The Meters News

With Gov't Mule, you know what you're gonna get. Massive riffs, infectious grooves, and a ton of swagger accompany every Mule release, and By A Thread, the band's latest album released October 27 on Evil Teen Records, does not deviate from that trend.

Hey Folks, Coop radio membership drive, gotta do it. Gotta love alternative radio.

If you go to Tufts, I feel that I can safely assume you've had a pretty crappy week.

Back in 1997, hip-hop DJ and producer Miles Tackett invited fellow DJs, musicians and MCs to jam at a weekly Los Feliz party, "The Breaks." "That's all the DJs were playing ... rare groove, funk breaks, sample source stuff," Tackett says.

If you unknowingly stumbled upon a set by The Ramirez Brothers in one of the Tel Aviv area clubs they regularly perform in, you'd be forgiven for thinking they were a '70s-obssessed, hairy, American power-funk trio who had been mysteriously transported across the world from a sweaty bar in Texas.

George Porter Jr. performs with his Runnin' Pardners at Vulcan AfterTunes in Birmingham, Ala.'s Vulcan Park on Sept.

The youngest of New Orleans' first family of funk, Cyril Neville released his fourth solo album, Brand New Blues , in April 2009.

If you've tuned in the past couple of weeks, you've heard those hit-me-on-the-one beats of Funkadelic, The Meters and Gil Scott-Heron from Adam Gold's Funk Show replaced by the nationally syndicated Charleston, W. Va-based Mountain Stage .

Get ready to unfold a chair or spread a blanket. It's nearly time for Vulcan AfterTunes, an outdoor concert series that's celebrating its fifth year at Birmingham's Vulcan Park and Museum, 1701 Valley View Drive.

Q: Where did you find the funk heard in your music? A: I got it from two sides. The first was the pursuit of playing guitar and learning the Delta blues.

The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival celebrated its 40th anniversary with a soirA©e that emphasized local flavor and paid homage to those who performed at the inaugural event.

In 2001, not long before Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings set the world on fire with its update of James Brown-styled funk, a group of Iowa City jazzbos was squeezing out its own take on '60s-era instrumental soul.

Taj Mahal with hemp sandals. Deputy, a soulful hippy, infuses earthy hues into calypso, rock, and reggae.

Sam Henry Jr. is nothing if not honest. "I'm alive and well," he said, "but I'm not kicking." Henry, 70, is an influential pianist, organist and music educator.

Sam Henry Jr. is nothing if not honest. "I'm alive and well," he said, "but I'm not kicking." Henry, 70, is an influential pianist, organist and music educator.

Sam Henry Jr. is nothing if not honest. "I'm alive and well," he said, "but I'm not kicking." Henry, 70, is an influential pianist, organist and music educator.

It might seem as if the Neville Brothers have been around forever. However, the Nevilles didn't emerge until 1977 when keyboardist-vocalist Art "Poppa Funk" Neville formed the group nearly a quarter century into his musical career.

According to bassist Greg Gonzalez, "We have so many influences, when you come to see us it's a gumbo of sound." An apt metaphor for this pepper pot of a Latin jazz-funk fusion outfit currently boasting 10 members.

I'm putting the construction of the ark on hold as it seems like it may finally stop raining.

Shows this weekend by local artists, or concerts that are otherwise under-the-radar in Broward and Palm Beach.