Sophistafunk’s own shorthand for what they do is “Rage Against the Machine meets The Roots, dipped in P-Funk” — which sounds like something a critic invented to avoid picking a lane, except it’s exactly right. Drummer Emanuel Washington brings a gospel and deep-house foundation to grooves that other drummers would oversimplify. Keyboardist Adam Gold plays four vintage keyboards simultaneously, sometimes while beatboxing. Frontman Jack Brown carries conscious messaging with the kind of clarity that reminds you rap has always been about saying something. When all of that locks in together, you stop trying to classify it. Funksgiving, the night before Thanksgiving, is where Rochester gets to feel it.
About the Show
Sophistafunk is a Syracuse-based ensemble whose music spans funk, hip-hop, electronic grooves, and jam-band energy, with the explicit aim of blending genres as an analogy for unity. Their festival résumé runs from Electric Forest and Camp Bisco in the U.S. to BoomTown and Shambala in the UK, and the band has built followings from New England to the Pacific Northwest, New York to New Orleans. Their television footprint is equally wide: they’ve appeared twice on Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-ins & Dives,” served as the house band for four episodes of “Guy’s Grocery Games,” and joined the regular cast of “Guy’s Ultimate Game Night.” All of it flows from a relationship with Guy Fieri that also took them to his private events and to the Super Bowl in Tempe, Arizona.
Opening the night is Rochester hip-hop artist Noah Fense, performing as Noah Fense & The Electric Field in what the Eventbrite listing calls a live band debut. Fense is as much a scene-builder as a performer: he founded the Foresee Collective and created “The Pop-Off!” concert series, which paired hip-hop artists and DJs with live painting and art vendors. He brings sharp lyricism and creative independence to a catalog spanning introspective and energetic releases, and he has played Photo City Music Hall before, including an album release. DJ Ease rounds out the bill on turntables.
Venue & Logistics
Photo City Music Hall at 543 Atlantic Ave in Rochester holds 400 people. For a band that regularly plays festival stages and Super Bowl events, that compression is the point. The show is 18+; doors open at 7:00 p.m. with music at 8:00 p.m.
Tickets
Tickets are $25. Buy tickets