The HammerFunk has now completed 6 shows and I can say we've come a long way. We're playing with the rawness I always envisioned but at the same time keeping it tight.
Feeling pretty good about ourselves, we hopped in the studio to record the rest of the album. However, an opportunity arose where then we had to put that project on hold. Without getting too far into it, something bigger will hopefully come our way.
The groove list has expanded to 30 tunes! We are in the process of reviving some of my earlier work that has never really hit the stage. We'll be debuting them in upcoming shows as we'll be likely playing our full rep.
Keep your fingers crossed. See you in the clubs!
Reply
Well Dave Espeut & the HammerFunk is off and running and I'm excited at the response we've got so far. It was a hectic road filled with twists and turns but when you've booked gigs, you just gotta make it happen.
This first show at Habits Gastropub in Toronto was for many reasons a toss-up as far as how it could go. The place was experiencing noise complaints, forcing the bands to keep it down. Luckily I'm not a fan of loud blaring music so it worked out fine. Having to run my own sound for the first time in a while was interesting. The sound booth was relatively inaccessible during the show, but once again it was manageable. But the key thing was that we had a great crowd of family, friends (some of which I hadn't seen in years) and locals which made it a great night.
A week later at The Central, things got ramped up a bit. We were on a bill with Gillian Nicola and the Radio Interference as well as Tim Watson Band which was awesome. Tim, who of course plays trumpet and sings backup in the HammerFunk saved his voice for his set but played a solid horn. This time, the place was packed wall to wall with fans of all kinds ready to get funky which they did.
The next day we played outdoors for a Durham College Fundraiser at the Oshawa Centre. The day started off about 7 degrees which was a seasonal high I believe, and then, it was not. You'd think maybe because your fingers are constantly moving while playing the keyboard that they might stay a little warm right? No. Same was the case with Matt on Bass. Despite all that, it was for a good cause [Heart and Stroke] and Dennis Ullman and the family were able to come out as well as my parents who brought hot chocolate! #Bam.
I won't been giving summaries on every show, however, it will be fun to see where the band goes and where we started.
Reply
Like I've stated in previous posts, I've gone through a number of different changes over the last year. Everything from my wedding and locking up full-time work, to re-tooling one band and starting another. But probably the biggest change was discovering my true sound - a sort of Neo-80's Soul - and running with it to write an entire album's worth of music. And so, with all these changes, I feel poised to not only record a new album, but to play often and much more consistently with my own band. Speaking of which, Ive been mulling over a few names in the past week and have come up with - Dave Espeut and the HammerFunk. Thoughts, Ideas? All Welcome!
With the newly recorded Single "Got That" to be released in the next month or so, we've got some time to really solidify our setlist to come out with a bang. But of course, you fans don't have to wait that long to get a taste of what it's all about (to quote Prince;) Check out the teaser video with the band in the studio on the main profile page. As always, when you see something you like, share it with your friends!
Reply
Well Christmas and New Year's have come and gone again. I have to say this was one of the better holidays in recent memory. Got to see a fair amount of my family and it was the first and only Holidays spent with my fiancee (as a fiance).
Anyway, Icy Redd's house party gig on New Year's Eve was tons of fun and everybody had a great time. It was the band's first time using in-ear monitors and for me it was pretty sweet. Once we get on a stage with them it'll be a lot different of course. But the number thing about them is that they obviously cut the stage volume out completely and reduce our overall sound big time which is key.
Now that it's January, I've spent some time thinking about the year ahead and what I want to accomplish. The answer is always "LOTS" but I have to be a little realistic. On second thought, being realistic never got you anywhere exciting. So my plan is to record another album, truly full-length this time, and release it sometime in September or November.
If anyone's interested in how I'm going to get there, I'll be uploading youtube videos on a regular basis tracking various aspects of the process. Check out my first video where I show a little of my music production workflow. Thanks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XK8C_V3VZyU
Reply
To expound on my most recent tweet, it's the funniest thing. I had practically the whole day to sleep in and write music uninterrupted and I came up with practically nothing. I guess it's like what my buddy Tim said, "you just can't force it." I actually find that a lot - that when you plan to write and have loads of time, it's like your brain says whatever.
So wouldn't you know it, I get to my school teaching gig early to find out that I don't have to teach for about and hour. So I take out a pen and paper, and a hip tune just falls on the page. Well, the beginnings of one anyway. That's just the way it goes.
Reply
So I'm at one of those times where you're not totally focused on any one thing in your life. Everything's kinda moving along at a moderate speed with no real issues so there's hardly a reason complain. However, as an artist, I feel like I owe it to myself stay zoned in with writing and absorbing my influences. I really just hope to get more flow to my life. I've never been one who is organized or gets stuff done on time, and I think now's as good a time as any to change that. But one's things for sure, you can expect big things - both now and in the future.
Reply
My whole life I've been working towards my goal of being a singer/musician. I finally feel like I'm at the stage where I can show people what I got to offer the international music scene. It's crazy how you can put out a record one day, and someone could listen to it and buy it Africa the next day. Having said that, my album's made it to a lot places already (America, the UK, Australia, the Caribbean) except Africa. I'm hoping my awesome friend Ruhi remembered to bring it along for her year in Uganda.
For me, the point is if you feel you got something to share then share it. I've been really blessed to have had so many experiences to write about which I'm still having daily. I love getting feedback on what you hear so stay in touch and I'll keep in the loop.
Reply
GrandCity / Blog
Finding the Groove
The HammerFunk has now completed 6 shows and I can say we've come a long way. We're playing with the rawness I always envisioned but at the same time keeping it tight. Feeling pretty good about ourselves, we hopped in the studio to record the rest of the album. However, an opportunity arose where then we had to put that project on hold. Without getting too far into it, something bigger will hopefully come our way.
The groove list has expanded to 30 tunes! We are in the process of reviving some of my earlier work that has never really hit the stage. We'll be debuting them in upcoming shows as we'll be likely playing our full rep.
Keep your fingers crossed. See you in the clubs!
Reply
Three Shows In
Well Dave Espeut & the HammerFunk is off and running and I'm excited at the response we've got so far. It was a hectic road filled with twists and turns but when you've booked gigs, you just gotta make it happen.
This first show at Habits Gastropub in Toronto was for many reasons a toss-up as far as how it could go. The place was experiencing noise complaints, forcing the bands to keep it down. Luckily I'm not a fan of loud blaring music so it worked out fine. Having to run my own sound for the first time in a while was interesting. The sound booth was relatively inaccessible during the show, but once again it was manageable. But the key thing was that we had a great crowd of family, friends (some of which I hadn't seen in years) and locals which made it a great night.
A week later at The Central, things got ramped up a bit. We were on a bill with Gillian Nicola and the Radio Interference as well as Tim Watson Band which was awesome. Tim, who of course plays trumpet and sings backup in the HammerFunk saved his voice for his set but played a solid horn. This time, the place was packed wall to wall with fans of all kinds ready to get funky which they did.
The next day we played outdoors for a Durham College Fundraiser at the Oshawa Centre. The day started off about 7 degrees which was a seasonal high I believe, and then, it was not. You'd think maybe because your fingers are constantly moving while playing the keyboard that they might stay a little warm right? No. Same was the case with Matt on Bass. Despite all that, it was for a good cause [Heart and Stroke] and Dennis Ullman and the family were able to come out as well as my parents who brought hot chocolate! #Bam.
I won't been giving summaries on every show, however, it will be fun to see where the band goes and where we started.
Reply
The Shift in 2013
Like I've stated in previous posts, I've gone through a number of different changes over the last year. Everything from my wedding and locking up full-time work, to re-tooling one band and starting another. But probably the biggest change was discovering my true sound - a sort of Neo-80's Soul - and running with it to write an entire album's worth of music. And so, with all these changes, I feel poised to not only record a new album, but to play often and much more consistently with my own band. Speaking of which, Ive been mulling over a few names in the past week and have come up with - Dave Espeut and the HammerFunk. Thoughts, Ideas? All Welcome!
With the newly recorded Single "Got That" to be released in the next month or so, we've got some time to really solidify our setlist to come out with a bang. But of course, you fans don't have to wait that long to get a taste of what it's all about (to quote Prince;) Check out the teaser video with the band in the studio on the main profile page. As always, when you see something you like, share it with your friends!
Reply
Hammer Funk - I'd just stick with Dave Espeut - the name says it all. You are da mon !!!
The Holidays
Well Christmas and New Year's have come and gone again. I have to say this was one of the better holidays in recent memory. Got to see a fair amount of my family and it was the first and only Holidays spent with my fiancee (as a fiance).
Anyway, Icy Redd's house party gig on New Year's Eve was tons of fun and everybody had a great time. It was the band's first time using in-ear monitors and for me it was pretty sweet. Once we get on a stage with them it'll be a lot different of course. But the number thing about them is that they obviously cut the stage volume out completely and reduce our overall sound big time which is key.
Now that it's January, I've spent some time thinking about the year ahead and what I want to accomplish. The answer is always "LOTS" but I have to be a little realistic. On second thought, being realistic never got you anywhere exciting. So my plan is to record another album, truly full-length this time, and release it sometime in September or November.
If anyone's interested in how I'm going to get there, I'll be uploading youtube videos on a regular basis tracking various aspects of the process. Check out my first video where I show a little of my music production workflow. Thanks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XK8C_V3VZyU
Reply
The Way it Goes
To expound on my most recent tweet, it's the funniest thing. I had practically the whole day to sleep in and write music uninterrupted and I came up with practically nothing. I guess it's like what my buddy Tim said, "you just can't force it." I actually find that a lot - that when you plan to write and have loads of time, it's like your brain says whatever.
So wouldn't you know it, I get to my school teaching gig early to find out that I don't have to teach for about and hour. So I take out a pen and paper, and a hip tune just falls on the page. Well, the beginnings of one anyway. That's just the way it goes.
Reply
Tim gave you great advice, some of the best tunes were written in restaurants on napkins...
Focus
So I'm at one of those times where you're not totally focused on any one thing in your life. Everything's kinda moving along at a moderate speed with no real issues so there's hardly a reason complain. However, as an artist, I feel like I owe it to myself stay zoned in with writing and absorbing my influences. I really just hope to get more flow to my life. I've never been one who is organized or gets stuff done on time, and I think now's as good a time as any to change that. But one's things for sure, you can expect big things - both now and in the future.
Reply
Living my life
My whole life I've been working towards my goal of being a singer/musician. I finally feel like I'm at the stage where I can show people what I got to offer the international music scene. It's crazy how you can put out a record one day, and someone could listen to it and buy it Africa the next day. Having said that, my album's made it to a lot places already (America, the UK, Australia, the Caribbean) except Africa. I'm hoping my awesome friend Ruhi remembered to bring it along for her year in Uganda.
For me, the point is if you feel you got something to share then share it. I've been really blessed to have had so many experiences to write about which I'm still having daily. I love getting feedback on what you hear so stay in touch and I'll keep in the loop.
Reply