Boston Globe: Snarky Puppy’s ‘overnight success’ was a decade in the making
Snarky Puppy’s fortunes seemed to be on an upswing. Though it was still struggling to fill stateside venues, the band had just returned from its first European tour, a surprising success. The hope was to sell 50 tickets for the first show, in London; instead the group sold out a 400-capacity room. Back at the airport in Chicago afterward, the musicians buzzed among themselves: Maybe something is happening here.
They got into a van and drove more than 30 hours straight, to Takoma, Wash., for some West Coast shows. Over the first three nights, Snarky Puppy played to a total of about 100 people, says bandleader Michael League.
“The third night was my birthday, and there were three people there,” says League, recalling the story over the phone during a break in studio recording. “It was really a healthy smack in the face. Not that anybody was getting a big head, but the idea that just because something’s happening somewhere, it doesn’t mean you’re big [expletive].”
When Snarky Puppy, whose sound can best be described as a fresh form of jazz fusion, plays House of Blues on Wednesday, it’s guaranteed to have more than three people in the audience.
The instrumental ensemble, which includes a few core members and lots of rotating contributors, has kept a much higher profile since its surprising Grammy win in 2014, recently complemented by a second win in February. But it’s enjoying an “overnight success” that was a decade in the making.