Top-Hat Confederacy

Since its formation in 2009, Top-Hat Confederacy has been gigging all around Portland, providing its unique, hip sound. As bass player and band leader, founding member Alex Koehler composes all the original tracks and works tirelessly to manage the ridiculously large group. Every member is an accomplished musician in their own right (and are often gigging with other great music groups), contributing their abilities to make every THC chart packed with crisp grooves, sassy lyrics, and mind-blowing jazz harmonies.

Top-Hat provides the kind of music that you'd be hard pressed to find in any young self-organized group. The sounds of Steely Dan, Earth Wind & Fire, Tower of Power and various other funk, rock, soul and jazz artists can be heard among the groups sounds. Whether they're playing thoroughly composed originals, or shedding new light on classic R&B standards, you can be sure that the effervescent, infectious groove will be there to carry on the sound.

In the winter of 2012, Top-Hat's first album was released. With this new record Top-Hat proves their stylistic versatility. The album includes a hip-hop and reggae track, their most popular songs to date, as well as some outstanding vocal charts with singing talents Lisa Wang, Halynn Blanchard, and Anna Curalli. And the track list is flanked by two instrumental funk monsters (“Tato-Tots” and “Shake in the Hand”).

Why are they called the Top-Hat Confederacy? Why the quixotic quest to recover the funk? In short, it’s for the children.