Crescent City Funk: Dumpstaphunk / Cha Wa

Dumpstaphunk is simply one of the funkiest bands out of the Crescent City. Born on the Jazz & Heritage Festival stage, and composed of Neville and Meters family bloodlines, the group ignites deep, gritty grooves that keep audiences on their feet. Alongside Tony Hall, Nick Daniels, Alex Wasily, John Michael Bradford and Deven Trusclair, cousins Ivan and Ian Neville have built upon their family’s iconic New Orleans legacy as they’ve transformed Dumpstaphunk into the city’s pre-eminent 21st-century funk-fusion ensemble.

New Orleans brass band-meets-Mardi Gras Indian outfit Cha Wa radiates the energy of the city’s street culture. Their joyous music distills generations of New Orleans expression, and their name comes from a traditional Mardi Gras Indian shout. The ensemble is a new chapter in that tradition that celebrates African and Native American heritage, expanding it by incorporating second line brass, hip-hop and sweet soul music. PopMatters describes Cha Wa as “a grand gumbo of singing, intoxicating rhythms, and deep funk grooves that are impossible to resist.”