StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Exploring The Great Barrier Reefs

This week, let's take a look at a few video clips from The Great Barrier Reefs, an up-and-coming funk/fusion/jam band from the Nashville, Tennessee area that will be in St. Louis to perform at 10:30 p.m. this coming Thursday, August 9 at Pop's Blue Moon.

Led by steel pan player and keyboardist Tony Hartman, who's worked with drummer Roy "Futureman" Wooten's Black Mozart Ensemble, the group also includes Taylor Lonardo (bass, audio production), Josh Dunlap (saxophone), Matthew Heller (drums), and Rheal Janelle (guitar). Their most recent album release is 2011's Finding Time, which features nine original songs reflecting influences from jazz fusion to the funk of the 1960s and '70s.

Today we've got a half-dozen selections from TGBR, starting up above with a tune called "Gratitude," shown here in a recording from the 5 Spot in Nashville.

Down below, it's "Matt's Birthday," recorded in Asheville, NC (and preceded by a bit of goofiness from the road), and then "Castilla," which was performed in June at the Exit/In in Nashville during the city's Fringe Festival.

Below that are three performance originally recorded for various broadcasts. "To The Bridge Burners" was done for the program "Blue Plate Special" on the Tennessee community radio station WDXV, while "You Gotta Cheer Up, Debbie!" was recorded at Fearless Radio Chicago. The final clip, a performance of the title tune from "Finding Time," comes from the Knoxville, TN cable TV program 11 O'Clock Rock.

For more on The Great Barrier Reefs, you can read a review of the Finding Time CD here, and a feature story about the band here.