Burnie Baker, Fat Snapz Lalib, Buttonwill McKill, and Silky Johnson backstage in Charlotte. Photo by Patrick Bogans.
Just by looking at the way they stylize their band name, NeW bEAt FUNd probably won’t be similar to anything you’ve heard recently.
The word is spreading about this Los Angeles group as punk rock fans across the country are getting their first listen to NeW bEAt FUNd on this summer’s Vans Warped Tour.
The 3-month tour recently stopped in Charlotte, N.C., and it comes to an end this week in Houston, Texas.
“We’re sad that it’s gonna be over, but we’ve had the best summer of our lives. So it’s kind of bittersweet,” said drummer Michael “SiLkY” Johnson.
Their music, self-described as “G-Punk Beach Funk,” is a mix of rock and off-beat groovy rhythms. Add to that fun vocal delivery and electronic beats, and you’ve got yourself a beat from NeW bEAt FUNd.
The band draws from many musicians and artists for inspiration on some of their more funky tracks, like “PEAcHeZ” and “ScARe Me.”
“You know, people inspire us and we try to just like f**k with it in our own way,” said Johnson.
And showcasing their music on across the country has been an experience, to say the least.
“Warped Tour has been like playing our first show everyday,” said Jeff “BuRNie BAkeR” Laliberte, the lead singer of NeW bEAt FUNd. When it comes to who enjoys their music the most, the band finds the shows on the coasts seem to have the most accepting and enthusiastic crowds.
This was just the case at their performance in Charlotte, as the crowd grew larger as their performance went on.
Guitarist Paul “Fat Snapz Lalib” Laliberte says this is usually how it goes for them as a new and relatively unknown band at Warped Tour: ”[The crowd] usually starts as this really small nucleus, and just grows into this group of screaming naked people.”
Jeff “BuRNie BAkeR” Laliberte of NeW BEAt FUNd performing in Charlotte at Vans Warped Tour. Photo by Patrick Bogans.
And their music isn’t the only characteristic that shows their obscurity. NeW bEAt FUNd also has their own way of doing and well, saying things.
“We call it ‘fundamentals,’ which is a language we sort of like talking in just for fun,” said Jeff.
The funky typeface is also part of ‘fundamentals,’ and it’s used anywhere from their Facebook statuses to their distinguished monikers. The band says it’s a fun way to break from the monotony on social media feeds, while also making their updates require a second look.
“We speak in dollar signs. It’s our lingo; it’s how we like to express our verbages,” said Jeff.
The way their typeface looks is sort of how their music plays – a little funky, but very interesting. Their EP, “Coinz” was released this past April. And the band is planning to record their first full-length in August once Warped Tour concludes.
As for the rest of the year, the band has some tour dates lined up, one of which is in Las Vegas with Blink-182.
“We got the opening slot for that,” said Johnson. “We’re stoked.”
Check out NeW bEAt FUNd on Facebook and Twitter, and download their free EP here. And to look at photos from their stop in Charlotte on July 29, click here.