Entering their 10th year as a band, Hard Proof has established itself as an Austin institution ready to bring the party to the rest of the world. The Austin-based ten-piece collective of musicians known as Hard Proof began by studying the blueprint of Fela Kuti’s Africa 70 band, as well as funk and jazz from the whole of sub-Saharan Africa. Founded in 2008, Hard Proof features members of Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears, The Calm Blue Sea, Cougar, Spoon, the Echocentrics, and several other notable Austin acts.
While their self-titled album was well received on its 2010 release, there seems to be universal agreement that their live shows are something not to be missed. Austin taste-maker Laurie Gallardo of KUTX radio may have put it best: "This local nine-piece ensemble always puts on an electrifying live show, an absolute blowout of non-stop percussion action and blasting brass, bringing the best of both worlds to the stage by mixing classic styles and plenty of their personal panache to own the show."
As if they weren’t busy enough between Hard Proof and their other bands, the Hard Proof Horns have found work as sidemen with such notables as Spoon, Antibalas, Gary Clark Jr., Bro

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