SOCKET: Deep Pocket Jazz/Funk Junk
The electric flow of SOCKET's Hammond organ-powered instrumental groove music is firmly grounded in funk and jazz, and charged with a nasty smudge of East Bay grease. Based in Oakland, CA, the band's lineup includes members of the SF Music Award-winning Afrobeat ensemble ALBINO!, and has been a long-term fixture at Bay Area's worthiest groove venues including The Boom Boom Room, Jupiter, and Elbo Room.
SOCKET's key influences include Herbie Hancock's Headhunters, James Brown, Medeski Martin and Wood, Fela Kuti, and Charlie Hunter. The band's patented "jazz funk junk" sound also includes elements of latin, afrobeat, samba, second line, and hard rock.
SOCKET's core members include Taylor Heanue (organ), Cal Reichenbach, (guitar), and Brad Harbidge (drums). Nathan Endsley (sax, flute) is a regularly featured guest of the band, and Dave Ellis (sax), formerly of the Charlie Hunter Trio, makes a guest appearance on SOCKET's self-titled debut album.
The band was founded by Taylor Heanue in 2002 as Guru Garage, and was rechristened as SOCKET upon the release of that same album.
Over the years SOCKET has shared stages with Hamsa Lila, Samba Da, Aphrodesia, Frequinox (Will Bernard, Stanton Moore, Eric Levy), Vinyl, Topaz, and Bat Makumba; members of Soulive and Meshell Ndegocello's band have sat in with SOCKET as guests.
