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Mama SpanX
United States, California, Los Angeles

About Mama SpanX

Mama SpanX is a multi – member soul/rock/funk group made up of highly experienced and virtuoso musicians from the various musical genres. With strong influences by artists/bands such as Tower of Power, James Brown, Gladys Knight and Ike and Tina Turner the bands musical emphasis is on strong melodies/lyrics and grooves that at the same time highlight and feature the individual players as well as an exciting stage show.

Mama SpanX Background:
Leader/singer/songwriter and New York Blues Hall of Fame vocalist Nikki Armstrong, known for her soulful vocals and high energy performances, got the concept while collaborating over several years with Soul/Jazz Guitarist/Producer Melvin Sparks. Melvin, a major influence on the jam band scene, came up with the name "Mama SpanX ". After Melvin’s passing in 2011 and then performing all over the eastern seaboard and abroad, Nikki finally began forming the band in 2015.
The first artist to join was Drummer/composer/arranger Ben Beckley. Nikki and Ben had collaborated previously, songwriting and producing in LA before Nikki relocated to New York.
Dixie Frog recording artist/Blues guitarist Steve Johnson and his girlfriend, Latin/Jazz Saxophonist Julie Sax then joined. The couple and Nikki had played together frequently on the New York scene before Steve and Julie relocated to the LA area.
To contribute to the soul and gospel aspects of the band, two prominent fixtures on the LA Blues and R&B scene, Saxophonist Steve Sadd and Keyboard/Organist Harlan Spector became the next assets to the group bringing their chops and versatility.
The search for the ideal bottom end to the group took almost 6 months. Six string fret-less Bassist, David Abercrombie added the perfect pocket for the band!
This 7 pieces team of like-minded musicians forms the main core of Mama SpanX. See Bio page for more info Nikki and the SPANKERS!

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"Old School" Music....
SPANK YOU FOR STOPPING BY!
For far too many years, synthetically created music has been front and center. I know of people who have systems where they just hit a button and the computer spits out a whole track with no HUMAN control, no feeling, and no thought. And THEY ARE SELLING it as "MUSIC"!
This kind of producing has put many fine professional musicians at a disadvantage especially since many of them used to get paid nicely for session work. The bands today that play all their own instruments, create new material with feeling and real aesthetic waves are deserving of being heard, enjoyed and rewarded. Not to put down, sampling and creating with the technology today, some of it is really awesome. We are talking about a special form, the legacy of the professional instrumentalists, the musical composers, the hard working vocalists and band leaders. A good example today would be Bruno Mars, but there'S not a lot of them that are the stars of today, Prince is gone, Michael, gone, Amy, gone and recently we lost the great Sharon Jones.
The Motown Era, James Brown, Memphis/Stax, the session players of Chicago, Detroit, Philly, NOLA, all great music hubs and the greatest organic sounds are still there to be heard, some still stirring it up. And if you have the chance to ever hear any of the real thing, LIVE especially, you can not deny the power!
Mama SpanX is dedicated to bringing back the "Old School"! The soul, funk, rock, pop and all the great grooves and vibes of the late 60's thru the 70's, with our own original tunes and style. We even recorded our first album "State of Groove" on a vintage Neve board, with vintage gear, all to ANALOG! Next step for us is touring (LIVE is where we really SPANK IT), more recording and releasing on vinyl! Hope you enjoy the trax here, pass it along & KEEP IT IN THE GROOVE!

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Past Events

Sun

Sep 03

4:30 PM

All Ages
Joe's Great American Bar & Grill

United States, California, Los Angeles, 4311 W. Magnolia Blvd, Burbank CA , 91505

Tue

Nov 14

8:00 PM

All Ages
Ventura Music

United States, California, Los Angeles, 11268 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, California , 91604

Fri

Dec 08

8:00 PM

All Ages
Bar Fedora at Au Lac

United States, California, Los Angeles, 710 West 1st Street, Los Angeles, California 90012, 90012

Fri

Apr 20

8:00 PM

All Ages
Kulak's Woodshed

United States, California, North Hollywood, 5230 Laurel Canyon Blvd, North Hollywood, CA , 91607

Sun

Sep 16

5:00 PM

All Ages
Celebrity Centre International

United States, California, Hollywood, 5930 Franklin Ave, 90028

Fri

Oct 12

8:00 PM

All Ages
Barbara Morrison Performing Arts Center

United States, California, Los Angeles, 4305 Degnan Blvd Suite 101, Los Angeles, California , 90008

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