Lettuce
Country of Origin
USA
Styles
Funk
Biography
Lettuce is an American funk band formed in 1992 in Boston, Massachusetts. Known for their genre-blending sound that fuses funk with elements of jazz, hip-hop, rock, psychedelia, soul, and go-go, the band has become a staple in the global funk and jam scene. The current lineup consists of six core members: guitarist Adam "Shmeeans" Smirnoff, drummer Adam Deitch, bassist Erick "Jesus" Coomes, saxophonist Ryan Zoidis, trumpeter Eric "Benny" Bloom, and keyboardist/vocalist Nigel Hall.
The band's origins trace back to the summer of 1992 when its founding members — Smirnoff, Deitch, Coomes, Zoidis, and Krasno — met as teenagers attending a music program at Berklee College of Music. They reunited in 1994 during their undergraduate studies and began performing in Boston jazz clubs, earning their name from club owners who humorously asked if they could "let us play." Keyboardist Jeff Bhasker joined early on, followed by Neal Evans in 2002. Nigel Hall officially joined in 2006, and Eric "Benny" Bloom replaced Rashawn Ross as the band’s trumpeter in 2011.
Lettuce released their debut studio album, Outta Here , in 2002. Their second album, Rage! (2008), paid homage to 1970s funk with covers of Curtis Mayfield and Charles Wright. In 2012, they released Fly! , followed by Crush (2015), which topped the U.S. Jazz Albums chart. The band continued with Elevate (2019), Resonate (2020), Unify (2022), and the groundbreaking 48-minute continuous improvisation VIBE (2022), their first fully improvised album.
Lettuce has also released live recordings, including Live in Tokyo (2003), Witches Stew (2017), and Live in Amsterdam (2023). Their 2020 album Elevate was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Instrumental Album category.
Beyond Lettuce, its members have pursued notable side projects and collaborations. Deitch is a producer and founding member of Break Science, while Smirnoff has toured with Lady Gaga. Hall and Krasno were members of Soulive, and Zoidis co-founded Rustic Overtones. Bloom, Deitch, and Smirnoff have also worked with major artists across genres.
Active for over three decades, Lettuce remains a vital force in contemporary funk, known for their tight instrumentation, improvisational prowess, and energetic live performances. Based in the U.S., the band continues to tour internationally and release music under their own imprint and labels such as Round Hill and Velour Records.
Social Media and Links
Upcoming Concerts
| Date | Time | Venue | City | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 30, 2025 | 19:00 | Razzmatazz 2 | Barcelona | Spain |