LA’s The Wrecking Crew and Motown’s The Funk Brothers immediately call to mind the notion of formidable chops in service of chart-topping hits. The former was the backing band on many of our most beloved 1960s and 1970s pop and rock singles and albums, while the latter lodged its groove in our collective conscious with R&B, pop, and soul smashes.
In the tradition of a loose collective of gnat’s-ass tight musicians performing fine-crafted songs comes Tha Building. What differentiates this groove monster from its forefathers is that Tha Building is a self-contained band with its own body of booty-shaking songs, and it will break out of the studio to hit the stage. Tha Building was erected by primary songwriter, producer, executive producer, and multi-instrumentalist J. Brewster. Joining Brewster in his funk-soul quest was Bay Area ace guitarist/mixer/co-producer Cam Perridge who worked tirelessly alongside Brewster during the pandemic to procure remote tracks and set up safe in-person sessions. This community of 25-plus hand-selected musicians from the Bay Area and beyond feature the sharpest pro players with firm groundings in funk, hip-hop, and soul, including two Grammy-winning instrumentalists. The powerhouse band makes its entrance with the sleekly soulful debut, Outside Ourselves, which is due out August 26th.
“My goal with Tha Building was to write songs with originality, depth and swag,” Brewster shares. “The title ‘Outside ourselves’ is really about the idea of looking outward in an era of a ‘Me’ culture with selfies, TikTok, etc. It’s social commentary on how to change course with what has gotten us to the place where we are right now.”
Brewster grew up in Berkeley and Oakland in the 1980’s and 1990’s, soaking the Bay Area’s vast contributions to funk, rock, soul and hip hop, and beyond. And some of these contemporary prime players are in Tha Building. Notable contributors and writers include Bay Area legend rapper Lyrics Born; Brewster’s childhood buddy and bassist Uriah Duffy (Alicia Keys, Whitesnake, Christina Aguilera); producer singer and songwriter Trance Thompson; Bay Area soul royalty Naté the Soulsanger; Grammy-winning instrumentalists violinist Shaina Evoniuk (Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello, Leon Bridges, Roy Ayers); saxophonist Tony Peebles (Fred Wesley, John Lee Hooker, Karl Denson); young badass drummer James “StickNasty” Small (Fantastic Negrito); and multi-instrumentalist Adam Theis (Bobby McFerrin, Roy Ayers, Jazz Mafia).
Today Glide is excited to offer an exclusive early listen to Outside Ourselves in its entirety. The album is a gem for fans of funk music, R&B, soul, and old school hip-hop, all of which come together in a swirling mix of infectious, danceable groove-laden goodness. One can hear the likes of Stevie Wonder, Jamiroquai, Steely Dan, Parliament Funkadelic, Earth, Wind & Fire, and plenty of legendary hip-hop MCs shining through this collection of songs that truly showcases the power of a full band sound and a cohesive musical language between the artists. During these fractured times, the album’s uplifting message of togetherness and empowerment resonates like medicine and is surely aimed at making the listener bask in its glow. It’s impressive to hear how each musician gets the spotlight at times and is able to put a personal touch on the music, amplifying the theme of togetherness and reminding us that band’s can be democratic after all. Though there is no shortage of bland funk bands these days, Tha Building brings a fresh and inventive perspective that also does justice to the pioneers of the genre.
Jesse Brewster describes the inspiration and process behind the album:
In the months leading up to the pandemic, I wrote and produced a good portion of the demos that would become Outside Ourselves. Though most of my solo releases have been in the rock and americana/folk genres, writing in this style felt very natural, and it was nice to get back to my East Bay roots of funk/soul/R&B and hip hop.
The name of the record was inspired by what I felt was the need for modern society to focus outward from a place of love and unity, as opposed to obsession with self and materialism. Ironically, the pandemic made coming together next to impossible (and isolation mandatory) for the players on this project. This album features singers and instrumentalists that represent some of the best talent the Bay Area has to offer, and I was proud to shine a light on so many incredibly talented folks that deserve to be recognized and heard. It was also great to co-write and collaborate with some other great writers on a few songs, which I’m always trying to do more of.
We began recording in March of 2020, one week before everything shut down. After the shock of what was happening in the world, we (mostly virtually) regrouped in June a few months later–vowing to see it through despite the new challenges. The band name Tha Building represents a solid foundation in the groove and as I mentioned earlier re: the album title, illustrates the idea of building community and selflessness. While these ideas are foundational (no pun intended) to the project, we also make a concerted effort not to take ourselves too seriously and leave room in the songs for a lot of fun. It was amazing to watch all these songs come together. While at times seeming a little disparate in terms of style, the way they compliment each other is one of the things that make the record so great.
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Is David Vincent still in this group? Don’t see him in your photo above…