Menahan Street Band – The Crossing

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Menahan Street Band – “The Crossing”
The Crossing

Menahan Street Band released a very successful debut album, Make the Road by Walking, on Daptone Records back in 2008. The album became a modern day sampling sensation as Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Kid Cudi, Curren$y and others rapped over Menahan Street Band’s tight grooves. The band invested wisely after their debut and built their own studio to record their sophomore effort in. Between recording and touring as Menahan Street Band, they backed Charles “The Screaming Eagle of Soul” Bradley on his No Time For Dreaming record. They have since become the official house band for Brooklyn-based Dunham Records, an offshoot of Daptone run by Thomas Brenneck of Menahan Street Band. Now the Brooklyn collective has released The Crossing, confirming their place among the best instrumental soul / funk acts around today.

The core of the group features members of the Budos Band, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Antibalas and El Michels Affair. Co-founder Thomas Brenneck is a multi-instrumentalist who plays guitar, bass, drums, organ and piano on The Crossing. The band includes Homer Steinweiss (drums), Nick Movshon (bass, drums), Mike Deller (piano, organ), Dave Guy (trumpet), Leon Michels (tenor sax, piano, organ, congas, flute) and special guests from the Dunham / Daptone family. The pedigree of these musicians is top notch and the experience they’ve gained from their other projects results in a more refined approach on The Crossing. This is retro soul music that isn’t stuck in the past. The mixing of the album may make it sound vintage, but that’s because it’s full of depth and punch like the classic Stax / Volt recordings of the 60s & 70s, which are timeless. This band sounds capable of anything and The Crossing is the sophomore effort you were looking for.

Listen to “The Crossing” above and watch the video for “Lights Out” below. Celebrate The Crossing with Menahan Street Band at their Manhattan Release Party on December 17th at The Bowery Hotel.