2025 marks the 20th anniversary of the formation of the Budos Band. The lineup has fluctuated a bit throughout those two decades, but the band has stayed productive both in the studio and on the road. Plenty of music trends – some shitty and some great – have also come and gone in that time, but the Budos Band has stayed cool as hell in a league of their own. At this point, they are practically their own genre with their swirling instrumental storm of Afrobeat, doom-laden heavy rock, dark funk, and soul. Their time-tested sound can be heard all over their latest album, the aptly titled VII, which was released in May. The band is currently in the midst of a quick jaunt through the Pacific Northwest to celebrate the album and tour, and on Thursday, August 28th, they stopped in Portland, Oregon, for a raucous performance at Revolution Hall.
Los Angeles psych-rock outfit Levitation Room warmed up the crowd with an impressive set brimming with delicious harmonies, funky grooves, and acid-soaked goodness. On songs like “Pass It On,” “Reasons Why,” “Mr. Polydactyl Cat,” and “Love Signs,” the band basked in a righteous musical glow that recalled 60s rock, pop, and R&B layered with guitars that fuzzed and jangled, ascending keys, and the sensually hip vocals of frontman Julian Porte. On standout tracks like “Cool It, Baby,” “Ooh Child,” and “Revelations,” the band brought a welcome, guitar-driven contrast to what would follow from the Budos Band with their enchanting brand of psychedelia, praising Portland as being the best audience of the tour.
Jared Tankel laid down a massive baritone saxophone solo right out of the gate during “Thrice,” setting the tone for what would ensue over the course of the Budos Band’s roughly ninety-minute set. As the band catapulted into the dark and sinister new song “Overlander” laced with Thomas Brenneck’s heavily funkified guitar and Mike Deller’s slinky organ with hints of Ethiopian jazz, their full power was on display and it was clear that twenty years has done little to temper their ferocity. “Night Raid” was equally mind-bending and exotic as the band hit the audience with trumpet blasts, while “The Sticks” stood out for its buoyant organ solo that jived along with deeply funky guitar and bass, along with an onslaught of horns. “Black Venom” was a highlight of the set that slithered along with gothic undertones, spooky organ, and a hip-hop-style beat interspersed with flourishes of trumpet.
The Budos Band possesses the distinctive ability to transform any venue into a sweaty dance party, and they did just that as they cruised through tunes like “Escape From Ptenoda City,” “Frontier’s Edge,” and “Behind The Black Curtain” with its fuzzed out guitar and demon mariachi-soul horns. The band wasn’t afraid to stretch out and explore every corner of the psychedelic universe of this strangely perfect style of funk they have made their own, twisting and turning and melting faces in the process. Towards the end of their set, Daniel Foder (celebrating a birthday no less) unleashed the distinctive bass line of the classic Afrobeat number “Up From The South” off the band’s first album. This felt like a peak moment in the show, a testament to this music that is infinitely danceable and timeless.
Many bands have ventured into similar musical territory as The Budos Band over the last twenty years, but few have been able to fuse the energy of rock and roll and Afrofunk into such an explosive live spectacle. Every moment of their Portland performance felt like a celebration. Of course, the band did have milestones to celebrate, but they’ve been bringing the party nearly every time they play for twenty years.
All photos by Greg Homolka
