For over two decades, June Yamagishi and John "Papa" Gros have been bringing New Orleans and Japan closer together through music.
Funk on Da Table, their latest band, will bring hard-hitting grooves back to Japan in February. The international group, comprised of Japanese and American musicians, will celebrate its one-year anniversary with dates in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Nagoya.
The group is billed as a collaboration between Yamagishi, a Mie Prefecture native now based in New Orleans, and bassist Kensuke "Kenken" Kaneko of Japanese nu-metal groups Rize and Dragon Ash. However, the driving force behind the group's direction is the relationship between Yamagishi and keyboard player and singer John "Papa" Gros. The two were co-founding members of New Orleans group Papa Grows Funk, which was active for 13 years. Nikki Glaspie, formerly a drummer for Beyonce, completes Funk on Da Table.