Porterhouse Deepens the Funk with "Thumbs Up" to Tye North

BOULDER, Colo. (Oct. 15, 2001) -- In its ceaseless quest to deepen the already undeniable funk of his sizzling quartet, Porterhouse has recruited former Leftover Salmon bassist Tye North to co-anchor the rhythm section on tour the band's acclaimed Lauan Records debut, Thumbs Up, Little Buddy enters national release.

Since departing renowned “Polyethnic Cajun Slamgrass" favorites Leftover Salmon last year, North has been playing with Comotion (featuring members of String Cheese Incident and Leftover Salmon) and Theory of Everything while based in Porterhouse's home town, Portland, Ore. North and Porterhouse mastermind Joey Porter immediately clicked when they happened to sit in one night with The Motet.

“Tye sees we're a band that gives him a lot of room to improvise and lend him a voice," says keyboardist Porter. “Porterhouse is a way for him to be more creative and express himself."

Porterhouse will be playing it meaty, greasy and hot with North on a six-week Western tour that kicks off the Oct. 30 release of Thumbs Up, Little Buddy, which harkens back to the original early '70s explosion of the rocking fusion of jazz and funk in the wake of Miles Davis' landmark Bitches Brew. Porterhouse will lay down a heavy groove through Colorado for the final two weeks of the tour, including a visit to Boulder, where Lauan is based and where North began his remarkable journey with Leftover Salmon.

Picked up for national release by Lauan after seizing the attention of “The Jamband Label" as an independent effort, Thumbs Up, Little Buddy has since been praised by “Jazz Weekly" ("a winning disc") and All About Jazz, among others. Thumbs Up, Little Buddy was hailed by “The Vermont Review" as “an amazingly produced foray into the world of horn inflected, Hammond B-3, massively syncopated and always polyrhythmic dance-til-you-drop grooves."

“We jam, but we jam like jazz musicians," says Porter. “We play real funk, with that heavy pocket that only works when there's a little bit of anger behind it. James Brown had it. And so did Sly Stone. With Tye, we feel Porterhouse has it more than ever before. And we're still doing it without using guitars."

North will also appear on several tracks on Porterhouse's next powerhouse album, expected to be released by Lauan in the spring. Porterhouse has been on the road most of the summer and early fall, and has opened for the likes of Maceo Parker, Parliament Funkadelic, Galactic and John Scofield.

Expect nothing short of a funky good time with Porterhouse on the following dates:
Oct. 19: Mt. Tabor Theater, Portland, OR
Oct. 20: Mojo's, Ashland, OR

With Tye North on bass:
Nov. 8: Tractor Tavern, Seattle, WA
Nov. 9: Mt. Tabor Theater, Portland, OR
Nov. 18: Sweetwater, Mill Valley, CA
Nov. 21: Berbatti's Pan, Portland, OR
Nov. 29: The Blue Heron, Missoula, MT
Nov. 30: Dire Wolf, Whitefish, MT
Dec. 5: Half Moon Saloon, Vail, CO