The New Mastersounds brought their twentieth-anniversary celebration to the Spirit Of The Suwannee Music Park for two seriously funky sets of joyous funk at the inaugural Suwannee Rising Music Festival.
The band’s performances at the new Suwannee festival served as a testimonial to their undiminished ability to rock two decades later. Drummer Simon Allen kept time while cracking jokes and keeping the beat going with funky help from bassist Pete Shand. The band’s master of all things keyboard, Joe Tatton, filled the top end with lingering chords and infectious fills while guitarist Eddie Roberts used his signature slinky style to amazing effect both nights.
Playing amazing sets to a delighted crowd at Suwannee was certainly not a new experience for The New Mastersounds. As they noted from the stage, they helped headline almost every edition of the Bear Creek Music Festival, and have participated in a few other park parties like the Purple Hatters Ball. The band was clearly happy to be back in the Spirit Of Suwannee, and it showed in their exuberant sets over the Rising weekend.
The new spirit the Suwannee Rising Festival is rooted in the past, with events like the sadly departed Wannee and Bear Creek fests informing and serving as forebears for the future, with wicked sets from Oteil Burbridge, Lettuce, Dumpstaphunk, moe., Ghost-Note and more laid down over the course of the weekend. It certainly looks like this new gathering has the strength to last long into the future! Only time will tell. For now, let’s check out the following clips from The New Mastersounds captured by Rex-A-Vision! Enjoy!
The New Mastersounds – “Dusty Groove”
The New Mastersounds – “The Road to Fuji Rock”
The New Mastersounds – “Thermal Bad”
For more information on The New Mastersounds’ upcoming dates, head over to the band’s website here.