A Celebration of The Meters: Dumpstaphunk + George Porter Jr. + Cyril Neville

To open the conversation about this act, it is necessary to go back to 1974 in New Orleans, when The Meters released their fifth studio album, a funk-filled collection of tunes they called Rejuvenation. Produced by Allen Toussaint and featuring Ziggy Modeliste on drums and vocals, Art Neville on keyboards and vocals, Leo Nocentelli on guitar, and George Porter Jr on bass, the record has since become a funk classic. Sampled by Public Enemy and with a slew of its songs covered by the likes of Widespread Panic, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dirty Dozen Brass Band and The Grateful Dead (Hey Pocky Way), Rejuvenation made a splash from the get-go. Rock critic Jon Pareles called it “a high point of 1970s funk,” in his review for Rolling Stone.

Fifty years on, Dumpstaphunk — Art Neville’s son Ivan’s band — is throwing a party in honor of this seminal album and we’re all invited. Joining the celebration will be none other than George Porter Jr and Cyril Neville. Dumpstaphunk’s funky pedigree is evident in its “colossal low end and filthy grooves,” as Bass Player magazine put it perfectly. That’s how they like their funk – filthy and bottom-heavy.