Hailing from the purple city, Minneapolis, MN, The Sweatband gladly takes part in the revolution to keep the funk-rock Minneapolis sound alive and well, something that one of their influences Prince helped create. The group was founded by nationally touring contemporary jazz saxophonist Danny Q who was once touted as the next generation David Sanborn by fellow musicians and was rejuvenating smooth jazz according to smoothjazz.com. But after 5 years of touring and numerous top 5 singles on the smooth jazz charts, he left the scene to pursue his true love of funk and rock. He assembled a superb cast of all Minnesota-based musicians including core members Scott Muellenberg (bass), Ke’Andre Mack (drums) and Jimmy Bayard (guitar). Collectively their resume has put them on stage with the biggest artists in music such as Robert Randolph, Eric Gales, The Petersons, Marva King, NPG, Judith Jill, Shelby J, and Alexander O’Neil. They’ll quickly have your body moving and your head beading with sweat with their combination of feel-good funk, heavy grooves and high-voltage rock n’ roll with just the right amount of throwback (chucks, tracksuit and tape desk not required but strongly recommended). The Sweatband debuted at world-renowned Minneapolis venue First Ave on the main stage in April 2019, opening for a bluegrass band, KindCountry, completely captivating the packed house and leaving them literally shouting for more (“funk me hard!” – man in the front row). Their debut album Sweating 2ThaFunk was released on October 31, 2019, and has quickly captured the attention of fans and fellow musicians. The 10-track album features two special guest vocalists: Minnesota native Julius Collins who was the vocalist in the band Greazy Meal and also worked with Prince and Portland keyboardist/singer Swatkins who most notably tours with Allen Stone. Other special guests include Instagram musician/influencer Jemma Heigis on keyboards and Minneapolis-based keyboardist Sam Rosenstone. The group is planning on touring starting spring/summer of 2020.

Notable performances:

Clearwater Jazz Festival (Opening for Sheila E & Morris Day)

Jazz Legacy Foundation

Jazz On The Vine

Selby Jazz Festival (Headliner)

Little Apple Jazz Festival (Headliner)

Twin Cities Jazz Festival (Headliner)

Jazz At The Creek (Headliner)

Industry Quotes:

“Sounds like a mashup of Zapp and ConFunkShun, with a touch of P-Funk to boot”

– Soultracks.com

“What a fantastic sax player!”

– Soulandfunkmusic.com

“One of the best shows we’ve ever had”

– Perfect Note Jazz Club (Birmingham, AL)