New Orleans group Tank and the Bangas will absolutely blow your mind live. What they bang is an animated mix of gospel, soul, funk, rock, hip-hop, and spoken word that will have you dancing, actually participating in call-and-response crowd work, and maybe even hollering “amen!” In 2017 the group played a set at Pickathon’s scenic Treeline Stage, and I couldn’t decide if it felt more like the best outdoor party I’ve ever been to or a church-like revival.
I was particularly taken with lead vocalist/songwriter Tarriona “Tank” Ball’s insanely versatile voice and her completely uninhibited stage presence. In terms of ability, Tank’s the next Lauryn Hill. Armed with a spoken-word background, she’s able to switch from perfectly delivering storytelling rhymes to grabbing you by the heartstrings as she transitions to wailing and adlibbing her way through the rest of the song. With Tank already being a… well, tank of a frontwoman, the band fleshes out her spoken word and singing by 1000 percent.
I recently spoke with keyboardist Merell Burkett, who tells me his range of musical influences include Jay Z and Lil Wayne for hip-hop, with Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Herbie Hancock on the jazz side of things. He also draws inspiration from gospel artists like Kirk Franklin and Yolanda Adams.
