Snarky Puppy has officially confirmed the existence of a new album set to be recorded live before an audience (of only 100 people!) on March 8th at Roanoke, Virginia's Jefferson Center.  A public concert will follow on March 9th. Get tickets HERE.

Snarky Puppy's Family Dinner, Volume 1 will feature Lalah Hathaway, N'dambi, Lucy Woodward, Tony Scherr, Magda Giannikou of Banda Magda, Malika Tirolien, Chantae Cann, and Shayna Steele, in addition to some super secret special guests and - of course - the pups. 

The album/DVD will benefit the Music Lab at Jefferson Center, which provides music facilities and instruments for young people in the community.

"So. Damn. Excited." - Michael League

We all are.

Snarky Puppy's 4-month international tour will span the US, Canada, Europe, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan.

Dates that have been officially announced include:

Join us! Get your tickets here.

Hey Texas and Louisiana, you won't want to miss The Funky Knuckles on their 2013 Kickoff Tour. Let them help you make this year a funky one!

Don Rooke, Hugh Marsh, and Michelle Willis have been nominated for the 2013 Canadian Screen Award (CSA) in the Achievement of Music - Original Score category for Michael McGowan's film, Still Mine.  Still Mine (formerly,Still) premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival and has received seven CSA nominations, including Best Motion Picture, Best Leading Actor, and Best Leading Actress.  The show, hosted by Martin Short, will air live on CBC at 8:00PM on Sunday, March 3, 2013.  

Good luck to Three Metre Day!   

Trumpeter in Snarky Puppy by day, prolific songwriter and vocalist by night (and also by day, I guess), Maz (born Michael Maher) is unleashing his self-titled debut today! That's right. Today. Now. Listen!

http://mazjazz.bandcamp.com

The dude's got soul. And a helluva band. Check out the album credits:

DRUMS: Robert "Sput" Searight (Snarky Puppy, Kirk Franklin), Carlin White (Estelle), Jason Thomas (Roy Hargrove's RH Factor, Marcus Miller), Brian Dunne (Hall & Oates, Bobby Caldwell)

BACKGROUND VOCALS: Candy and Peaches West (Kirk Franklin, Brandi, God's Property), Hildegunn Gjedrem (Bjørkestra)

BASS: Michael League (Snarky Puppy)

GUITAR: Bob Lanzetti (Snarky Puppy)

KEYS: Justin Stanton (Snarky Puppy)

PERCUSSION: Nate Werth (Snarky Puppy) 

Buy it here!

Know who these three incredible Canadians are? Meet 'em now...

Three Metre Day is Toronto's pride and joy on the roots/indy-folk scene, and their absolutely breathtaking album, "Coasting Notes," is now available right here. Comprised of Hugh Marsh (Canada's top improvisational violinist), Don Rooke (famed lap guitarist of The Henry's), and young talent Michelle Willis, this group's debut album has VIBE. Seriously. Listen. And support!

Singer, songwriter, keyboardist, and Berklee vocal faculty Alison Wedding releases her 1st album in FIVE YEARS today on GroundUP Music- This Dance.

Produced by Snarky Puppy founder Michael League, the 11-track record features some of the biggest names in jazz today- Chris Potter, Lionel Loueke, Cory Henry, Theo Bleckmann, Zach Brock, Pete McCann, Henry Hey, and members of Snarky Puppy among others.

Here's Alison's music video for the opening track, "For Will."

Check it out right here. You'll thank us later!

Now at a strong #3 on the ITUNES jazz charts, Snarky Puppy's brand new live DVD/CD "groundUP" is now officially released on their own imprint, GroundUP Music (under Ropeadope Records).

The pre-sale for the album was so successful that we have actually sold out our warehouse supply of copies, which will be restocked by April 12th. If you want the physical package before then, you'll have to either go to your local independent record store or buy one at a show. If you're just looking for the audio, go to ITUNES and buy it right here. Or, if you want your copy to arrive by mail the week of April 12th, order here.

To celebrate its release, here's another track from the album! Enjoy.

It's only been 2 months since the final note was played at Snarky Puppy's live DVD filming and recording in Brooklyn, but the film is being printed/pressed as I type and is now available for pre-sale right here. It's called groundUP, and coincides with the launch of this brand new imprint under the Ropeadope Records label, GroundUP Music.

The band recorded 8 new songs at the still-under-construction Shapeshifter Lab (run by bass icon Matt Garrison) in front of a 40-person audience, live with no overdubs. It featured many additions to the Snarky Puppy family, including organ prodigy Cory Henry, trombonist Andy Hunter, and a string quartet led by violinist Zach Brock.

But perhaps the most interesting thing about the DVD is that it contains, in between each song, interview and travel footage amassed over the last 2 years of touring. In effect, groundUP is more of a film than a live concert. It serves as a snapshot of what it's like to push a creative project forward in today's tumultuous music industry- from unbelievably taxing cross-continental van rides to packed theaters to hole-in-the-wall gigs filled with excited music listeners, life on the road is portrayed in a very interesting light.

Available for pre-sale right here.

Orders ship on March 20.

The band will be launching its first international tour (United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and France) to promote groundUP during March, April, May, and June.

Tour dates can be found here.

Any other info you could ever want about Snarky Puppy can be found here:

Facebook / Twitter / Reverbnation / Official Blog

Brooklyn, NY. 1/18/12.

Although GroundUP Music officially launches on February 28 (in conjunction with the release of Snarky Puppy's new DVD), things are moving along very quickly already for us.

Hildegunn Gjedrem released "Share Your Secret" with us this month, marked by a New Year's Eve appearance on E! Entertainment Television. Listen and/or buy it here. She also debuted her first music video for the track "Warrior Song."

Maz is putting the finishing touches on his debut album this week at the beautiful Atlantic Sound Studio in Brooklyn, New York. The record features several members of Snarky Puppy, as well as gospel vocal icons Candy and Peaches West, legendary keyboardist Bobby Sparks, and a special guest appearance from Hildegunn Gjedrem.

Snarky Puppy is in the midst of preparing for their longest and farthest reaching tour to date- a 3 month run across the entire North American continent as well as their first trip to England, Scotland, and France.  Dates can be found here. They will be releasing their fifth album, another live DVD not-so-coincidentally called "Ground Up," with a concert at bassist Matt Garrison's Brooklyn performance space, Shapeshifter Lab on Tuesday, February 28th. This is a joint album release/label launch for us here at GroundUP Music. Tickets and info are available here. To keep up with the latest Snarky Puppy news, join their mailing list here or like them on Facebook. Here's a redux of the previously recorded "Ready Wednesday" at the Jefferson Center for the Arts in Roanoke, VA, featuring special guest Little John Roberts on drums.

The Funky Knuckles will be making their first trip outside of Dallas' cozy confines, supporting Snarky Puppy at their shows in Boston at Cafe 939's Red Room (2/27) and New York City at Shapeshifter Lab (2/28). Their debut album, "As of Lately," is done being mastered and will go off to production this month!

Thanks so much for listening. More news next Monday!

-Michael and the GroundUP posse

Brooklyn, NY. 12/27/11.

Genre-bending instrumental ensemble Snarky Puppy has teamed up with Ropeadope Records to form GroundUP Music, a new label under the Philadelphia-based company's imprint.

According to Snarky Puppy bandleader and GroundUP president Michael League, the label is being set up as an oasis for artists in the ever-changing world of independent music. "Our goals are to keep music business away from the music, empower each artist with the tools they need to successfully tour and sell records on the road, and match each group with their ideal listening audience," says League. "GroundUP is outwardly independent of restrictions on genre, style, or geography. The basic ethos of the label is that if it sounds good, people will listen."

Ropeadope founder and head of A&R Andy Hurwitz adds: "Michael League is part of the foundation of new musicians taking the baton passed down by the ropeadope jazz innovators like Charlie Hunter, Steven Bernstien, and John Medeski. We love everything he does and have full faith in him as a leader of his band, and his own imprint".

GroundUP Music will officially launch with the pre-release of Snarky Puppy's much-anticipated new CD/DVD at the end of February. The first releases on the label alongside Snarky Puppy will come from Dallas groove heavyweights Funky Knuckles, Norwegian vocalist Hildegunn Gjedrem, and New York City-based songwriter Alison Wedding.