New Album: The Smoogies, Planet Smoogies with Dion Kerr on Bass
The Smoogies debut album, Planet Smoogies, featuring special guest Nicholas Payton.
“A new and fresh sound that combines some of the finest aspects of Funk, Afro-Cuban and Brazilian music.” -Ignacio Berroa
What do you call a conglomerate of diverse, talented multi-instrumentalists and composers? You call them ‘The Smoogies’ — a musical smoothie blended with a lot of culture, life experience and most certainly “a vibe”.
To get his sound on this album, bassist Dion Kerr’s gear included:
- Guild Starfire II Bass
- Fender Player Series Jazz Bass
- Aguilar Amplification
- Fender Bassman Cab
- La Bella Strings
The Band:
The Smoogies band is composed of Vaughn Henry (keys), Dion Kerr (bass) Harvel Nakundi (drums) and David Chiverton (drums) who are all formally trained musicians hailing from South Florida. Each member has served interchangeably as leader and accompanist to a variety of performing acts around the world with repertoires spanning across multiple genres. The Smoogies individual members have served in groups such as Lauryn Hill, Snarky Puppy, Nicholas Payton, Ghost Note, Cris Cab, Sullivan Fortner, Nicole Henry, Etienne Charles, Godwin Louis, Emmet Cohen to name a few.
The Smoogies began their career with a feature on the digital music series, The Chivertone Sessions run by member David Chiverton and notoriety grew instantaneously. From there, they were given the opportunity to hold residency and curate a weekly hangout where the band developed and refined their sound further. They also secured a spot at the prestigious Ground Up Music Festival, and they have not stopped breaking ground since.
Want to go on a unique musical journey? The Smoogies provide an unforgettable live experience intentionally crafted to inspire a greater fellowship amongst their listeners.
Available online at thesmoogies.bandcamp.com/album/planet-smoogies
