How THUMP & SOUL Will Save The Music Business From The Industry

We Gotcha Groovin'; Gotcha Dancin'; Gotcha Feelin' Good!

The story of a band, a studio, and a music movement... Allow me to introduce to some, and present to others The GroovaLottos, a powerhouse soul - funk Afrobeat jam band on a mission to make music of the good vibes... for the people who want to dance, groove, as opposed to the sheep of the industry. The GroovaLottos undergone quite the evolution over the last decade. From their origins as a fun bar, party and street band, comprised of veteran touring and session players, into a production team that yielded a multi-Grammy nominated album (Ask Yo' Mama, 2017), and the creation of their THUMP & SOUL sound and movement. 

It's 1 am in the morning, and the muffled BOOM of an infectious dance groove can be heard coming from a black truck parked in front of Polyphonic Studios. It's a remix of "BOOM Bu-Cha", the latest track by The GroovaLottos, undergoing the Quality Control Point G stage; "We always check the mix on a bunch of speakers, car speakers being the 7th and last checkpoint," explains drummer/ vibraphonist /composer/ vocalist/ producer, and mix engineer, The ZYG 808. "The Downstreeter Mix of "BOOM Bu-Cha" is ready for mastering.

Recordings like "BOOM Bu-Cha" and the Kwanzaa holiday inspired "7 CANDLES" represents The GroovaLottos reaching into their Afrobeat and Caribbean influences As a band of session players, Musical code switching is a signature aspect of the band, whose styles include soul, rock, jazz, funk, Afro-Latin, Caribbean, Afrobeat, and House Music. 

"Music isn't supposed to be about genres; it's supposed to be an emotional experience," said band keyboardist/ composer/ vocalist/ producer/ band director and elder statesman, Mwalim DaPhunkee Professor, "when you hear our music, it's about good vibes... that's what makes it THUMP & SOUL ."

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Mwalim,who started his career in 1984 at the age 16 as a session musician, rose into the roles of multi-award winning songwriter and producer, earning numerous grants and fellowships for music composition. With his son and band drummer, The ZYG 808 following in his music making footsteps, and an acute shortage of commercial-grade recording studios in the area, he opened Polyphonic Studios in 2020 with the assistance of his bandmates, particularly guitarist/ bassist Chuck V., an accomplished recording engineer who is heralded as the independent music industries secret weapon. While opening during a pandemic cut down on clients, Polyphonic became a hot bed for in-house production projects as well as a home for projects by NPR, Harper-Collins, UNICEF, and Penguin Books. This also provided The GroovaLottos with the time and space to cultivate their Thump & Soul sound and production process.

What Makes One A GroovaLotto? Obviously the ability to groove is at the core. One journalist referred to the band as what would happen if The Grateful Dead and Parliament Funkadelic had a a baby, the ability to jam and improvise is essential to being a player in this band. "Not by design, but pretty much everybody who has been in this band had been in the jazz band of their high school."

One result was the album MAMA's HAMPER, the band wanted to re-create the vibe of a Saturday television music in the late 1970's; from morning cartoons, to Soul Train and karate flicks, to evenings dance grooves and the late night, Don Kirshner Rock Concert.

•  Ima GroovaLotto, 
• Do You Mind If We Dance Wit Yo Dates?, 
• It Just Is, ImaPhunkYa 
• The Storm
• Make It Look Easy
• DEM BIG GIRLZ) 

It did not take long for artists of the region to learn about The GroovaLottos sound and facility, leading to them collaborating with regional soul and jazz legend, Chops Turner to produce the Mwalim penned maxi-single, "GET TOGETHER" and Christmas season song, "THIS HOLIDAY WITH YOU".

        

The top priority of The GroovaLottos can be summed up by a quote from KRS- ONE, "Making funky music is a must." With a top level production facility and production team, a growing list of clients and a full roster of their own projects to release on Polyphonic Studios Records, the sky is the limit for THUMP & SOUL and The GroovaLottos.

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VOTE Mwalim - BEST POP RECORDING and BEST WORLD MUSIC RECORDING NAMMY's

NEW YORK - Today starts the public voting for the 2010 Native American Music Awards. Take a few minutes and vote on-line to support MWALIM and "The Liberation Sessions" which made the final rounds of NAMMY nominations for BEST POP RECORDING and BEST WORLD MUSIC RECORDING. Mwalim, a member of the federally recognized Mashpee Wampanoag tribe, is the only Northeastern Native American in the categories of Pop and World Music and one of very few nominated in this years round. 

"The Liberation Sessions" which has received critical acclaim from Soul Tracks Magazine and the British-based Soulchoonz tastemaker's site, earned twelve 2010 New England Urban Music Award nominations, winning the slot for Best Male and Female (Amaris) Jazz Vocals. The nominations for Best Pop and World Music categories by the NAMMY's (Native American Music Awards) illustrates what an eclectic, far reaching and genre defying album "The Liberation Sessions" truly is. The public is welcome to weigh in and vote for their choice.

You can hear sample cuts of "The Liberation Sessions" and get a free download of the hit single "Ain't Done Yet" - feat. Amaris by visiting:  CDBaby.com/cd/Mwalim

Liberation Music - MGM is asking Native American folks to circulate the word about this nomination and the voting for Mwalim to bring home the NAMMY's for POP and WORLD MUSIC.


Voting for the NAMMY's will continue into Mid-October.
http://www.nativeamericanmusicawards.com/votenow.cfm

Artist Spotlight: Boston Horns

Find your coolest shades and sharpest shirt because the Boson Horns are calling you out. With their bright jazzy funk and R&B grooves, the Boston Horns’ Shibuya Gumbo is like medicine for the soul that is sure to cure any shadowy frame of mind. With plenty of memorable twists and turns thanks to a talented group of musicians, Boston Horns supply music for musicians and for the common listener. Check out the review for Shibuya Gumbo in the LORE review section

The Liberation Sessions” Grabs Up Two 2010 Urban Music Awards for Jazz

Mwalim and Amaris win Best Male & Best Female Jazz Vocalist

BOSTON – Saturday, Mwalim and Amaris emerged from the New England Urban Music Awards with the extremely prestigious, Best Male and Best Female Jazz Vocalist award, cited for their work on “The Liberation Sessions” CD, specifically the songs “DEM BIG GIRLS,” “Ain’t Done Yet,” and “Awakened by a Noon Day Sun.” Albeit DEM BIG GIRLS is more of a Caribbean/ Dance-hall tune, the judges still recognized Mwalim’s strong jazz influences and phrasing to the point of giving him the nod for the award. Mwalim also accepted Amaris' award on her behalf as she could not attend the ceremony.

The air was electric in Dorchester’s Strand Theater Saturday night as people filed into the auditorium for the 2010 New England Urban Music Awards. In the initial stages of the award’s nomination process, “The Liberation Sessions” and it’s featured artists received 12 nominations in various categories. By the second round of nominations, when the pool is even further trimmed down, Amaris, Mwalim, Tantra and The Bass Mint Bros were still in the running, including a best Caribbean Single nomination for DEM BIG GIRLS.

The New England Urban Music Awards began in 2004 as a way to recognize the efforts of Urban Music artists from the New England area and are held annually at The Strand.

www.mwalim.com

Spotlight: Dirty Mac Blues Band

The Dirty Mac Blues Band comes just as advertised: their songs are dirty and they deliver a slow blues swagger. They are not your typical blues band. With a female vocalist at the helm, The Dirty Mac Blues Band immediately distinguish themselves from most other modern blues ensembles. Their new CD Victory Bar, the latest installment in our review section, is a perfect example of what this Boston Blues band is capable of.

http://www.myspace.com/dirtymacbluesband

Artist Spotlight: Plumerai

With a name as strange and cryptic as their music, Plumerai is something of an oddity. They may not be the most accessible band in the world, but their dark and albeit sometimes uncomfortable approach helps set them apart from other acts. Plumerai’s newest album, entitled “Without Number” captures this feeling perfectly, while the newest set of singles to come from this camp offer some of the familiar while hinting at a potential progression to a more mainstream sound. 

http://www.reverbnation.com/plumerai

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: McAlister Drive

In the ever-growing group of current indie pop bands is McAlister Drive. What they offer is what most bands in their genre bring to the table, but they are still worth a listen. With their catchy hooks and full brimmed sound, McAlister Drive have a strong ability to reflect modern pop/rock for better or worse. Check out the review of their debut album “Something To Sleep With” in the review section.

MCALISTERDRIVE.COM

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Adam Hofmann Revival

If strong songwriting and timeless expressions of human emotion in music is your thing (and if not then you must not be human) then check out the review for Adam Hofmann Revival. Led by Adam Hofmann himself, you’ll instantly feel as though you’ve heard their songs before but chances are it’s because they so strongly resemble other acts that have become world famous. To this degree, one wouldn’t be surprised to see this piano man achieve great heights of his own in the not too distant future. The Adam Hofmann Revival is indeed the complete package.

ADAMHOFMANNREVIVAL.COM


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Artist Spotlight:The Wandas

Hailing from Boston is the Berkley bred band The Wandas. A sure fire for large scale future success, The Wandas will no doubt win you over with their hypnotic pop and confident presentation. Want to get a little more familiar with the Wandas? Then check out our review section where you can read the review for their newest CD, New Wave Blues.

http://www.thewandas.com/

Dedication Ceremony For Unity House’s New Performance Space

“The Griot’s Corner” Blessed With Dedication Ceremony

N. DARTMOUTH – Back in May of 2009, Frederick Douglass Unity House Director, Keith Wilder and Associate Professor, Mwalim were having a discussion about plans for the center. Mwalim, a FDUH faculty-in-residence since 2004, expressed an interest in turning a corner of the UMass Dartmouth student service center into a performance space. Keith Wilder loved the idea and with a few discussions about logistics, Wilder oversaw the creation of an 8’x 8’ performance space, which has been used for presentations of open mic poetry and lectures since September of 2009.

On Monday, February 22, 2010, at 12pm noon, “The Griot’s Corner” ill receive a new world griot’s dedication and blessing ceremony, to be conducted by Mwalim (MJ Peters), Associate Professor of English and African/ African American Studies. The word “Griot” (pronounced gree-oh) is a term for the keepers of oral tradition in the various cultures of West Africa. In the new world context, this term applies to poets, singers, storytellers, actors and musicians. The ceremony will begin at 12 noon and will include music by Royal Hartigan and Mwalim. The Frederick Douglass Unity House is in the campus center complex, UMass Dartmouth, 285 Old Westport Road, N. Dartmouth, MA 02747.

This event is free and open to the public. For more info: 508-999-9222.