Fruition, the Portland-based jamgrass group that continues to make waves in the scene, kicked off their hometown New Years celebration last night. Kicking off the night were other Portland locals, Jans Ingber’s Funk Fellowship. Consisting of band leader Jans Ingber, Steve Swatkins and Micahel Elson on keys, Scott Pemberton on guitar, Tyrone Hendrix on drums, Kyle Molitor on trombone, and Farnell Newton on trumpet, Nafisaria Scroggins-Thomas on vocals, the group got the ballroom moving and grooving. Following their performance, Fruition continued with the vibe crafted by their special guests with a two-set show that saw frequent sit-ins from members of the Funk Fellowship.

The first set busted out was particularly funky and saw sit-ins from wonder guitarist Scott Pemberton during “I Don’t Mind” and “Spliff.” Trumpeter extraordinaire Farnell Newton was welcomed out for the final four songs of the set as was trombonist Kyle Molitor for the final two. The horns were a welcome addition to Fruition and a hands-down crowd pleaser, especially on Cake’s “Never There”, as the brass added a dimension to the sound that is less frequently explored by bands with bluegrass roots, though seemingly always enjoyed by the musicians and onlookers alike. The second set saw Steve Swatkins come out for “Fire,” “Above the Line,” and “Labor of Love,” and Scott Pemberton back out for a Bonnie Raitt cover and a heavy-metal send off of “Death Comes Knocking.”

You can check out the sit-ins and setlist for yourself below, courtesy of Josh Nicotra.

Setlist: Fruition at the Wonder Ballroom, Portland, OR, 12/29/16

Set 1: PDX Bound, Blue Light, Wanter, I Can’t Stop, I Don’t Mind (SP), Spliff (SP), Fallin’, I Should Be (FN), Never There (FN), There She Was (FN/KM), Up Above the Clouds (FN/KM),

Set 2: Lay Down, Random, JOOTN, Early Morn (SS), Fire (SS), Above The Line (SS), Labor of Love (SS), Beside You, Mountain Annie, Get In, Get Along, Santa, Bonnie Raitt (SP/All), Death Comes Knocking (SP),

Encore: Always Coming Back

Notes:
SP=Scott Pemberton
FN=Farnell Newton on trumpet
KM=Kyle Molitor on trombone
SS=Steve Swatkins on keys