Phat Phunktion

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Phat Phunktion
OriginMadison, Wisconsin, United States
GenresFunk, R&B, Jazz, Rock, Hip-hop
Years active1996 – present
Labels
Members
  • Tim Whalen
  • Al Falaschi
  • Courtney Larsen
  • Jon Schipper
  • Pauli Ryan
  • Darvonte Murray
  • Nick Moran
  • Vince Jesse
  • Jim Doherty
Past members
  • Sheldon Allen
  • Steve Styles
  • Jason Braatz
  • Travis Andrews
  • Kevin Klemme
  • Rob Szudy
  • Dan Wallach
  • Jeff Maddern
  • Mike Boman
Websitephatphunktion.com

Phat Phunktion is a nine-piece American funk band founded in 1996 by students at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Tim Whalen and Al Falaschi started the band for a battle of the bands competition. They have recorded four studio albums and a live album and Blu-ray disc, and are noted for a horn-driven sound that draws inspiration from funk bands of the 1970s.[1] Whalen and Falaschi are the primary songwriters.

Origin[edit]

In April 1996, music students Tim Whalen and Al Falaschi gathered a group of jazz band students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and formed Phat Phunktion to enter a battle of the bands competition at the student union.[2] It was meant to be a one-off gig, but the band kept going. They released their self-titled, eponymous debut album in 1997.[3]

Career[edit]

The band toured throughout the Midwest during the late 1990s and early 2000s, releasing two more studio albums. The first, Here We Go, came out in 1999, followed in 2004 by You and Me, which was released on Nardis Records. In the meantime, they had begun to attract national and international notice. In 2001, they won the Wisconsin Area Music Industry (WAMI) award for best R&B band.[4] In 2003, Rolling Stone singled them out as a "band on the rise" and Billboard judges selected them to perform at the Disc Makers Independent Music World Series Midwest regional final in Chicago, where they took top honors along with Chicago's Orbert Davis.[citation needed]

The band embarked on its first US tour from June 2005 to August 2006, playing festivals, including the Bele Chere Music Festival, the Riverbend Festival, Riverfest, and the Art Tatum Jazz and Heritage Festival, as well as premiere venues such as The Knitting Factory and BB Kings in New York City.[5]

Meanwhile, You and Me was re-released in Japan on the Groovetime Records label. The band then released a compilation album called Soul Juice[6] with songs from the first two albums, and they toured Japan in February 2006.[7] Local press called them "the new Tower of Power."[8]

The band then took some time off while Falaschi's wife Kate battled cancer. After her death in 2009,[9] Whalen and Falaschi began writing again, and the band released Real Life.:.High Fidelity in 2011,[10] leading to another tour of Japan in April 2012.[11]

The band celebrated their 20th anniversary on 7 October 2016 at the High Noon Saloon in Madison, Wisconsin. The audio and video from that show was released as a live CD and Blu-ray disc set called Phat Phunktion: Live at the High Noon on 2 June 2017.[12] In the lead-up to the release, the video for the track "Knockin' Em Down" premiered at Vents Magazine on 22 May,[citation needed] and Relix premiered the video for "Don't Destroy the Funk" on 31 May.[13]

Individual achievements[edit]

Co-founder and saxophonist Falaschi arranged and composed music for Clyde Stubblefield's 2003 album, The Original, and appeared as a member of the "Sad Sax" collective on Bon Iver's 22, A Million. Whalen also contributed to The Original, and orchestrated strings for Jorge Drexler's Oscar-winning song "Al otro lado del río."[14]

Charity work[edit]

Since 2009 the band has staged "Funk Out Cancer" fundraising concerts in Madison every other year. As of 2017 they had raised nearly $200,000 in research funds for the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center.[15][16]

Awards[edit]

  • 2001 - WAMI for Best R&B Group[17]
  • 2005 - MAMA (Madison Area Music Award) for Best R&B Album - “You and Me”[18]
  • 2012 - MAMA (Madison Area Music Awards) for Best Pop/R&B Album (Real Life.:.High Fidelity), and Best Pop/R&B Performer[19]
  • 2018 - WAMI for Best Reeds/Brass Player (Al Falaschi)[20]
  • 2018 - MAMA (Madison Area Music Award) for Woodwinds/Sax (Al Falaschi) and Keyboards/Synthesizers (Tim Whalen)[21]
  • 2019 - MAMA (Madison Area Music Awards) for Woodwinds/Sax (Al Falaschi) and Trombone (Courtney Larsen)[22]
  • 2020 - MAMA (Madison Area Music Awards) for Best Trombonist (Courtney Larsen) and percussionist (Pauli Ryan)[23]

Discography[edit]

Album Year Label
PhatPhunktion 1997
Here We Go 1999
You and Me 2004 Nardis Records/Liquid 8, Groovetime Records
Soul Juice 2005 Groovetime Records
Real Life.:.High Fidelity 2011 Nardis Records/Liquid 8
Phat Phunktion: Live at the High Noon 2017

References[edit]

  1. ^ Tauss, Lucy (1 July 2004), Phat Phunktion: You and Me, Jazz Times, retrieved 4 March 2021
  2. ^ Potter, Steven (22 September 2016), Upbeat reunion: Phat Phunktion celebrates 20 years, Isthmus, retrieved 4 March 2021
  3. ^ Snyder, Elizabeth (7 July 2018). "Snyder: Kenosha natives performing at Summerfest with Steely Dane". Kenosha News. Retrieved 2021-10-13.
  4. ^ WAMI R&B Awards, FolkLib, 13 February 2014, retrieved 4 March 2021
  5. ^ Funk Band Phat Phunktion is Set to Release New Album "Live At The High Noon" on June 2nd, 2017, The Urban Music Scene, 17 April 2017, retrieved 4 March 2021
  6. ^ PHAT PHUNKTION — SOUL JUICE, Jazz Music Archives, retrieved 4 March 2021
  7. ^ PHAT PHUNKTION, Jazz Music Archives, retrieved 4 March 2021
  8. ^ Greco, Jr., Ralph, Phat Phunktion Live At The High Noon – CD/DVD Review, Vintage Rock, retrieved 5 March 2021
  9. ^ Albertoni, Rich (1 December 2011), The best Madison albums of 2011, Isthmus, retrieved 4 March 2021
  10. ^ Steinhoff, Jessica (28 July 2011), Tragedy and triumph fuel Phat Phunktion's new album "Real Life .:. High Fidelity", Isthmus, retrieved 4 March 2021
  11. ^ Around the Bubbler: Paddle to Work Day, Phat Phunktion, The FUN Agenda, Madison Jazz Society, Madison.com, 5 June 2012, retrieved 4 March 2021
  12. ^ Steinhoff, Jessica (28 July 2011), Award-Winning Nine-Piece Band Phat Phunktion To Release "Live At The High Noon" On CD/Blu-Ray On June 2, All About Jazz, retrieved 4 March 2021
  13. ^ Frometa, RJ (31 May 2017), Video Premiere: Phat Phunktion "Don't Destroy The Funk" (Live), Relix, retrieved 5 March 2021
  14. ^ Award-Winning Nine-Piece Band PHAT PHUNKTION To Release Fifth Album on June 2, Jazz Corner, 4 May 2017, retrieved 5 March 2021
  15. ^ Marley-Henschen, Holly (31 October 2019), Making a difference, Isthmus, retrieved 5 March 2021
  16. ^ Ehrenclou, Martine (25 April 2017), Interview with Phat Phunktion: exquisite musicianship & feel good music, Rock and Blues Muse, retrieved 4 March 2021
  17. ^ WAMI R&B Awards, FolkLib, 13 February 2014, retrieved 4 March 2021
  18. ^ MAMA 2005 Winners, Madison Area Music Association, retrieved 5 March 2021
  19. ^ MAMA 2012 Winners, Madison Area Music Association, retrieved 5 March 2021
  20. ^ Here are your 2018 WAMI winners, Milwaukee Record, 20 May 2018, retrieved 5 March 2021
  21. ^ 2018 Winners, Madison Area Music Association, retrieved 15 March 2021
  22. ^ Madison Area Music Association Awards 2019 Winners, Madison Area Music Association, retrieved 15 March 2021
  23. ^ Thanks for tuning into the 17th Annual MAMA Awards!, Madison Area Music Association, retrieved 15 March 2021
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