Menahan Street Band is an amalgamation of various musical disciplines spanning years of collective musical exploration by its individual members: Thomas Brenneck (Budos Band, The Expressions, Los Yesterdays), Dave Guy (The Roots, Late Night House Band, The Dap-Kings), Nick Movshon(Lee Fields and the Expressions, The Black Keys, The Avalanches), Leon Michels (Big Crown Records, El Michels Affair, The Black Keys) and Homer Steinweiss (The Dap-Kings, Holy-Hive, Lee Fields and the Expressions) – each contributing a unique perspective and approach to their highly cinematic and majestic compositions. The group masterfully bridges the gap between jazz and soul music; harnessing the energy of freeform, improvisation and sculpting it into clearly defined and regimented grooves. This process, set against the backdrop of their home base of New York City, has yielded a signature sound that has been the foundation for some of modern hip-hop’s most successful beats; their music has been sampled by the likes of Eminem, Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott, 50 Cent, Curren$y, to name a few.

By the time of their inception in 2007, Menahan Street Band’s lineup had already been heralded separately as innovators in their respective fields. As active members and founders of various projects at Daptone Records, they discovered a shared love of hip-hop, rock & roll and the eccentric subgenres within that would inspire a departure from the soul and funk music they had become best known for. The mission became to create music that cast a wider net; encompassing the influences that better represented their eclectic tastes, ideas, and versatility, which culminated in their critically acclaimed, 2008 debut, Make the Road by Walking. 

A new day is upon us all. The elusive undercurrent of urgency evoked by the group’s music has never been more relevant. In 2021, MENAHAN STREET BAND rises to meet this new world with the beat-forward, cinematic masterpiece, The Exciting Sounds Of… Menahan Street Band: A milestone that reveals new dimensions in tone and timbre, as well as mood and design. World-renowned artist, Ariana Papademetropoulis lends her imaginative style to help create the striking cover art; a visceral visual that pairs well with the arsenal of analog instrumentation employed in the making of the album.