Under the direction of bandleader, bassist and vocalist Tony “Big Tony” Fisher, Trouble Funk performs classic Go-Go at its best featuring an uproarious blend of swinging, up-tempo funk heavily laden with infectious percussion, punctuated by dynamic horns, topped off with booming vocals and the trademark audience participatory call and response. Big Tony & Trouble Funk are known as the “World’s Best Go-Go Band”, and as worldwide ambassadors of Go-Go, they continue to perform around the globe and in the studio creating Go-Go music for a new generation of fans.
Trouble Funk burst on the scene 40 years ago from the streets of Washington, DC with their raw party driven style that appealed to hardcore Go-Go fans. The band released several songs in the early 1980s that became Go-Go classics including "Pump Me Up", "Drop The Bomb", "Hey Fellas", “Let’s Get Small” and “So Early in the Morning.” In the mid ‘80s, their live performances were captured on the big screen in the film “Good To Go”, which showcased Go-Go music and most prominently the music of Trouble Funk including title track.
In the late 1980s, Trouble Funk captured the attention of music enthusiasts everywhere and toured extensively around the world performing at major venues including The Apollo Theater, Madison Square Garden and in London, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels and the highly regarded Montreux Jazz Festival. Today, Trouble Funk still tours frequently while their music has been kept alive through sampling with “Pump Me Up” as one of the most sampled tracks of all time and featured in the popular video game Grand Theft Auto.
In 2014, Big Tony and Trouble Funk caught the attention of the founding member of Nirvana and the Foo Fighters, Dave Grohl. The band spent a weekend with Grohl who filmed their rehearsals and live shows for his HBO series "Sonic Highways" which culminated in Dave and the Foo Fighters sharing the stage with Trouble Funk. Grohl told the sold out crowd about how seeing Trouble Funk perform while growing up in the DC area inspired him to become a musician. The band still inspires whenever they perform and are back at Bethesda Blues & Jazz for a much anticipated show!
