Last Friday, March 29, giants of groove and funk Ghost-Note shared their psychedelic soul "kissed" bop, "Grandma's Curtains (Ft. Eric Gales)," off of their forthcoming third studio album "Mustard n'Onions," out April 19.
Led by Snarky Puppy's multi-Grammy-winning duo, comprising drummer-keyboardist Robert Sput Searight and percussionist Nate Werth, the musical act's "Mustard n'Onions" project marks their first LP in six years alongside being an inaugural band release for Mack Avenue Music Group/Artistry Music.
The record's vinyl format will be offered as a Record Store Day exclusive 2-LP set, printed on a limited edition orange and yellow 100% recyclable mix vinyl.
Behind Ghost-Note's 'Grandma's Curtains' And 'Mustard n'Onions'
Taking heavy inspiration from some of his '70s soul role models-like the Tower of Power, Sly and the Family Stone, and Parliament-Funkadelic-Sput wrote the single to closely invoke the same stank face-inducing soundscape of his favorites.
In execution, the song employs godlike guitar work from blues-rock veteran Eric Gales and is essentially tuned to fever-pitch funk, mixed with sweet vibes, and rounded off with a healthy serving of nostalgia.
"When this music was being created in the '70s," Sput recalls, "I was pulling at my grandma's curtains when she was babysitting me, 'cause I wanted to look out the window."
Joining Sput's "funk Avengers" are some of groove music's greatest, including a performance from the late R&B and jazz hero Bernard Wright, who unfortunately passed away last 2022. Wright himself graced three tracks in the upcoming album, marking his final recording appearances.
Other guest musicians featured on "Mustard n'Onions" include Karl Denson, founding Robert Glasper Experiment member Casey Benjamin, Snarky Puppy standouts Mark Lettieri and Jay Jennings, pedal-steel luminary Travis Toy, electric-bass GOAT Marcus Miller, and the group's innovative bass player MonoNeon, who co-wrote the project's lead single: "Bad Knees."
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Ghost-Note's Start as an Ensemble
It has since been over a decade after Sput and Werth sparked what would become today's funk overlords, Ghost-Note, after developing a close-knit musical kinship amid their gigs in the Texas-based fusion mainstay Snarky Puppy.
Now, the band is gearing up to share their "ascension" to form through "Mustard n'Onions," showing the beautiful growth of the ensemble and their eventual breakthrough identity-wise.
This is a welcome development, as during their 2018 release of "Swagism, Sput said they were still finding out what they're "gonna sound like," saying, "We didn't have a sound."
In contrast, Sput described their more individualistic sonic quality in the forthcoming record as thanks to the band members' "camaraderie and chemistry" that built up over countless gigs. This is exemplified by every member having at least one writing credit on the record.
Under Sput's guidance as the group's primary writer and de facto musical director, he is now shaping Ghost-Note's music for and with his bandmates.
"Mustard n'Onions" is now available for pre-save and pre-order by clicking here.
As for "Grandma's Curtains (Ft. Eric Gales)," you can listen to it below.
