Today we’d like to introduce you to Movmnt Band. Them and their team share their story with us below:
The journey for Movmnt Band started on the campus of SMU (Southern Methodist University) in 2014. Leslie “Zeke” Ratliff (Keys, MD) and Cornell Lacy (bass) held jam sessions where students and faculty would look on and participate. When the jam sessions turned more into people observing what Cornell and Zeke played, they decided to expand into becoming an original band. As time went on, Paulo Calomeni (guitar) and Tony “Lil Katt” Reed joined the band after hearing some of the material Zeke and Cornell worked on. Deciding to be a fusion band because of their many influences, Movmnt Band began testing their new music in Dallas in 2016. In 2016 and ‘17, Movmnt Band found success in developing a small fan base in the Dallas music community.
Together, they created a Fusion experience that takes influence from Stevie Wonder, J Dilla, Chick Corea, and many more. After receiving requests to release original music, they fine-tuned the songs they performed and recorded as much as they could. Their first self-titled album Movmnt Band was released in 2018 and set a precedence of high musical expectation from their fan base. From soaring guitar riffs to complex syncopation, Movmnt Band aimed to expand the listener’s appetite for a higher level of music.
In 2021, Movmnt Band is pushing forward towards their 2nd album. They’ve already released two singles, “XLR” and “Blue Chucks”, and are expecting finishing other songs for the album by summer next year. Movmnt Band is still performing and has had incredible shows in Dallas at The Freeman, Three Links, and the Deep Ellum Arts Festival. All in all, Movmnt Band wants to continue to give people a Jazz Fusion experience that enlarges their musical appetites.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It’s definitely not been a smooth road for us, but we have overcome through adapting. 2020 made us face huge challenges with venues being closed and no live music available. Because of that, we had to be creative do Livestreams and come up with more ways to connect with our audience. On the bright side, the world is opening back up in 2021, and 2022 will be even better!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
All in all, we are an original Jazz Fusion band, which sadly is not as common in DFW. We’re known for our HUGE sound that takes ingredients from RnB, Jazz, Trap/Rap, and a lot of other genres. Definitely most proud of our perseverance through obstacles that trip other artists and bands. We’ll continue to create and share music that moves us, and will move others.
How do you think about happiness?
What makes us happy is seeing people visibly impacted by music! It happens constantly that we’ll run into people who aren’t familiar with Jazz or Jazz Fusion but still get uplifted by hearing us live or recorded. That feeling helps push us to be better as a band and as individuals. Moreover, we’ll continue creating unique musical experiences that people can enjoy.
Contact Info:
- Email: Movmntbandcontact@gmail.com
- Website: MovmntBand.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/movmnt.band?utm_medium=copy_link
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/movmntband
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCk8bVrIz0MBKRrICzm-2QIw
Image Credits
Leo Montemayor
