Eight years ago in 2012, the members of On The Spot Trio —Danny Mayer (Star Kitchen), Kris Yunker (Alan Evans Trio) and Jeff Wilson (Future Birds)—put their creative minds together to compose an energizing instrumental piece based around a seriously funky rhythm that they unofficially named, “Hefe”. Two years later, Mayer and Yunker recruited Tukuaz drummer Michelangelo Carubba to help put their idea onto tape at Alan Evans‘ (Soulive) Iron Wax Studio.
Fast forward to the present day, and the group is finally ready to let the single soar into the light of day as “Hefe” is set to arrive on streaming services this Friday, April 17th. Today, Live For Live Music is thrilled to premiere “Hefe”, which acts as a powerful snapshot of the band’s earlier years as part of the Santa Cruz, CA music scene almost a decade ago.
The song’s foundation is strong and sturdy thanks to a hard-hitting performance from Carubba. It’s the colorful melodies and back and forth interplay between Mayer on guitar and Yunker on keyboards, however, that launch the 4:24 minute instrumental into the stratosphere. One can’t help but feel the warmth of the Santa Cruz sun glisten through the music thanks to the sunny tones of Mayer’s guitar. It may still feel like winter in parts of the country, but “Hefe” livens up the bluesy mood with the warmth of its undeniable electricity.
As Danny Mayer tells Live For Live Music about the new single almost a decade in the making,
“‘Hefe’ is one from the vaults! Kris Yunker, Jeff Wilson–aka Hefe–and I wrote a ton of music together in 2012! There was just something in the Santa Cruz air back then & all the creative juices were flowing! ‘Hefe’ is one of two remaining unreleased OTS Trio songs written in that time period. After a few years, Kris and I had relocated to New England and were trying to restart the band on there, so we tapped one of our all-time favorite drummers Mikey Carubba from Turkuaz to play some gigs & record the two last unrecorded OTS songs with us and in typical OTS fashion, we decided to record the songs with another one of our favorite drummers, engineers, & producers Alan Evans of Soulive. Now, after all these years, the two remaining songs are being released on Vintage League Music!
Notes Kris Yunker, “There is a magic that happens when Danny and I play together, especially when we wrote ‘Hefe’ with Jeff Wilson on the drums. The music speaks through us and it really shows in this new single. I know you can hear the growth of each of us and recording with Mikey was and always is a delight!”
“Danny Mayer and I have been playing music together for years; he’s my brother,” Carubba explains. “Al and I are both born and raised in Buffalo, and we really share a common sentiment when it comes to rock and roll as well the funk thing, as well as the psychedelic world of Kris, so this entire experience was really about sharing in brotherhood and having similar values. I think it comes through in this tune.”
Adds Alan Evans, “Since the first OTS session I recorded 10 years ago to now, a lot has changed but the one thing that remains the same is my love for these guys and the music they make. ‘Hefe’ is another timeless OTS song that will like the band, stand the test of time.”
Listen to the premiere of “Hefe” by On The Spot Trio below:
On The Spot Trio – “Hefe”
Fans should also keep an eye (and ear) out for when the next single featuring Carubba, “Soquel”, arrives this summer via Vintage League Music.