The Funky Dozen blends fun and funk to keep people on the dance floor all night long. Led by Larry Thompson, the band focuses primarily on favorites from the 1970s, but also pulls the best from the 80s,90s, and latest hits to provide high energy music people want to move to.
As the name suggests, the band features twelve talented musicians. Part of the band’s strength is their fluid mixture of diversity and experience who bring great infusions of style, helping the band stay true to its roots while it continues to grow and evolve. Twelve members blend to create a powerful sound, melding classic rock guitar, keys and percussion with a horn section to blow the roof off, topped off with male and female vocalists who use their voices as instruments in their own right.
They cite a wide variety of musical influences that span 50 years, including Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind and Fire, Aretha Franklin, KC and the Sunshine Band, Sly and the Family Stone, James Brown, The Isley Bros, Patty Labelle, Bruno Mars, and Meghan Trainor, among others.
The Funky Dozen began ten years ago when a friend convinced Thompson to rejoin the live music scene after ten years as the areas top mobile DJ. Thompson now uses his DJ knowledge to choose truly danceable songs for the Funky Dozen to play.
Current band members include Kristin Chiles, Mary Swehla, Cynthia Ganoung Gouig, and Anthony Neves on vocals; Larry Thompson, guitar; Derek Soderquist, bass; Kimberly Thomas, keyboards; Jon Thomas, drum kit and percussion; Gary Miller, trumpet; Sunny Cordell, tenor sax; and Nick Biondo on baritone sax. . Together, they create a beautiful blend of funk, soul and dance-ability.
