Washington, D.C.’s Funk Ark was born from Will Rast, a pianist, composer, and lifelong funk connoisseur. His other band, Brooklyn’s Antibalas, took after Fela Kuti’s Afrobeat orchestras, but the Funk Ark is a veritable musical machine. D.C. go-go, New Orleans jazz, psychedelic soul, even Latin funk–with Austin’s own Adrian Quesada–melt together in the band’s sound.
It’s only fitting that their weekend plans are so far-reaching. Tonight they’re opening for Austin’s Afrobeat kings Hard Proof and local rap luminaries Riders Against The Storm at Empire Control Room. And on Saturday, they’re at Houston’s House Of Blues with P-funk father George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic. “Fugue State Pt. 2”–taken from last year’s Man Is A Monster–adds some Middle Eastern flavor to the band’s syncopated brilliance. Download the song below.
–Art Levy
