Big Smoke

Musicians
Kent Wallace: trumpet
Tom Towers: congas, percussion, vocals
Oliver Gibson: guitar
Tayo Branston: drums, vocals
Gabe Boothroyd: guitar
Tim Parent: bass on “Wake The Funk Up”, “Chango Vudu”, and “Chaos Is A Ladder”
Brent Mah: saxophone on “Chango Vudu” and “Chaos Is A Ladder”
Jason Smith: bass on “Big Smoke”, “We Play The Funk”, “Wheels On The Bus”, and “Thumper”
Dawn Pemberton: vocals on “Wake The Funk Up”
Darren Parris: bass on “Awooga”, “Mufasa”, and “Put Some Mustard On It”
Steve Hilliam: baritone saxophone on “Awooga”, “Mufasa”, “Put Some Mustard On It”, and “Thumper”
Carl Julig: timbales on “Awooga”, “Mufasa”, “Wake The Funk Up”, “Big Smoke”, “We Play The Funk”, “Wheels On The Bus”, “Put Some Mustard On It”, and “Thumper”
Jens Christiansen: saxophone on “Mufasa” and “Put Some Mustard On It”
Eli Bennett: saxophone on “Awooga”, “Wake The Funk Up”, “Big Smoke”, “We Play The Funk”, “Wheels On The Bus”, and “Thumper”
Leo P: featured performer on “Wake The Funk Up”
Bootsy Collins: featured performer on “We Play The Funk”

Production
Produced by Ben Kaplan and Five Alarm Funk
Engineered by Ben Kaplan and Five Alarm Funk
Mixed by Ben Kaplan
Mastered by Brock McFarlane at CPS Mastering
Recorded at Hipposonic and FAF Studios, Vancouver, British Columbia

Artwork
Album art by Noah Stacey
Layout by Oliver Gibson

Liner notes
Five Alarm Funk is a horn-powered, percussion-fueled sonic and visual assault. Over 17 years of hard funking the band has burned up stages on four continents, released six studio albums and received two Juno Award nominations. And this ride isn’t about to slow down, Five Alarm Funk is set to release their 7th studio album, Big Smoke. The 11 tracks get right to the roots of what Five Alarm Funk is all about: epic, intense arrangements, heavy groove and a ton of fun.

As drummer, vocalist, and band leader Tayo Branston puts it, “Big Smoke is the tightest, funkiest and most energized album we've ever created, it's the culmination of 17 years of creating, recording and performing together. We call it Punk Funk – it’s got the punch of heavy hitting dance music with the energy of a ruckus live concert.”

The album features two collaborations, the first with Bootsy Collins delivering vocals on “We Play The Funk.” Next, baritone saxophonist Leo P of Too Many Zooz appears on “Wake The Funk Up.”

Release Info
Released November 3, 2022
Barcode: 3760300318645