Ghost Funk Orchestra

In the organizer's words:

Ghost Funk Orchestra *live*

Ghost Funk Orchestra (GFO) is the vision of composer and multi-instrumentalist Seth Applebaum. What began in 2014 as a one-man studio experiment is now an energetic live band with up to ten musicians.

Musically, GFO is a sonic kaleidoscope: soul, psych-rock, salsa and more merge with psychedelic elements, lush brass arrangements and unpredictable time changes. The band delivers hypnotic grooves, warm vintage sounds and cinematic arcs of tension, from gentle and dreamy to explosive and driving. Live, the result is an intense interplay of dense instrumental passages, sweat-inducing funk breaks and charismatic vocals, which coalesce into an energetic, intoxicating maelstrom.

Since its foundation, GFO has evolved over the course of numerous albums from tropically colored psychedelic soul to an increasingly narrative band with complex, multi-layered arrangements. A Song For Paul still lives from its handmade, earthy groove, A New Kind of Love unfolds an opulent soundscape between exotica, soul and soundtrack art, and A Trip to the Moon combines vintage sounds with science fiction to create a cinematic sound journey full of psychedelic funk, exotic textures and surf-rock vibes - arranged like an orchestral radio play.

This cross-genre experimentation has been celebrated by NPR, Bandcamp, KUTX, Brooklyn Vegan and Earmilk. The New York blog Post-Trash called it a "psych odyssey of traditional sounds delivered in unconventional ways." J. Edward Keyes (Bandcamp) praised GFO for leaving "no funk-savvy genre unexplored".

GFO has shared the stage with the likes of Os Mutantes, Grace Potter, Marco Benevento, La Luz, Monophonics, The Nude Party and The Jack Moves. They have also played at prestigious festivals such as the Montreal Jazz Festival, Treefort Music Festival, Telluride Jazz, Otis Mountain Get Down and BRIC's NYC Winter Jazz Fest.