Lexi Weege and JJ Slater Big Band - June 7
Lexi Weege and JJ Slater met at a shared gig in 2019. After Weege finished a smoking set while rolling around on the bar, Slater picked up his guitar and played a soul-stirring “Amazing Grace” with funk band Organ Transplant. The possibility for an incendiary collaboration was immediately clear. Fast forward three years, and the pair have completed four national tours, numerous recording collaborations (including Weege’s upcoming solo EP), and have assembled a massive, passionate family of musicians.
Whether performing as a duo or as a seven-piece band, groove and melody rise above all. Both sing with unique, recognizable voices; Weege marries smoky 50’s jazz with wild, arena-ready 70’s rock, while Slater overlays a smooth, melodic croon with laconic delivery and blue-collar beat poetry. Their infectious interplay will spread to the whole band, harkening back to a time when live shows could be spontaneous, energy-driven affairs. Slater’s genre-hopping guitar playing draws from screaming blues originals like Buddy Guy and Albert King, but with a twist of Bert Jansch and Wes Montgomery. The soloing doesn’t stop at his hand, though; everyone gets a beat to bark over the groove, and you can expect percussion breakdowns, scat-singing, and everything in between.
At its core, the group features the songwriting talent of two longtime Valley troubadours. Weege is currently making a soulful, funky record full of longing, story-centric songs written over the course of the pandemic. Slater recently completed a songwriter-in-residence session at the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation in Taos, NM, and his rootsy, jazz-indebted indie rock dovetails with Weege’s to create a diverse, exciting live set. Both will be releasing solo records in 2023, and touring in every possible configuration. If you get the chance to see the Big Band, don’t miss it!
Lexi Weege and JJ Slater met at a shared gig in 2019. After Weege finished a smoking set while rolling around on the bar, Slater picked up his guitar and played a soul-stirring “Amazing Grace” with funk band Organ Transplant. The possibility for an incendiary collaboration was immediately clear. Fast forward three years, and the pair have completed four national tours, numerous recording collaborations (including Weege’s upcoming solo EP), and have assembled a massive, passionate family of musicians.
Whether performing as a duo or as a seven-piece band, groove and melody rise above all. Both sing with unique, recognizable voices; Weege marries smoky 50’s jazz with wild, arena-ready 70’s rock, while Slater overlays a smooth, melodic croon with laconic delivery and blue-collar beat poetry. Their infectious interplay will spread to the whole band, harkening back to a time when live shows could be spontaneous, energy-driven affairs. Slater’s genre-hopping guitar playing draws from screaming blues originals like Buddy Guy and Albert King, but with a twist of Bert Jansch and Wes Montgomery. The soloing doesn’t stop at his hand, though; everyone gets a beat to bark over the groove, and you can expect percussion breakdowns, scat-singing, and everything in between.
At its core, the group features the songwriting talent of two longtime Valley troubadours. Weege is currently making a soulful, funky record full of longing, story-centric songs written over the course of the pandemic. Slater recently completed a songwriter-in-residence session at the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation in Taos, NM, and his rootsy, jazz-indebted indie rock dovetails with Weege’s to create a diverse, exciting live set. Both will be releasing solo records in 2023, and touring in every possible configuration. If you get the chance to see the Big Band, don’t miss it!
Lexi Weege and JJ Slater met at a shared gig in 2019. After Weege finished a smoking set while rolling around on the bar, Slater picked up his guitar and played a soul-stirring “Amazing Grace” with funk band Organ Transplant. The possibility for an incendiary collaboration was immediately clear. Fast forward three years, and the pair have completed four national tours, numerous recording collaborations (including Weege’s upcoming solo EP), and have assembled a massive, passionate family of musicians.
Whether performing as a duo or as a seven-piece band, groove and melody rise above all. Both sing with unique, recognizable voices; Weege marries smoky 50’s jazz with wild, arena-ready 70’s rock, while Slater overlays a smooth, melodic croon with laconic delivery and blue-collar beat poetry. Their infectious interplay will spread to the whole band, harkening back to a time when live shows could be spontaneous, energy-driven affairs. Slater’s genre-hopping guitar playing draws from screaming blues originals like Buddy Guy and Albert King, but with a twist of Bert Jansch and Wes Montgomery. The soloing doesn’t stop at his hand, though; everyone gets a beat to bark over the groove, and you can expect percussion breakdowns, scat-singing, and everything in between.
At its core, the group features the songwriting talent of two longtime Valley troubadours. Weege is currently making a soulful, funky record full of longing, story-centric songs written over the course of the pandemic. Slater recently completed a songwriter-in-residence session at the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation in Taos, NM, and his rootsy, jazz-indebted indie rock dovetails with Weege’s to create a diverse, exciting live set. Both will be releasing solo records in 2023, and touring in every possible configuration. If you get the chance to see the Big Band, don’t miss it!
