(March _, 2020) Go-Go music is one of Washington, D.C.’s enduring cultural gifts. Go-Go is, in fact, The District’s official music, and that’s saying something considering that Washington is also the birth place of Duke Ellington.
Go-Go’s impact is felt far beyond the boundaries of the DMV. People in all points of the nation grooved to the percussive bounce of Go-Go while bustin’ loose to Chuck Brown, droppin’ the bomb with Trouble Funk and doin’ da butt with E-U. Go-Go encompassed elements of jazz, funk, rock, hip-hop and R&B with a trampoline level bounce of Afro-Caribbean percussion in a sound that dared you to remain a wall flower.
So, it is not a surprise that a group like the self-described funk-jazz-soul-hip-hop-psychedelic-jam-experimental band Lettuce also drew inspiration from bands such as Big Tony Fisher of Trouble Funk and Rare Essence’s Tyrone “Jungle Boogie” Williams.
Lettuce, a powerhouse instrumental band in its own right that earned a Grammy nomination for their 2019 album Elevate, has dropped “Checker Wrecker,” the opening single from their upcoming album Resonate. “Checker Wrecker” features Fisher and Williams as two very special guests on the song and video that feature concert and back-stage footage.
“We all grew up bumpin’ late 80s hip-hop and didn’t realize until later we were listening to samples of Go-Go bands like Trouble Funk and Rare Essence,” according to Lettuce drummer Adam Deitch. “To get Big Tony Fisher and Tyrone ‘Jungle Boogie,’ Williams in the video is epic for us.” Check out the video for “Checker Wrecker” here.
By Howard Dukes
“Checker Wrecker”
