Biography
The Hot Grits cover the stylistic ground between deep funk, soul and afrobeat, from Meters -style Struts to superfast deep funk assaults to churning afrobeat soul. The overall Hot Grits sound is funky and sweet, but always energetic and never too smooth. The aim is to get people moving, and The Hot Grits definitely succeed at that…
THG kicked off in May of 2002 as a one-off gig for a party at the infamous Kings of ParnHell Mansion. The product of three rehearsals, good old enthusiasm and no small amount of alcohol, THG's first gig was a massive success. The response of the packed room that night was such that any notions of THG being a once-only proposition were quickly banished.
In the year since that first gig, The Hot Grits have grown into a powerhouse funk and afrobeat outfit, capable of creating havoc on any dancefloor. When THG hit their stride, no-one in the room is immune from the power and sheer soulful funkiness of their groove, and band and audience become one in a giant, convulsing testament to the power of good funk music.
THG have packed out Auckland's best venues, including Galatos, Cardiac, the Wintergarden Theatre and Rakinos. Highlights have included headlining 'Popcorn' and 'Knees Up' club nights in the Galatos main venue, playing to several thousand people at 95bfm's Summer Series concert in Albert Park, bringing the house down at the Wintergarden theatre during the AK03 festival and rocking Myers Park at Funk Superbowl 2005. Monthly slots at Galatos, Safari Lounge and Rakinos have further built THG's reputation as an unmissable live act.
As well as taking on the local live scene, THG has recorded live-to-air performances for 95bfm's New Zealand music week, and performed live on the 'Space', 'Sports Cafe' and 'Coast' television shows. After hitting the studio in October 2003, THG released 'Mild Thing' to 95bfm, where it recieved high rotate airplay, and stayed in the listener-voted top 10 for nine weeks, peaking at number two.
The current Hot Grits lineup consists of no fewer than ten very talented musicians from such varied backgrounds as jazz, hardcore, metal, reggae, hip hop and big band. Daniel Ward holds the whole operation together with his supple breakbeat drumming, abetted by the fat, soulful bass of Marlon Lobo. Nick Wood rounds out the rhythm section on percussion, giving a thick rhythmic drive to the band's powerhouse engine room. Martin Sutcliffe keeps everything tight and funky on guitar, and Marc Johnstone's keys bed everything down in a warm hammond glow. Glen Cossey adds fluid saxophone lines to the power trombone of James A'Hara and the punchy trumpet of Andy Watts. Atop this veritable mountain of funkiness ride the Hot Grits' two vocalists, Barnie Duncan and Elitia Clark. Barnie is an incendiary performer who can push a crowd (and himself) to the absolute limits of funkiness and Elitia provides both sensual soul and sheer power.
Future plans for THG include another visit to the studio, with a record release planned for the second quarter of 2005. This will be followed by festival and headline gigs, and nationwide touring. As always, the aim remains simple: to bring great funk and afrobeat music to the people.
Lineup:
Uncle Barnie: Lead Vocals
Elitia Clark: Lead Vocals
Jim A'Hara: Trombone
Shaun O'Kane : Tenor Saxophone
Ben McNicoll: Baritone Saxophone
Marc Johnstone: Keyboards
Martin Sutcliffe: Guitar
Marlon Lobo: Bass
Alistair Deverick : Drums
Nick Wood: Percussion
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