“I get asked that all the time,” says Jelly Bread vocalist and guitarist Dave Berry about the band’s sound, adding that “moonshine funk and soul” is the usual fallback. “We cover a lot of ground,” Berry says.
“Infectious Grooves,” track one off Jelly Bread’s 2012 release No Dress Code, is reminiscent of the Red Hot Chili Peppers — combining hard funk with frenetic rock ‘n’ roll. Throughout No Dress Code the energy rarely lets up; “Gotta Get Up” has a Bob Marley-esque backbeat and “This Lil’ Ride” features a big and beefy organ line bringing to mind classic Big Easy-style R&B like The Meters.
Jelly Bread’s reputation as one of the West Coast’s hottest live acts comes partially from appearances at Sierra Nevada Music Fest and supporting slots for Robert Randolph and The Family Band, Bruce Hornsby and Railroad Earth. “Definitely rockin’,” Berry says, describing Jelly Bread in performance. Also expect three-part harmonies and for the band to “stretch-out” their material, “putting a different twist on things.”
And the million-dollar question when interviewing a band called Jelly Bread is: “Do you guys eat a lot of PB&J on the road?”
“It’s all we can afford most of the time,” says Berry with a chuckle. Do they like any other toppings on their bread? “Peanut butter and bananas,” Berry adds, joking, “I think we’d all put on too much weight for [peanut butter and honey].”
Jelly Bread plays 8 pm Sunday, March 16, at Cozmic; $8.