Originally written for and published by Texas Lifestyle Magazine đ
Mama K & The Shades are definitely a local must-see with their jazz-soul-R&B-funk combo of high-energy sound of a 10-piece band you have to see to believe. If youâre a night owl, catch them on the SXSW schedule: Maggie Maeâs Rooftop Bar on March 15 and Half Step on March 18, both at 1 AM.
Mama K & The Shades have been together for almost three years and range from ages 22 to 62. Lead singer Kelsey Garcia says that they are much more than âjust bandmates.â
âIt seems like weâve known each other foreverâweâre family,â she said. âWeâve been playing together for long enough now that weâve really developed our own true sound. Weâll always be influenced by 70âs and 80âs funk, but weâre not a replica; weâre our own thing entirely.â
Who exactly is this dime? Well, the vocalists are the leading âand onlyâ lady Kelsey Garcia and Willie Barnes. The instrumentalists consist of: Johnny Storbeck (guitar), David Thacker (keyboard), Lee Braverman (bass), Chris Barnes (drums), Wesley Gonzales (percussion), Joseph Morrow (trumpet and flugelhorn), Dustin Hunter (tenor and baritone sax), and Donald McDaniel (trombone). Whew. Yeahâitâs a lot. Which meansâbig sound! Big sound does not always mean great sound, but in this case, it truly does. Somehow, they make ten people on a stage look and sound like every band should follow suit.
Their first album, âHoney Made,â is dedicated to David McKnight, their original sax player who passed away two years ago. Their second album is in the works and will be out next year.
âHe was the creator of the band, my best friend, and roommate,â Garcia said. âWhenever something was going really well, he used to always say, âOoooh thatâs honey made!â [hence the album title]. Those were big shoes to fill, and we went without a sax player for a long time, but Dustin is incredible.â
If youâll be at home avoiding the SXSW craziness this year, theyâre also really excited to open for Big Freedia and The Soul Rebels at Mohawk on April 1. Or hey, need a vacation? Mama K & The Shades will be heading to Denver for their first out-of-state gig and the start of their first tour April 20! You get itâyou have a ton of opportunities to check out these awesome local artists on their race to the top of the charts.
âEveryoneâs passion is the music,â said Garcia, âand we just love sharing that with whoever we can.â