THE HEADHUNTERS x ROOM3 SHOW RECAP

On Wednesday night, Room3 opened for funk fusion all-stars, The Headhunters, at Dakota. The experience was unlike any other performance we've ever had. Not only did we get to share the stage with these unequivocal legends, but we received some high praise from them after our set. It's an unbeatable feeling to hear The Source affirm that you're on the right path. We've had the opportunity to play in front of some serious players in the past, many of whom appreciated our sound and expressed as much, but its just different to get praise from the guys that made the first fusion standards and closely collaborated with the best this genre has to offer, Herbie Hancock (though their words about Herbie were not always glowing, interestingly enough...).

It's moments like these that give us a brief moment of pride, that we've created something worthy of praise from our heroes. It's also moments like these that light a fire under our ass to keep pushing, keep reaching, keep improving at our craft – because when those cats got on stage, they showed us exactly where persistence and dedication can get you. It was a masterclass in patience, maturity, and tastefulness. Everyone's phrasing was crystal clear, their ideas were fresh and compelling, their feel was on point! Some of these songs they have been playing for nearly 50 years, and they are still finding ways to make them new and exciting, not just for the audience, but for themselves. I can't say enough about how great their set was, but one thing I can say for sure is: Man, I gotta practice!

We'll be posting some footage from the show on YouTube and on our website soon. Stay tuned for that! For now, here's a video of Bill Summers playing the iconic intro to "Watermelon Man" with a glass beer bottle.

In other news, we donated all of our merch proceeds for the night to Community Kitchen Minneapolis, a mutual aid organization gathering groceries, coordinating drop offs, and offering rent assistance to families stuck at home amid the ICE occupation of Minneapolis. We're proud to say, with the help of everyone who bought a shirt or a CD or were just kind enough to offer a donation, we were able to raise $651.11! So much love to those who pitched in for the cause. Let's keep fighting for our neighbors!

Love you all. Talk soon!