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| Taking the stage at Tipitina's on Saturday (Sept. 16) for a benefit concert will be drummer Erik Anderson and Dr. Funk, a band of Tulane doctors, residents, medical students and alumni. |
Seeking a cure for what ails you? Spend an evening at Tipitina's in New Orleans with Dr. Funk, a band comprising Tulane doctors, residents, medical students and alumni. Money from the ticket sales for the show, which will take place on Saturday (Sept. 16) at 10 p.m., will go to Bridging Health Together, a partnership between Tulane University School of Medicine and Bridge House.
Tipitina's is located at the corner of Napoleon Avenue and Tchoupitoulas Street.
Every year, Tulane medical students volunteer at the Bridge House homeless and substance abuse clinics.
"Our goal is to bring in as much as possible. The clinic, as most clinics go, is under funded and we hope to make a difference and help them get the supplies they need and the money they need to help fund their budgets," says drummer Erik Anderson.
According to Anderson, the band began as he jammed through his first year of medical school with trumpeter Jeff DellaVolpe and keyboardist Ron Shatzmiller, also students.
"The school is very supportive of the arts and has a program called Music in Medicine where students have a chance to perform in a monthly noon variety show," says Anderson. However, once the group moved to Houston after Hurricane Katrina, it lost that opportunity to play in public.
"Medical school is very stressful and the three of us wanted to keep our sanity, so we started writing and playing in our free time. We played a few gigs and got a great crowd response and started to develop a following," explains Anderson. They expanded the band's membership and repertoire. As the name indicates, Anderson says funk is their musical preference with DellaVolpe's trumpet as the lead instrument.
"On the drums, I have learned to blend styles like Afro-Cuban, jazz, fusion and marching-band percussion into one sound. We also have an emcee who raps with an old-school, Tone Loc sound. It is a very danceable sound," says Anderson, who credits band manager Andrew Schutzbank, a third-year medical student, with some of the success of the band.
"The guy is a tiger," says Anderson. "If this medical school thing doesn't work out, I know he'll make sure our music careers do."
Members of the band are medical students DellaVolpe, Anderson and David Casey; neurologist Ron Shatzmiller; neurosurgeon Clint Burkett; pediatric internist Chris Joplin; emergency pediatrician Tom Stamps; and emergency physician Chris Del Riego.
Dr. Funk's first local show since their return from Houston will begin with a set by Bodesattva. Saxophonist David Bode will stay on stage to join Dr Funk. Other guest musicians include an emcee from Houston, a guitarist from Los Angeles and a bass player from London.
