Who is PHAT STRUT

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PHAT STRUT is a band you should get to know

Interview conducted on May 31, 2019

by Dan Locke

Phat Strut, a Lausanne/Switzerland and Austin/Texas based funk band plays a tight-fitted south funk with a compromise-free authentic, soulful, generous and greasy sound.

Phat Strut music, first of all, is the blessed outcome of an over 17-year close and funk-addicted collaboration between 3 band members: Bertrand -Zallag- Gallaz (guitar, vocals, compositions, lyrics), Laurent -Pocket- Schaffter (bass, arrangements) and Thierry Choinard (drums, arrangements, lyrics), performing around Switzerland in venues, road houses, concert halls and festivals. Joined 4 years ago by Hammond B3-inhabited Giuseppe -Giu- Germano, the band reaches then the required intrumental combination to express and create its music. in 2011, Phat Strut records, produces and releases a first opus: Phat Immersion

Band Members
LZ Love, Bertrand Gallaz, Laurent Schaffter, Thierry Choinard, Giuseppe Germano

Dan Locke: How did the band come to be?

I met with bass player Laurent Schaffter in the US, Los Angeles, in 1994/95 and we started to play in different projects together, in the US and in Switzerland.
We met with guitar player Bertrand Gallaz in 1998 in Switzerland and founded our first project Fool Groove, focused on playing The Meters’ repertoire, playing local festivals and venues.
Bertrand was already an established and recognized guitar player of the local – and to some extent – international scene, especially on the Jazz and Funk scene. He had already several CDs out featuring well-known artists such as Jean-Paul Bourelly or Ronald Shannon Jackson (Decoding Society, Cecil Taylor, Ornette Coleman, Albert Ayler).
We are all great fans of New Orleans Funk and of the Meters and wanted to get deep into this music and play it to the people in Switzerland. Most of the people there did not know The Meters, although few people knew the iconic tune “Cissy’s Strut » from hearing, featured on several movie soundtracks.
In 2008, we decided to create our own music. We created PHAT STRUT. We met with our Organist/Keyboardist Guiseppe Germano and started to create a repertoire of instrumental tracks.
We recorded our first CD in 2011 started to play festivals and venues.
We also knew that we wanted to add some lead vocals at some points. After several unsuccessful local trials, in 2011, I met with LZ LOVE who was based in Austin Texas at this time.
LZ LOVE was already an established and accomplished artist, songwriter and lead vocalist on the Gospel, Soul, Funk and R&B scenes. LZ has worked with the queen of Motown, Mary Wells, and Parliament-Funkadelic. She has toured with James Brown, recorded with Michael Franti & Spearhead and recently with Jennifer Lopez.
LZ loved our style, tracks and we started to create songs together. Actually, LZ was able to add lyrics and vocals to some of our instrumental tracks. We started to create together as well.
And we started to tour together, first as PHAT STRUT featuring LZ LOVE. Shortly after our first tour, LZ integrated the band completely.
We have now 4 CDs, including one recorded on stage in Austin, TX.
We received some great feedback and appreciation from some established and legend Funk or Jazz artists such as Pee Wee Ellis, Leo Nocentelli (The Meters) and Shane now Theriot.
Fyi, all our music is recorded live in the studio, meaning all instruments are recorded together at the same time with no over-dubs or re-recording what so ever.
We record in the same way The Meters had recorded their music, all organic and live.

Switzerland is best known for rock music. Why did you pick New Orleans style Funk as the driving focus to your music?

Laurent (bass player) and myself discovered this music in 1994 when we lived in Los Angeles.
Bertrand was always a great fan of this type of Funk. We were the only band in Switzerland playing that sound and that’s what unified us in the beginning.

What is live music like in Lausanne Switzerland?

Opportunities to play live are very little in Lausanne and in Switzerland in general, and even more little when you play this type of music.
Most of the opportunities are taken by established bands and/or bands playing a totally different style.
We have played most of the festivals but not on the main stage as an opening act for an established artist.
It’s very hard to get exposure here and to be accepted by big venues managers and festivals managers. To get to the next level of exposure, we need the help of an established – and efficient – tour manager or agent.
In the US, people are more open in general, to the style and to « unknown » artists.

You tour mostly in the United States. How has the immigration laws affected your touring?

We are not impacted as we are not staying more than 3 months each time.

Is there any different tour in the United State vs. outside of the United States?

When we tour, we tour mostly in the US.

You have been around for 10 years. Do you see yourself playing for another 10 years?

Yes, of course. Laurent, Bertrand and myself have been playing over 20 or 25 years together. PHAT STRUT is over 10 years old.
We love playing music. We love playing our music, and we believe there are a good amount of people out there who dig our music or would dig our music if they hear it.
So, we’ll keep on keeping on, never give-up. We just need that one established agent, manager, artist or band who will hear our music, who will dig it and take us on a major tour with them.

Does anyone in the band have a day job?

Yes, all of us. We wish we would not have to.

How do you see the future of music with so much music being listened to by the internet?

The future of music is a live performance. The business model to market music has completely changed, but the emotion of seeing artists performing live will always remain.
Today, for bands like us, getting a record deal is great but getting a tour deal is even better in our case.
If a band is able to get some exposure and perform in front of great amount of people, those people will decide and show if they dig it or not, Press will provide exposure too, and then more tour and performance opportunities will follow, and people will start to look for music of the band on the Internet.

Anything you like to say in closing?

Yes. Thanks for letting us do this.
We send a message out there to tour managers, agents and to Funk/Soul/Blues or Jazz established artists and bands who dig PHAT STRUT and want to provide some substantial exposure to the band and its music.
We are a different type of Funk/Jazz band and we can open for any artists of those music scenes.