Earphunk at Suwannee Hulaween 2015. Photo by Brandt Vicknair.

Earphunk to Break Up After Final Performance in New Orleans

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New Orleans prog-funk band Earphunk have announced that they intend to call it quits following a final performance at this weekend’s Bear Creek Bayou Music Festival. The band, who appeared on the cover of OffBeat earlier this year, broke the news today via a Facebook post that reads:

earphunk_coverDear fans, friends, and family,

We are sorry to announce that our performance at this weekend’s Bear Creek Bayou Music Festival on Friday will be our final show together. We feel it is right that it will be at home in New Orleans as a part of the first festival we ever played. We have traveled throughout the entire country, made life long friends and we feel fortunate to have accomplished things as a band we never would have imagined when we first began. Please keep an eye out for our own individual endeavors as we move forward! Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for the constant love and support over these past seven years.

With love,
Earphunk

Earphunk first came together in the fall of 2008 when LSU students Mark Hempe (guitar, vocals), Paul Provosty (guitar), Michael Matthews (drums) and Michael Comeaux (bass) played their first gig at Bogie’s, a college bar in Baton Rouge. The band enlisted Christian Galle (keys) a few months later, thus rounding out a lineup that would last for seven years. Earphunk worked its way up the musical ladder in that span, going from bar band to Tipitina’s headliner to respected touring entity and OffBeat cover artist.

Earphunk’s eclectic take on funk-rock and penchant for improvisation earned them a dependable audience on the national jam band scene, which led to countless appearances at festivals big and small. They also put out a series of studio albums: 2011’s Comin’ Up, 2013’s Nine to Five and 2014’s Sweet Nasty. Their next record, Right Where I Belong, was produced by the legendary Steve Albini and is currently slated for release on October 7.

Evidently, Earphunk’s upcoming performance at New Orleans’ inaugural Bear Creek Bayou Music Festival will be their last (they have a number of tour dates scheduled for October, but it’s safe to assume those will be cancelled). The band is currently scheduled to play the Bear Creek Bayou’s River Stage from 4:15-5:30pm this Friday, September 30.