. Mantra (Instrumental)
14. Creatures of Habit (Instrumental)