“Double, double toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble…”
The foreboding lines are voiced by the ‘weird sisters’ (aka Three Witches) at various junctures of William Shakespeare‘s Macbeth, used by the sisters to predict the titular character’s future–and by their author as a vehicle to illustrate the use of doubling and contradiction as devices in his storytelling.
The funk warlocks of Lettuce have fervently stirred the cauldron of their own musical alchemy, endeavors, and riddle-filled truths with the release of their latest release, live Miles Davis tribute album Witches Stew, recorded at 2016’s Catskill Chill. Following the release, Lettuce hit the road to begin their Beyond The Clouds tour, which will make its way to Huntington, NY’s The Paramount next Thursday, March 22nd with fellow funk mavens, The Motet. The two acts are no strangers to one another, having shared the stage on multiple occasions throughout the years including their co-headlining Red Rocks Amphitheatre show back in 2015 and, most recently, the first leg of West Coast dates on their current run (buy your tickets for all upcoming dates here).
The use of doubling and contradictions aptly applies to Lettuce, and in the best way possible. Upon first listen, one might think the group is entrenched in the jazz realm, as they are on Witches Stew opening track “Miles Runs the Voodoo Down.” Then they hit the same set of ears with the three-part funk odyssey that is “Trillogy”, or the psychedelic yet hard-hitting hip-hop stylings of “Phyllis,” leaving the listener bewildered and bobbing from the force of their sonic power and diversity.
Lettuce – Full Pro-Shot Video – Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas – Mardi Gras 2018
[via Relix]
While the band has the ability to meander through various musical sub-categories and genres with ease, they also approach their craft with careful consideration and certainty, opening up the possibilities of what music can and should be. To hammer this unified circle of talent into a square peg would do no one justice. Simply “LET US” be and evolve…This brood of musical masterminds consistently conjures up lethal doses of funk-fueled elixir that have left the masses weak in the knees yet invariably yearning for more.
The current tour has netted some of the most wildly successful, well-played, and exploratory shows of the band’s 20+ year career. With a mix of old and new tunes injected into the setlist each night, the fire burning under the cauldron is hot to the touch and keeping the spirits alive and well in the LETT camp. As bassist Jesus Coomes explained in a recent interview with Live For Live Music:
“You can’t be like [makes face], ‘Oh, Whatever…’  You got to be stoked! And we’re very stoked right now. Playing all this new shit makes us happy and excited. That translates onstage and out there to you guys. Now, that’s not saying you can’t play an old song and make it brand new, just to throw a couple changes into the set to make it fresh. So by constantly doing that—playing new music and changing up the old shit—it makes us put some of our other songs down, put them on the shelf for a long time. And then when we bring them back, they are fresh again. So yeah, we are definitely stoked on that.”
Colorado-based outfit The Motet has been coming correct with the funk force since ’98, and are known to mix their own infectious musical concoctions. Led by founder and drummer Dave Watts with Joey Porter (keys), Garrett Sayers (bass), Ryan Jalbert (guitar), Drew Sayers (sax), and singer Lyle Divinsky, The Motet delivers an air-tight live show, digging extra deep into the world of funk with flourishes of afrobeat, jazz, and disco throughout. Songs like “Nemesis”, “Supernova”, and the newer “Get It Right” provide deep, soulful grooves that bring listeners’ bodies to life.
The Motet – “Supernova” – Red Rocks 2017
[via The Motet Colorado]
“Double, double toil and trouble…” The upcoming Lettuce/The Motet’s musical elixir at The Paramount show is sure to provide a genre-defying dose of life to Long Island’s Huntington Village. Tickets for Lettuce and The Motet at The Paramount in Huntington, NY on Thursday, March 22nd are currently on-sale here. For show updates and additional information, join the Facebook Event page.
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