While Eric “Benny” Bloom (Lettuce, Pretty Lights Analog Future band, The Shady Horns) isn’t on the road, his experimental side project Sonic Bloom always seems to bring a certifiably funky good time to the people of New Orleans. The ever-evolving and interchanging group have firmly rooted themselves as a new gem of the New Orleans music scene, and brought another memorable party to The Maple Leaf for their 2015 finale.

With Saturday night’s stellar line up–and the last Sonic Bloom show of 2015–consisting of Nigel Hall (Lettuce, Nigel Hall Band), Eric Vogel (Big Sam’s Funky Nation, Pirate’s Choice), Derwin “Big D” Perkins (Boukou Groove, Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentleman) and up and coming drummer Alfred Jordan, the sheer amount of talent on stage left the audience with two ridiculously entertaining sets conducted by none other than the energetic and charismatic Bloom himself.

Covering tunes by soulful greats such as James Brown, Parliament, Maze, and The Isley Brothers, and many more, Sonic Bloom delivered an incredible display of musicianship and knocked off phenomenally tight renditions of classic funk and R&B while weaving their own unique styles throughout.

Lasting until 2 am, Sonic Bloom kept the rowdy packed house dancing the entire night. If it wasn’t Nigel Hall’s captivating soulful vocals, or Big D’s absurdly smooth guitar chops, it was for sure “Benny” Bloom’s approach to pushing the envelope with his multi-faceted trumpet prowess that fans will remember about this exciting band in town. Sonic Bloom has no other shows scheduled for 2015, but we’re sure we’ll catch them again sooner than later, and we think you should, too. 

Check out the full gallery of photos below, courtesy of Emily Ferretti: