Third Coast Kings

An eight-piece ensemble from Michigan, the Third Coast Kings specialize in funk, soul, and R&B modeled on the vintage approach of the 1960s and 1970s, earning them a worldwide audience drawn to their emphasis on groove. The group came together in 2008 with Andy Filisko handling guitar, Nate Ayers on bass, James "Gemstone" Keovongsak behind the drums, Ryan Dolan on trumpet, Terry Kimura on trombone, Alec Cooper playing tenor sax, and Brian Einstein Lassiter covering alto and baritone sax. Lead vocals were first supplied by Michelle "The Belle" Camilleri, and after repeated performances across Michigan and the broader Midwest the band earned recognition as one of the region’s foremost interpreters of classic soul and funk. They cut their debut album, Heavyweight Funk!, in 2009 and issued it independently. News of their stage energy and that first record reached Record Kicks in Italy, a label devoted to fresh acts reviving old-school R&B, prompting the company to sign them; the resulting single, “Give Me Your Love” backed with “Tonic Stride,” appeared on Record Kicks in April 2010. Although Camilleri sang on that release, Sean Ike—previously of the Elevations, Michigan’s own soul-revival outfit—assumed frontman duties later that year. Additional touring preceded the April 2011 arrival of a seven-track EP simply titled Third Coast Kings, followed later in the same year by a full-length album of the same name on Record Kicks that featured the dance-floor staple “Spicy Brown.” Steady Midwest dates expanded their audience, and a 2012 invitation to the Fuji Rock Festival in Naeba introduced them to listeners in Japan. With Steve Barker replacing Nate Ayers on bass, the band entered the studio in 2013 to record its third album, which Record Kicks issued as West Grand Boulevard in May 2013.