Artist description Yo, Flaco! draws on the natural compatibility of jazz and hip-hop to create a musical melting pot of good tastes. Just stir these styles into a simmering soup of soulful flavor. Then add latin, funk, and other spicy ingredients to create a refreshing sound that excites the senses and leaves you hungry for more!!

Music Style Live Hip Hop Jazz

Musical Influences A Tribe Called Qwest, Wes Montgomery, Grant Green, The Roots

Similar Artists The Roots, A Tribe Called Qwest, Ozomotli, Digable Planets, Soulive

Artist History Yo, Flaco! blurs the lines between traditional forms of Hip-Hop & Jazz to create a fresh new sound. This Denver-based 8-piece band thrills audiences with their high energy live performances and eclectic music. The rhythm section is anchored by bassist Wes Coplen and drummer Loren Comfort. The band's founders create the amazing body of the music with Brandon Martin on guitar and Matt Piazza on the keys. Yo, Flaco's vivacious emcees Doug Lipford and Neil McIntyre embody the band's undeniable charisma as they connect with the audience. Neil’s dynamic quick-witted style perfectly compliments Doug’s old school hip-hop flavor creating the perfect energy for Yo, Flaco! Their sound is rounded out by the amazing jazz horn section with Ethan Raczka on saxophone and Adam Bartczak on trombone and Conch Shell. Yo, Flaco! challenges the senses with music that consumes the body and makes listeners want to dance! Pushing their creative talents to seemingly unending limits, this eight-piece band has established a solid name for themselves in the Rocky Mountain Region and their popularity is growing nationally. Yo, Flaco! was chosen as one of the Top 3 Finalists in the American Music Awards Competition, the first time in history that honor has ever been bestowed upon an unsigned band. They were honored to win the Jim Beam “Best Unsigned Band In America” National Competition in 2000! The band has been voted by readers of Westword as one of Colorado’s ‘Best Bands’ for 3 years and in January, 2001 Yo, Flaco! kicked off the year with a bang by being named as one of the top ten finalists in Sam Goody’s annual ‘Bandemonium’ competition. They continue to draw bigger and bigger crowds at their performances, including several big festivals like People’s Fair, Cherry Creek Arts Fest, AT&T LoDo Music Festival & the Grand Opening of Denver’s Invesco Field, home of The Broncos. Yo, Flaco’s unique sound and incredible dedication to their craft is setting them apart from other bands on both a local and national level.

Group Members Adam Bartczak – Trombone, Doug Lipford - emcee, Loren Comfort - Drums, Neil McIntyre - emcee, Brandon Martin - Guitar, Ethan Raczka - Sax, Matt Piazza - Keys, Wes Coplen - Bass �

Instruments Guitar, Bass, Drums, Keyboards, Saxophone, Trombone, Conch Shell, Vocals

Albums Skeptamistic, Goin' At It

Press Reviews By now we all know the influence bands like Limp Bizkit and Kid Rock (no noise from the Old School peanut gallery, please) have had blending hip hop into rock. Now, take that same coupling of hip hop, and this time blend it with jazz. Jazz, you ask? That's right, jazz. And I'm cool like that. Yo, Flaco! is ever-evolving. At the largest, there were eleven members. Currently they're down to nine. Darwinian theory has applied, insofar as the music is concerned: the music evolves, and only the strongest players survive. Those players would be: Wes Coplen on bass; Loren Comfort, drums/percussion; Brandon Martin on guitar; Ben Hadwen, flute and tenor sax; Ethan Raczka on tenor sax; Steve Mercer, trombone; Matt Piazza commandeering the electronic aspects (Rhodes/roland VK7/Moog opus 3/nord lead); and emcee's Doug Lipford and Neil McIntyre. An impressive lineup to say the least. Highlights from Skeptamistic include track "Turn Around," a Tupac Shakur-sounding R&B 'memoir,' including a Hadwen flute solo, and asking "Is this the way that it's s'posed to be?" Probably the best track on the album. "We don't believe in luck, we don't believe in chance. Create your opportunities, make your own circumstance." That's the theme of "Circumstance," with a high-paced vocal rapport easily calling RATM to mind. The song "Emotions," on the other hand - though a fun and enjoyable song musically - is a dark and alarming delve into sex, and revenge taken on a wayward lover. Deserving of whatever levels of success they achieve, Yo, Flaco! have risen to the challenge of making a sound all their own. A jazzy groove that snaps its fingers and turns the beat; a syncopating rhythm that lays down the funk - and turns the tables.

Additional Info Nominated for American Music Award 2002, Jim Beam Best Unsigned Band 2000

Location Denver, Colorado - USA

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