Formed in 2003, Dumpstaphunk was initially assembled by keyboardist Ivan Neville on a whim to perform a solo slot at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Ivan immediately selected the unique double-bass attack of both Nick Daniels and Tony Hall on bass, handpicked rock solid local legend Raymond Weber to man the skins, and enlisted his own bloodlines for the scorching guitar rhythms of fledgling up n' comer, and younger cousin, Ian Neville, to round out a line-up of some of the Crescent City's finest and funkiest musical cohorts! Dumpstaphunk's informal performance became that of immediate legend. The project has since grown from chance side- project into what is now widely considered to be one of New Orleans' most popular and modern musical exports. With a direct lineage to The Meters and The Neville Brothers, Dumpstaphunk is a recipe for creating a new standard for an entire genre. “Dumpstaphunk’s groove is a unique monster. It's not the minimalist funk of the Meters and it’s not the relentless funk of James Brown, although it has that rhythmic drive. It's not the psychedelic, over-the-top circus of Parliament-Funkadelic, but it often has that political slant. It's not the party funk of the Ohio Players, but it shares the high vocals that take the pressure off the bottom. Dumpstaphunk is a whole other school of funk. If you're under 35, you think you've seen funk, but you haven't. You missed the original Meters, James Brown when he wasn't a parody, Parliament- Funkadelic’s landing of the “Mothership” , Sly and the Family Stone before he went M.I.A and Booker T. and the M.G.s before the demise of Stax. Dumpstaphunk is as good as all that, and they're in their prime now.” – Gambit Weekly Dumpstaphunk was awarded "New Orleans Best Funk Band" by Offbeat Magazine and Gambit Weekly in 2007 and 2009, and most recently the trophy for Best Funk Award at the 2010 Big Easy Awards. Not uncommon to the festival circuit, Dumpstaphunk has unleashed notable performances at some of the nation's largest music extravaganzas, including Bonnaroo, VoodooFest, 10,000 Lakes, New Orleans Jazzfest, Bear Creek, Wanee, High Sierra, and Gathering of the Vibes. Dumpstaphunk's musicians have shared the stage with many legendary figures.... Ivan and Ian‚ the sons of Neville Bros. Aaron and Art Neville respectively‚ seem to play their instruments flawlessly... and the dirty funk resonates organically from their souls as the offspring and kin of the legendary New Orleans Neville Bros family! A conservative sample of the impressive list of bands Ivan has either recorded or performed with includes The Rolling Stones‚ Bonnie Raitt‚ The Neville Bros, Gov't Mule‚ John Mayer, and Keith Richards & The X-pensive Winos to name a few. With a resume like that, it comes as no surprise that Trey Anastasio and Dave Matthews have both, in the past, tapped bassist extraordinaire Tony Hall for their own side projects, and drummer Raymond Weber who also played with Trey, originally cut his chops with The Dirty Dozen Brass Band and the Wild Magnolia Mardi Gras Indians, and has also sat behind the kit for Harry Connick Jr. and Joe Sample. Nick Daniels, who supplements the bottom as one of 2 bass players in Dumpsta boasts an impressive list of colleagues including Etta James and Boz Scaggs, and Ian has played with the likes of Funky Meters, Lettuce, his new outfit Dr. Klaw with Eric Krasno, and more recently sitting in and adding some flavor to the stoner fusion of Southern Cali jam stalwarts Slightly Stoopid! It's no wonder these boys can put the Phunk in your Dumpsta, and moving forward in 2011, they continue to push the envelope of the form of a progressive funk sound that has arguably become the most defining in the modern genre of New Orleans music. With their latest release “Everbody Want Sum” starting to permeate with the single “Oughta Know Better” (co-penned by Allman Brothers / Govt. Mule Warren Haynes), featured performances at Offbeat Magazines Best of The Beat 2011, and a coveted mainstage slot at Jazzfest this year, Dumpstaphunk now stands on its own, as the legitimate torchbearer of all things funky both in The Big easy and beyond……… Who Dat!!!! "Dumpstaphunk is the best funk band from New Orleans right now.” - The New York Times "Dumpstaphunk is ready to usher in a new age of funk to the masses." – Jambase.com "Ivan's so good...I play with him.” - Keith Richards .