Have you been to a Big Sam’s Funky Nation show? If not, the band is the pinnacle of funky fabulousness. When they toured Tahoe last year, they killed with their nonstop energetic vibe. This full-of-fun, urban, funk band from New Orleans keeps the party going with contagious and infectious sound. The horn section is off the charts.
Oct. 14 | 10 p.m. | Free
Crystal Bay Casino | Crystal Bay, Nev.
“The band is high energy, we have fun with the crowd and get them moving. We are up tempo, get people to dance, type of music,” says Williams, who’s been playing the trombone since he was 12.
“I remember picking up the trombone and fell in love. When I picked up the horn and played it, I had tone and sound. I understood concept of the instrument from Day 1. The rest is history,” he says.
Williams was in high school when he heard an album by the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. He said he knew he wanted to be part of the band from that moment. By the time he was 19, he was touring 300 days a year with the Dirty Dozen.
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“Do you like having fun?” he asks, exuding confidence about his band.
“Do you like to dance? Do you like good music?
Then come see us.”
– Big Sam Williams
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“I got a call about joining the Dozen,” he says. “When I asked how long we’d be gone, I was told three months. Then I asked, ‘When do we leave?’ He said, ‘Tomorrow.’ ”
In his heart, Williams wanted to start his own band. He created Funky Nation. While still touring with the Dirty Dozen, the Funky Nation got a Sunday night gig at a local club in New Orleans called the Funky Butt. Williams was on the road most of the time. He eventually left Dirty Dozen.
“Then Allen Toussaint and Elvis Costello called and wanted me to play with them. I was on the road with them for two years,” he says.
In 2007, Williams was finally able to settle down and focus on Funky Nation.
“Do you like having fun?” he asks, exuding confidence about his band. “Do you like to dance? Do you like good music? Then come see us.”
The band has released six albums, one single and one EP. Living Colour and Jimi Hendrix influenced “Evolution,” the bass-heavy album that mixes it up and creates the Funky Nation sound.
“Connecting with music and the band is the ultimate high,” says Williams.
The band is currently working on a new album. “It’s clap-your-hands, move-your-feet funk. It’s straight funk in your face,” says Willams. “Music is all I do. I had one regular job for one day, dishwasher in a restaurant. I was in the wrong place. I worked 12 hours and made $60. I thought I could play in a brass band on the streets of the [French] Quarter and make more money in tips. Been playing nothing but music ever since.”
Williams says that he loves playing Tahoe — they’ll be performing new material from their upcoming album.
So if you are looking for a night of high-voltage, electric energy to dance to, don’t miss Big Sam’s Funky Nation. They are a musical force to be reckoned with.
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