Fridays After Five: Disco Risque

FRIDAYS AFTER FIVE | BUD LIGHT CONCERT SERIES

Disco Risque - Funky, Rock & Roll Dance Party

Disco Risqué exploded onto the scene in 2014, receiving its birthright in Charlottesville, VA at the hands of Charlie Murchie (lead guitar) and Robert Prescott (drums/vocals). Since that day the band has worked vigorously to find their sound, a process which led longtime friend of the group and videographer Steve Lanza Jr. to describe the project as “the rowdiest band in show business.” The addition of Ryan Calonder (trumpet/lead vocals/rhythm guitar), John Bruner (bass) followed by Andrew Hollifield (bass), and Sean Hodge (keys) over the subsequent years helped solidify Disco Risqué as an absolute tsunami of a sonic experience that has torn up scenes up and down the east coast and all the way out to Colorado for the better part of a decade.

The band’s eponymous debut, Disco Risqué, a massive 20 track double disc release, hit the shelves in late 2016 and set the stage for the group’s foray into multiple genres, including instrumental tracks like Hot Chicks and High Tops (are my bag baby) to tongue-in-cheek heartbreak tunes like Honeypot, to full fledged hard rock numbers like No Good. 2018 brought forth Disco Risque’s sophomore album If You Don’t Like Hits You’re Gonna Hate This, a focused collection of songs that showcased the funk-rock side of the group and gave the band access to a more commercially available fan-base. Running with the success of this release DR followed this full length album with a collection of EPs entitled D3P (2021) and Top of the Key (2022) which continued to build on the band’s work as effective poppy funk-rock composers.

Finally in late 2022 the band released a long awaited project entitled Joke Squad, an entirely instrumental album nearly 4 years in the making. The initial recording sessions for Joke Squad began in late 2018 shortly after the release of If You Don’t Like Hits You’re Gonna Hate This, however due to line-up changes, vinyl pressing shortages, and a world health crisis unlike any seen in our lifetime the release of this album continually ran into hang ups. However, on Dec. 10 2022, Disco Risqué finally played the album release show that fans and band members alike had patiently waited for...and to uproarious applause. Joke Squad embodies what you can get from a Disco Risqué show/release that you absolutely cannot get anywhere else, summed up best by the band’s drummer Robert Prescott, “it’s the best thing we’ve ever done.”

Not one to rest on their laurels, Disco Risqué is eagerly looking to the future, with plans to re-enter the studio in 2023 for another full length release, as well as ambitions to have their most aggressive touring schedule to date. Keep your eyes peeled and your ear to the ground, cause DR is coming for you.