It may come as a surprise that the band keeping the Afrobeat torch burning hail from none other than the Lone Star State. Comprised of members of notable Austin acts like Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears, The Calm Blue Sea, Cougar, Ocote Soul Sounds, and the Echocentrics among others, the 10-piece collective known as Hard Proof have been reminding us that the spirit of Fela Kuti is very much alive since 2008. The group is rooted in conjuring relentless, driving grooves that make it impossible to resist dancing along with as they ride down a wave of pure African funk.
On January 13th, 2017, Hard Proof will release their new album Stinger on Modern Outsider Records. On their previous release the band enlisted Spoon’s Jim Eno as producer, and this time around they brought in Chris “Frenchie” Smith, best known for his work with acts such as The Darkness, Built to Spill, Meat Puppets, and the Toadies. The album finds the band simultaneously building upon their heavy Afrobeat sound while showcasing the individual strengths of each musician. One prominent example of this is the song “Trickle Down”, which we are excited to premiere on Glide Magazine today. The track was produced by Austin guitarist Adrian Quesada (Brownout, Grupo Fantasma, Spanish Gold), a fact made clear by the thick, searing guitar solos that levitate and ultimately slice into the layers of funky brass and percussion. After a tempo change somewhere in the middle, the song changes almost entirely, giving way to a swelling trumpet solo that seems to be nodding toward the group’s Latin funk roots. By the end of the nearly six-minute song there is little doubt that the members of Hard Proof are firing on all cylinders.
Speaking on the song, the band says, “This has been a live staple for some time now, and this version comes from a session we did with Adrian Quesada in the producer’s chair. It was tracked at a studio called East Austin Recorders and engineered by Sam Patlove (T-Bird and the Breaks). I believe the title was originally ‘(Money no go) Trickle Down’, which seems a timely idea given the outlook of a certain leadership change in the US.”
LISTEN:
Photo: Stevan Alcala
