Psychedelic funk sextet Lettuce and legendary roots reggae band Steel Pulse will unite on a three-week-long coheadlining summer tour for 13 unforgettable shows. In the spirit of summer, many of the performances will take place at some of the region’s premier outdoor venues and amphitheaters, including a stop in Huber Heights, OH for a performance at Rose Music Center on Saturday, July 8. Each band will present full sets at every show with support by professional big wave surfer-turned-musician Makua Rothman.
Both projects are coming off remarkable years and active spring schedules leading up to the summer tour. 2022 saw the release of Unify, Lettuce’s eighth studio album that got the endorsement from legendary funk icon Bootsy Collins who guests on vocals and bass on the anthemic lead single “Keep the Funk Alive.” The group has maintained an active schedule on the road supporting the release of Unify and will have racked up appearances at Jam Cruise; Backwoods Music Festival; a 3-night residency at the celebrated Blue Note Jazz Club in NYC; and a very special performance with the Louisiana Philharmonic and Tower of Power during Jazz Fest before uniting with Steel Pulse.
Formed in 1975, Steel Pulse has amassed 9 GRAMMY nominations and one win throughout their storied career. One of the nominations was for their latest studio offering, Mass Manipulation, which reflects on four decades committed to bettering mankind through music.
The band will trek through club dates with Orange County-based, cross-cultural reggae band Common Kings; a pair of shows in Hawaii; an April 20th show at Red Rocks Amphitheater with The Marley Brothers; an appearance at São Paulo, Brazil’s Encontro das Tribos Festival alongside Wiz Khalifa, Ice Cube & more; and a one-off show in Martinique’s Mizik Nou Live Festival prior to hitting the road with Lettuce.
What may seem like a sonically contrasting pairing on paper excites each project as they cite the co-billed tour as an opportunity to introduce each band to one another’s fan base every night instilling a sense of curiosity and enlightenment. David Hinds, lead singer and guitarist of Steel Pulse, draws comparisons to the group’s 1981 tour with Average White Band. “It’s an experience of going into the unknown that we ourselves first encountered touring with Average White Band 42 years ago,” he says, “I know it left us being far more knowledgeable musicians; tapping into different forms of arrangements.”
Hinds’ mention of Average White Band brings an even more full circle nature to the tour as Adam Deitch, drummer of Lettuce, performed with AWB on drums for three years after studying at Berklee School of Music. As Deitch continues to carry the torch and has solidified himself as one of today’s most revered drummers, he echoes Hinds’ sentiments of anticipation, “It's a complete honor to be sharing the stage with a legendary band like Steel Pulse. They are powerful musical shamans and we look forward to such a spiritual experience.”
