Dumpstaphunk brought its signature party sound and special guests including Karl Denson back to New Orleans, LA’s fabled home of funk, Tipitina’s, for a riotous Mardi Gras kickoff party.

The band fittingly kicked off its set with a funky take on Earl King’s “Street Parade”. With the four-piece horn section of  Alex Wasily, Ashlin Parker, John Michael Bradford, and Brad Walker popping off and Tony Hall and Nick Daniels III dropping dual basslines, drummer Deven Trusclair managed to give his cohorts all the pocket a band could ever need. Guitarist Ian Neville locked into rhythm mode and Dumpstaphunk founder Ivan Neville came diving in on the organ and vocals.

“Dancin’ to the Truth” started with a full-on bass face-off that showed the amazing possibilities that come from overloading the low end. The liquidly rubber sound of Daniels’ four-string and the clearer, staccato nature of Hall’s style complimented each other and blended well with Ian Neville, who looked like he was in heaven playing alongside the dynamic bass duo. In addition to their shack-shaking shenanigans, the pair traded off on vocal lead duties, all the while grinning ear to ear.

A trio of hard hitting Dumpstaphunk originals unspooled next, including “Make It After All”, “Do You”, and an upbeat but still sorrowful tribute to the late Russell Batiste Jr. with “Soul Second Line”. Dumpsta followed that up by digging in to The Wild Tchoupitoulas‘ catalog and calling out to the ladies in the house with a super-sized “Hey Momma”. Next were two more Dumpsta jams, the first of which, “Betty Davis”, saw a special guest vocalist Talia Boat add a welcome bit of feminine energy to the evening’s proceedings.

The other, “Itchy Boo”, saw the already crowded stage make room for the returning horn section and the next special guest, the mighty Karl Denson. With the last notes of “Itchy” still reverberating off the walls, an inspired Ivan Neville shouted what everyone in the room, and throughout New Orleans, felt at that moment, “We think this is ‘The Greatest Place on Earth’!” Joyously jumping into the Dumpsta tune of the same name, special guest Denson made inspired use of the spotlight Dumpstaphunk gave him, taking the tune to the next level with his impassioned, soulful playing. Never one to overplay, he fit seamlessly into the band like the seasoned pro he is.

Denson stayed on for two more tunes, the sadly still timely “Where Do We Go From Here?” and Link Wray’s “Fire And Brimstone”, before bowing out to massive cheers for his efforts. Dumpstaphunk’s fiery take on Tower Of Power’s “Soul Vaccination” closed out the all too brief show with a much-welcome flourish. Cheers for more quickly faded as, as is often the case with New Orleans concerts, the club needed to clear the stage, reset the bars, and do it all again with a fresh act.

Check out pro-shot video from Dumpstaphunk at Tipitina’s courtesy of nugs.net below and scroll down to view the full setlist. For a full list of the band’s upcoming shows and to purchase tickets, head here.

Dumpstaphunk – “Street Parade” (Earl King), “Dancin’ to the Truth” – 2/9/24

Setlist: Dumpstaphunk | Tipitina’s | New Orleans, LA | 2.9.24

Set: Street Parade (Earl King), Dancin’ to the Truth, Make It After All, Do You, Soul Second Line, Hey Mama (Wild Tchoupitoulas), Betty Davis, Itchy Boo, Greatest Place On Earth [1], Where Do We Go From Here [1], Fire and Brimstone (Link Wray) [1], Soul Vaccination (Tower of Power)

[1] with Karl Denson