The Funk Exchange

As the sunlight fades, a transformation takes place. Brandon Dolph (trumpet, keyboards, composer, and vocalist), along with his right hand man Kaleb Berg (tenor and baritone sax, flute), come out of the repair shop of a local music store to lead 'The Funk Exchange' in another night of rigorous rehearsal. They are joined by Tom Appelbaum on drums, Forrest Platt on bass, JC Britto on rhythm guitar, Tanner Jones on lead guitar, and B3 Bob... More

As the sunlight fades, a transformation takes place. Brandon Dolph (trumpet, keyboards, composer, and vocalist), along with his right hand man Kaleb Berg (tenor and baritone sax, flute), come out of the repair shop of a local music store to lead 'The Funk Exchange' in another night of rigorous rehearsal. They are joined by Tom Appelbaum on drums, Forrest Platt on bass, JC Britto on rhythm guitar, Tanner Jones on lead guitar, and B3 Bob Cancro on Hammond organ,  and synthesizer. Sally Welch (lead vocals) brings a sultry side to the group's presence, and delivery. I recently sat down with Brandon on a crisp winter morning, to get the lowdown on how the band came together. Brandon comes from a trained jazz performance background. He went to school and toured extensively in the southern states. His love for the horns, and the intricacies of serious horn arrangements, drove him to create music that was based on his roots, but taken to the next level. The most interesting part of the story was how the band actually coalesced at the Horn Shop. Brandon never put out any ads, or made phone calls to gather players. Most of the players he has known for years, gone to middle school with, gone to high school with, played in other bands with, and always stayed in touch with. One by one they all came home to take their rightful places in 'The Funk Exchange.'  B3 Bob, the only unknown factor, walked in the door  as their other keyboard player was fading to black. The band has been rehearsing for about 18 months, and has over 90 minutes  of intricate, original music ready to perform. They have local dates booked, as well as some Summer Festival performances lined up.   if you get the chance, check out 'The Funk Exchange.' You will not be disappointed... Less