When one thinks of the name "Snarky Puppy," two thoughts may come to mind. A puppy with attitude issue or the most diverse, phenomenal jazz, soul, funk collaborative band of the 21st century. The story of how Snarky Puppy became the band they are today starts with Michael League, a mindful, creative type with the drive to create beautiful works of music.
When Michael was a young boy, his brother, who was 5 years older than him, played an arrange of instruments. From guitar to oboe, he could play it all. Michael's brother handed him a guitar while hanging out with his brother's friends. He plucked each string falling in love with music even more with each note. Michael progressed in his guitar playing skills for years. This was only the start for him, as he picked up bass at 18 years of age. He liked the funky, jazzy sound it made, and it was not hard to learn.
With music in mind, and the beating heart of a drum, Michael attended the University of North Texas to study jazz. The university was the first program in the nation to offer jazz degree as an area of study. Michael did not finish the program, as he did not feel that he was accomplishing the goals, dreams and aspirations that he wanted through his program.
Michael moved to Dallas with his bass on his back ready to take the music scene by storm. He founded Snarky Puppy originally as an old school rock band with a jazzy influence. Michael had his struggles as a musician early on trying to get gigs, recognition and enough funds to keep the band alive.
Michael's musical talents, inspiration to write and powerful connection to his band drove him further and further into the music industry. Time brought on a funky sound to the band that did not exist before while maintaining the essence of rock within the sound.
Michael furthered his story by telling some of the experiences that he and the band had while on the road. At one point, the band had to play in Birmingham, Alabama in an open field. To make this concert more unusual than playing in a field was it was 105 degrees, Fahrenheit, in the middle of the afternoon with the worst sound production they had ever heard. To put the cherry on top of the melted sundae, they had played a gig in Mississippi until 3 a.m. precedent to this concert while fitting all 15 members with their equipment into a 15 passenger van. Eventually, Snarky Puppy earned enough money to buy a school bus to convert into a living space large enough to support 15 people, equipment, and more.
The turning point for Snarky Puppy was with the release of "Tell Your Friends," which attracted a lot of attention on YouTube. The amount of attraction earned them their first Grammy in 2014 in "Best R&B Performance" with their song "Something" featuring Lalah Hathaway. Despite the prestigious award, Snarky Puppy was shied away from the media's attention.
Michael and the band kept playing even more working on more works such as: Sylvia, We Like It Here, Family Dinner Vol II and their most recent album, Culcha Vulcha. "Culcha" is defined as "‘Culture’ or cultural pursuits, variously regarded as pretentious, exotic, alien, worthless, etc" and "Vulcha" means "...the birth path 22 and it's meaning is connected to principles of awakening, vitality, inspiration and a great capacity for work." The break down of Vulcha surely was defined by their last Grammy for their album Sylvia. They won best "Contemporary Instrumental Album" in this year's Grammys.
You might be wondering how a band that has this many records, 11 records total, can continue to have this much success. Michael describes his creative process by taking inspiration from everything from the rhythmic tone of an elevator riding up to his second floor studio in New York, or the tapping sound a defected car makes at a red light. He says, "It's a state of mind."
Michael League has unsurpassed success in his career in music from picking up his first guitar to playing the bass like a pro, he is legendary. To complete his story he ended with the key to his success, "Turn obstacles into opportunities." He is the symbolic representation of what musicians strive for. Be sure to follow Snarky Puppy for more music to come out soon!
