Cam Gallagher & The Tasty Soul Are Set To Release New Music
The Funkiest Band in All the Land Has a New Single Ready to Launch Called ‘Mr.Fly’
I’d say that Cam Gallagher is at it again, but the truth is this dude never stops. I often read about or see the moniker “The Hardest Worker in Showbiz” tied to an artist, and I can honestly say that I have met that someone personally. I first saw Cam play with a southern rock band, and then a soul band and a jazz band, then with operatic band and most recently at a rock/punk show. Oh, by the way, he is a saxophone player. This guy is so versatile that he can play across any genre of music and fit the part. And let me just say that calling him just a saxophone player is very limiting to the full description of what Cam brings to the Nashville music scene.
First off, it would seem that I was stalking Cam at this point, because at every show I go to, he appears. Wait, is he stalking me? I just want it to be known that if anything should happen to me a copy of this goes to every news outlet in the area 😊. That last show that I was at featured Lombardy, Bad Bad Luck and The Criticals at Skinny Dennis and as I arrived, I heard a voice from out of the shadows say “Jason?!” Then lurking (okay, maybe not lurking) outside the venue, the tall, good looking, very talented musician (now, it sounds like I am stalking him) appeared. I knew that he was friends with Lombardy guitarist/vocalist Johnathan Plevyak so I figured he was there as a spectator. However, there is no onlooking when it comes to Mr. Gallagher. If you see him out in the field, he is surely there to work. On this night, he and a few of his bandmates from The Tasty Soul were about to rip into a cover of ‘Bulls on Parade’ by Rage against the Machine with Lombardy. Per usual, it was incredible.
On top of playing with every single band in Music City, Cam puts most of his time and energy into Cam Gallagher & The Tasty Soul. The ensemble is a funk collective that specializes in high-voltage live showcases influenced by the likes of James Brown, The RH Factor and Lettuce, but there are no limitations to what the crew can accomplish. Cam’s role is not just a player, but he is also an arranger, composer, and band leader. CG&TTS just got back from a string of shows out in Los Angeles and now they are turning their attention back into the studio with a new single that is called ‘Mr. Fly’. They have also produced a series of tracks for a project called ‘Jam in the Van’. I am proud to say that Cam entrusted me with early copies of both ventures. So, without further rambling, let’s get into it.
I asked the young musician about Jam in the Van and this is what told us at Rock Oracle, “Jam in the Van was a YouTube platform I had been watching for years. It actually was where I came to discover some of my favorite artists like Marcus King, Big Sam, Cory Henry, and a multitude of others. It was a bucket listmusical accolade I hoped to achieve. Jam in the Van is a platform similar to Tiny Desk, lots of musicians, a confined space, and a raw, authentic sound. I feel that’ssomething my group thrives in.” Thriving and tightly (literally) jamming is exactly what the group does. The release of the Jam in the Van is scheduled for July 2nd, but the boys were gracious enough to give me a raw recording of what went down, and it is a dopamine rush of grooves.
What did that line-up look like for you and the Tasty Soul during the Jam in the Van recording?
It was me, Vincent Bonelli on Guitar, Sam Spheeris – Bass, Jacob Yim – Alto Sax, Johney Green – Trombone, Tierney Sage – Drums, Elijah Aaron – Vocals and Josh Britt on the Keys. Here’s a fun story about Josh also. We had never met, nor played with Josh until the day of the session. Our original keys players, John Lawrie and Hayden Thomas, were unavailable a week or so before the recording session, so I made some calls to friends based in LA and they referred Josh. We met him when we pulled up to the session. It was literally 30 minutes before we recorded, and he actually plays on the exact same keyboard as John. He did his homework, helearned all the songs, learned both Hayden and John’s parts by ear, and added his own flair. He is a great player and truly an amazing, super humble human. He fit in seamlessly, and I am so thrilled to have him as part of our crazy, nationwide funk family. [Laughs]
The recording starts with the newest track titled ‘Mr. Fly’ which drops on June 18th. The soul stirring cavalcade of hip tones is unequivocally the height of all things funky. It has the vibe of ‘Shaft’ but with jazzier overtones that make me want to believe that the van almost flipped over during the recording. At the beginning of the file that I was sent you can hear Cam giving direction to the newest addition of the group, Josh Britt. “Close your eyes and picture yourself at a sold out show at Madison Square Garden and you’ve done a Scarface amount of cocaine”. That pretty much tells you the energy that Cam wants from his players sans the actually powder.
That bassline and guitar that opens the jam tells you everything you need to know about this group. They are here to show you a good time, and their music encourages you to get up and move. A meticulously timed drumbeat backs it all and joins the smooth vocalization of Elijah, and the hypnotic melody of the rhythm carries the ear into an infectious space. Jive is the foundation from which this song sprouts, and then the horns take over to build another level. Pulses of brass and those pushing woodwinds lead an army of sound that demands appreciation. If you were a fly on the wall (pun intended) in this van, you would be crushed in the wake of the soundscape.
How did the project actually develop?
As much as I hate to admit this, I was doom-scrolling on TikTok one evening and saw Jam in the van had a TikTok Live stream where they reviewed undiscovered artists. I figured, what the hell, let me give this a shot. I submitted “Boogieman” and “Hot Coffee,” and the reviewer, Maddy, was super receptive, positive, and really jamming to my music. After that session, she actually emailed me asking if I would be interested to come to LA and record. The rest is history. We went out to LA on May 6th, and I organized a mini LA tour where we performed at multiple venues: Hotel Ziggy for the We Found New Music Showcase hosted by Grant Owens, Kulak’s Woodshed for a live recording session with an audience, and another performance at Jam in the Van for a comedy show presented by Netflix Is a Joke festival. It was a great time!
And ‘Mr Fly’? Where was this song derived from?
This song was inspired by the 1970s Blaxploitation soundtracks of Superfly and Shaft. I felt all my favorite artists like James Brown, Curtis Mayfield, and Isaac Hayes all had iconic songs from these films like “The Payback,” “Pusherman,” “Move on Up,” “Shaft,” etcetra. I wanted to see if I could write a song inspired by these wonderful tracks. I wrote all the music and lyrics on all of these songs. Vincent helped me on “Mr. Fly” and “Groovational-pull” to clean up some of the harmony and spot-check some lyrics then Vinny and I both wrote the lyrics on “Groovational-pull”.
‘Groovational-pull’ is their next play, and it is a song that I covered during its initial release. A quick count in and its horns from the onset and some spacey lyrics flowing from our lead vocalist. Imagine if David Bowie lyrics from ‘Space Oddity’ were set to off-kilter swing and produced at STAX Records. From Cam, “’Groovational-pull’ came from me spit-balling names in the shower. I knew I wanted something space themed. Space and funk go together like a long runninginside joke in music history. I thought the name was dumb at first, but during a conversation with my friend and fellow saxophonist Owen Fader, he told me it was actually a great title. That was all the confirmation I needed to keep it. The (originally recorded) track features Sheldon Smith and Belmont guitar professor and all-around musical hero Mike Valares, who has been nothing but supportive of me and my bandmates.”
‘Snicklefritz’ was a song I saw performed live at Jukebox Jam 2 via the Basement East in Nashville and it closes out the van set. It is described as “the crown jewel of the Tasty Soul repertoire”. Cam told us, “This was the first song I ever wrote during my freshman year at the University of Utah, and it was inspired by the movie Pineapple Express—specifically the line, “He gets the snickelfritz.” I had never heard that word before, and I was absolutely in love with it. I was tasked to write a fun, celebratory song about having a good time for the original adaptation of The Tasty Soul—my old band that I founded, Dangus Kong—and the song took on a life of its own. This was heavily inspired, of course, by James Brown, but also more modern funk bands like Lettuce, The RH Factor, Vulfpeck, and Cory Wong. I felt I wanted to feature brand new Tasty Soul songs at this Jam in the Van session, but it felt rather appropriate to include the song that started my songwriting journey.”
Its complexity is so engaging, and it truly does showcase the talents and old souls that make up this amalgamation of amazing players. It is layered in depth and highlights some of the individual group members as it transitions through a landscape of expression. There are parts built in for short solos for the sax, horns, bass, drums, and the vocal arrangement and performance dances on a pedestal under the guidance of the totality of the band and its leadership. I cannot wait to see this project release. I need it to be on IMAX with my headphones directly plugged in.
Besides playing with your own group and multitude of other bands, what else are you involved in?
I am a full-time musician. What that means is that I am mostly a performer.I do sideman work for artists in town or out of town; I play regularly with corporate bands that perform nationwide, and I do studio sessions. I am also a Composer and Arranger, so I write all my own music and compose horn parts and music for other artists. I teach. I have my own private saxophone studio where I teach students, and I also teach on Zoom as a coach and professor of sorts for about 50 saxophonists. I am a Bandleader & Business Owner too. I just started a live music services business for weddings, corporate events, and private celebrations. This means I handle all sound, lighting, and entertainment for any form of private event, so I select the musicians, construct the band from people in my network, arrange the songs, write the setlists, work with the client, write out contracts, and finalize the performance schedule. A lot of my time goes into all of this.
I also host a jam at The Underdog the first Thursday of every month. The idea behind the jam is to create a space and place where everyone feels welcome, where there is an uplifting sense of positivity and support, and where the music is completely collaborative, ego-free, and fun. I want this to be a jam where everyone is welcome, and it is inclusive. I hope we can build this community up where people can come to make a friend, get a gig, or just have a really greatevening listening to or making music.
I would like to tell you to go seek out Cam and his crew, but the truth is you can probably just go out with me and run into him. Follow them:
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