Sammyfunk Release Debut Album-We Are Sammyfunk
Today a new beacon of hope has been birthed. The debut album from Sammyfunk – aptly titled We Are Sammyfunk – has arrived on digital platforms across the globe. Led by eccentric rock n’ roll front-man Sammy T. Taylor the album is expansive despite its relatively short track of list of 8 songs. With the album’s release, the Spanish quartet (plus a man in a cheap monkey suit), have shared an animated video for the album’s third single, “Cockney Gangster,” which transports The Pussycats to a Kray twins pub in East London. Watch + share the video here.
Discussing the single Taylor notes, “‘Cockney Gangster’ was recorded to sound like a mid-90’s Britpop stomper (a genre I’m a huge fan of). The verses mimic a schoolyard style teasing rhyme, with their simple repeating melody and aloof young man arrogance. In all honesty, the chorus was an excuse (I hope) to yell the word ‘cock!’ on the radio. Of course it is only the first half of the word ‘cockney’.. but the way the word is split up by a whole 4 beat long bar of music, it comes out as ‘cock-(2..3..4..)-ney! Gangster!’ Cock-genius. And totally dumb at the same time. It’s more silly good times from Sammyfunk. But this time with louder guitars. And a rude word.”
The son of another eccentric front-man and Spanish music legend – a fact Sammy did not discover until he was 30 years old – about a decade ago Sammy thought ‘oh ok, fuck it’ and moved to his father’s home country to find and form a ‘great rock n roll band’. The Seville based rock ‘supergroup’ was called Los Labios (The Lips).
Sammy was highly praised in particular for his live performances with Los Labios, indeed it was enough to quickly persuade Lenny Kravitz, who saw him perform live at a mutual friend’s birthday party, to invite his band to record their first (and only) album in is multi-million dollar private studio in the Bahamas in 2016. The first act to ever do so except for Lenny himself. They remain friendly to this day, and the Sammyfunk album was produced by one of Lenny’s musicians and closest friends Yianni Giannakopoulos, and mixed back in Lenny’s studio by Craig Ross, L.K.’s lead guitarist/producer for the last 30 years.
“‘We Are Sammyfunk’ was recorded in parts, over nearly 2 years in studios in LA, London, Spain and the Bahamas. Despite its 8 songs and relatively short running time it bounces around musical genres in an almost lunatic way – 2 funk songs, 2 country songs, 2 Britpop songs, a Bowie tribute, and a pop song about a Spanish Gypsy girl obsessed with hip-hop. Yes, there is a rap in that one. It’s a total genre clusterf**k, but that’s exactly the way I planned it,” continues Taylor.
“Each song on the record is sung by a totally different ‘character,’ even accents are changed freely (screw it, I say- it’s only rock n roll..) After being ‘trapped’ in a straight-up rock band for most of last decade, with this record I wanted to show some of the different sides of me as a writer/performer, some of my different vocal styles, and my eclectic music genre fandoms. Be thankful there’s no death metal on there though, cause I like that too! Hmmm ..maybe on Sammyfunk II tho…..?”…
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