Dysfunktone is a 4 piece jam (jam meets funk meets groove rock) band based out of Long Island, New York. The band is currently about halfway through their spring tour and are making a stop at The Eleven at Lark Hall on May 24th so I thought it was a perfect time to catch up with them just in time for them coming to town. Read the full interview below:
Mirth Films: Dysfunktone is an interesting name, is there a story about the meaning/origin of it?
Dysfunktone: Dys is our funk tone, there are many others like it, but dys one is ours.
Mirth Films: You’ll be returning to the capitol region to play at The Eleven at Lark Hall on 5/24, are you excited to be headed back up north?
Dysfunktone: Yes, we are always excited to hit a venue for the first time, and our Albany crowds are always ready and rowdy.
Mirth Films: How would you describe the dynamics of dysfunktone; and what is everyone’s role to keep on track and keep the jams flowing?
Dysfunktone: Dysfunktone is a truly collaborative effort, and we try to play to everyone’s strengths. Our band is composed of audio engineers, graphic designers, song writers, booking agents/managers, etc. We all wear many hats. To keep the jams flowing we do our best to always be intently listening to each other, and to find inspiration as individuals to enable us to constantly be bringing new ideas to the table.
Mirth Films: What are some goals you guys have for 2024; where would you like to see yourself in the next 2 years?
Dysfunktone: Our goals for 2024 are writing a lot of new material, starting a new studio project, expanding our tours to new areas, and to continue pushing the envelope on stage as much as we can. Within the next two years we would love to be reaching our full potential as a nationally touring jam band, as well as continuing to regularly release the best and most authentic art we can possibly create.
Mirth Films: How would you describe the sound of dysfunktone and what inspires you all to make these hypnotic jams?
Dysfunktone: Our sound is homegrown, but we wear our influences on our sleeves. If you attend a Dysfunktone show, you will likely be able to pick out our influences, however, they all come together to form something that is truly unique. While on stage, we do our best to make every show an individual experience; never repeating a jam, rotating setlists/covers, and always trying to create a sound people can lose themselves in. Staying true to the “funk” in our name, we keep a danceable groove at the center of everything we do.
Mirth Films: Will there be any new music to be on the lookout for from dysfunktone?
Dysfunktone: We hope to get back into the studio and release a new album by the end of this year/early next year. We also regularly release all our live performances on Bandcamp and YouTube, to allow our listeners to keep up with all our latest jams. There is also a live album currently in the works .
Mirth Films: What is your favorite thing about Albany NY?
Dysfunktone: Every time we return to Albany we are always inspired by the thriving music scene, and the attentiveness of our enthusiastic audiences.
Mirth Films: Lastly, what’s the playlist like in the car on the way to shows and events?
Dysfunktone: On this current tour for example, Brandon and Dakota spent their time in the car listening to the music they grew up on: such as 70’s classic rock, 80’s prog, and 90’s hip-hop and grunge. Alex and Rob have been diving deeper into electronic and jam band artists, but much like Brandon and Dakota, also revisiting their favorites from their childhood, aka the 90’s and 2000’s.
