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[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]F[/dropcap]or some, lettuce is simply the quintessential ingredient to any salad or a basic burger topping. But for others, it’s the name of one of the most revered bands in the American jam and funk music scene. This ensemble has been making music since the early 1990s, and if its name doesn’t give you the munchies, the band’s crunchy, smooth sound certainly will. CULTURE caught up with guitarist Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff to talk about Lettuce’s new record, Elevate, and current tour. So grab yourself a snack and check out the latest goings on with Lettuce.

 

What is the band working on right now?

We’re about to continue our Elevate Tour for our latest record, and I believe we have a bunch of stops on the East Coast like Asheville, Wilmington, and in addition to the North Carolina stops, New York, like upstate New York City and New Jersey. I’m super stoked for this tour, because I get to see some of my family.

 

Tell me a little bit about the latest album. What do you think makes it stand out from other releases, and how has the reception been so far this summer?

I don’t think there’s any real need to make comparisons to other stuff that we’ve done. I think it stands on its own. You know, I like to think about recordings as a piece of history, a piece of life, because you’re just capturing time while you’re in the studio. So, to me, it’s a piece of history of where the band is right now and what our sound is currently. I think that’s really what this album represents. It’s about who we are as people right at this moment in time.

 

What do you like most about Elevate?

The whole recording process was just really, really fun for me, especially because we recorded it in Denver, Colorado where I live. It’s been a really long recording process. It started when my wife was pregnant, and now my child is 21 months. Being at home and able to be with my family during that process was great for me, personally. And I think it enabled me to really give some heartfelt, good performances on the record, because my heart was in the right place.

 

How has living in a city with legal cannabis impacted your career and music?

It feels like there’s a weight off of my shoulders, that I’m not hiding something or doing anything illegal. It really enables you to accept that in reality this is medicine, and once I started to think that way, it has changed my life in such a positive way. It’s helped me manage and get through so many things, and it’s also helped me so much with my creativity. Cannabis has been a great thing in my life, and definitely something we bonded over in Lettuce.

  “Cannabis has been a great thing in my life, and definitely something we bonded over in Lettuce.”

 

How do you feel that cannabis has impacted the bond between you all?

Before legality, I think there were moments of paranoia and things like that that sprung from the illegality of it. But, even without the aspect of cannabis, this band is brothers, and there’s a special bond between us.

Is there anything else you want to highlight?

We recorded some other songs during the Elevate sessions that should be coming out in the near future. We’re going to continue putting out tracks that we made at that time, so there’s more music to come. Also on this tour, we’re going to get out there, and we’re going to play some new stuff that we’ve never played before, which is always really exciting. That’s why I love playing with these guys; there’s always something to look forward to. And, in general, you know, we’re just grateful to still be out here. We’re grateful to be doing what we’re doing. I can’t wait to see all the faces in the crowd that come to our shows. It makes us really happy; we love our people, and we’re psyched to get out in front of them again.

 

www.lettucefunk.com

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