The GroovaLottos Musician - All About Jazz

Updated: August 22, 2022

Active since: March 14, 2011

SEVEN THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE GROOVALOTTOS

1. The GroovaLottos are a soul-funk jam band, formed in 2009 by veteran touring and studio session players and singers; who’s resumes included Motown, Wilson Pickett, Rufus Thomas, Howlin’ Wolf, and Angie Stone. Now, as a merry band of frontmen, they turn every show into a party, and every party into a revival.

2. The band is built around a prescribed musical philosophy and work ethic, allowing for personnel changes without sacrificing quality.

3. The band loves playing festivals and concerts, but smaller venues where they can engage and interact with the audience are their favorite types of gigs.

4. The current line up consists of core members: Mwalim, keyboards & vocals; Chuck V., bass, guitar, and vocals; and The ZYG 808, drums, percussion, vibraphone, and vocals. Also in the crew is vocalist & percussionist, Shadowmaster; and bassist, Richard Johnson.

5. Their 2016 debut single “Do You Mind…?” spent 41 weeks in the top ten of the Indie Blues/Americana charts. Their debut album, “Ask Yo’ Mama” earned 4 Grammy nominations in Pop and R&B in one year and 2 nominations in Rock and R&B the following year.

6. The current drummer, The ZYG 808 was the star pupil of the band’s founding drummer, the late Eddie Ray Johnson.

7. The GroovaLottos are looking to work with and produce other artists in various genres. They are the house session band, and staff producers for Polyphonic Studios in Buzzard’s Bay Massachsetts, owned by band keyboardist, Mwalim.

WORKSHOPS & RESIDENCIES:

Master classes in performance and band development. Professional development workshops for elementary and secondary school music teachers. After-school bands and ensembles with middle and high school musicians. Professional development workshops for aspiring and early career musicians. Master classes in songwriting and music production. For non-profit organizations within the New England States (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut), the GroovaLottos are on the NEFA Touring Roster. There are NEST (New England State Touring) funds are available to help with the costs of programming. For more info, visit www.creativeground.org

The band, along with some friends formed Song Keepers, LTD (SKL), a non-profit 501c3, professional arts and education organization. The mission of Song Keepers is to preserve and continue traditional and contemporary Native American music, including soul, funk and the blues. The organization engages in such community activities as Alcohol-Free concerts and dances in community spaces, as well as music and media education programs with schools and community programs for youth and adults. Song Keepers is currently working with the Mashpee Public Schools and Indian Education program to develop and after-school jazz band for middle and high school students.

'Boom Bu-Cha' Launches The Groovalottos Into The World Of Afrobeats

Source: Mwalim DaPhunkee Professor
August 29, 2022

The GroovaLottos boldly thump into the global, Afrobeats arena with their new single, “Boom Bu-Cha” and forthcoming album (Polyphonic Studios Records). True to Groovalotto form, “Boom Bu-Cha” is a fun and funky adventure in romance, delving beyond the physical into the dreams, plans and goals of a potential lover. Known primarily as a retro soul-funk band, Afrobeats has been a part of The GroovaLottos live set since the beginning, with the influences of Fela Kuti and Hugh Masakala sneaking through. ...
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Recording

Folks Can't Seem To Stay Out Of 'Mama's Hamper'

Source: Mwalim DaPhunkee Professor
June 1, 2022

Powerhouse New England-based soul-funk jam band, The GroovaLottos, laces us with Mama's Hamper – Pure Phunk (Polyphonic Studios Records, 2021) their latest self-produced. This time around, the band let their fans play the role of A&R. Each song on the album was selected based on a survey of fans, asking their favorite songs from shows and the band’s first album, “Ask Yo’ Mama”. While their first album earned six Grammy nominations in total, the band explains that the project was ...
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"A Few moments into their show and it is obvious that these gentlemen play with their souls instead of their hands; and this was going to be an experience." - Michelle McGruder - Black Ice Entertainment

"If your band had a Saturday morning cartoon, what would the theme song be? If you were present for a bar- fight, what would be playing in the background? Can you describe your band's show in six words? How do you describe your relationship with your soulmate?

The first four songs on The GroovaLottos album, "MAMA's HAMPER - Pure Phunk", are their answers to these questions. The album is the result of a survey of GroovaLottos fans, asking them to name their favorite, original songs from the band's performances. The top eight selections ended up on the album. "We let the fans be our A&R directors for this one," explained GroovaLotto drummer and Polyphonic Studios staff engineer, The ZYG 808." - A.A. Cristi in Broadway World

"The music on Ask Yo’ Mama is unapologetically old school. The instruments, arrangements and production values have the feel of the kind of music that came out of labels such as Stax throughout the 1960s and 70s. Lyrically ad thematically, the tunes are throwbacks as well. Many of the tracks contain, such as “Do You Mind (ifwedancewithyodates)” sport cultural references to 60s and 70s pop culture and music. The line, ‘do you mind if we dance with yo’ dates,’ comes from the famous Otis Day and the Knights scene in the 1978 film “Animal House.” The track is driven by Mwalim’s 1960s soul-jazz work on the electric organ, and finds the trio singing in harmony and telling a story of a guy offering to show a woman a good time on the dance floor (and possibly elsewhere) that her male suitor is apparently unable to.

Funky story telling proves to be The GroovaLottos’ forte throughout Ask Yo’ Mama, such as on the blues inspired track “Just Friend Blues,” where Mwalim tries to convince his woman not to leave by explaining that the quartet of other women with which he constantly finds himself in compromising situations are just friends. “Didn’t mean to do it darlin’/But, she put a gun to my head/I guess when you kicked open the door/It must’ve fallen under the bed.”

“Temple of the Sacred Clown” finds Mwalim adding a touch of psychedelic funk along with a dash of jazz improvisation to his piano playing on track that tells the story of a trickster that makes people see things that may or may not exist. Mwalim wrote all 16 songs and skits heard on Ask Yo’ Mama, but one cut, “Dem Big Girls,” made its first appearance on The Liberation Sessions. That track, an homage to watching full- figured women move on the dance floor, which is a fusion of dancehall and jazz, is about twice as long as the original version.

My generation danced, played spades and bid whist and did a little belly rubbing off music that sounded just like this, and the highest praise for this album of new songs is that it kind of makes you want to do those same old things. Recommended."

By Howard Dukes @ Soultracks.com

"... Opening track “Ever So Close” is made of different sections, and each one is cool. First, it’s a sparkling keyboard diamond. Then there is soulful coos and crooning over a lot of fine funk style drumming and smooth bass runs. It’s certainly an engaging piece in the way all of its soul music approaches dovetail into something that reaches the listener on a personal level while delighting the ear.

... Title track “Ask Yo Mama” lets the Groovalottos return to laying down more of their fine soul music. Their vocals are honey smooth. Their danceable beat is infectious, made up of several drum fills that give the bass guitar a jungle gym to climb over. Keyboards dive in and become a melodic rollercoaster while two different choruses overlap into a hip clever bit of vocal interplay.

... “Do You Mind (If We Dance With Your Dates)” is light soul pop. High harmony vocals over pulsating organs and drums become good catchy fun. Once the listener gets beyond their comedic lyrics, he can appreciate the multitude of rushing organ notes and chords that do their own funky dance of sound."

by Bill Copeland for billcopelandmusicnews.com

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