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King Sunshine is one of Canada's premier funk outfits who move the crowd from coast to coast. Next month New Brunswickers get to groove to the soul/funk/disco stew of King Sunshine when they bring the boogie to New Brunswick for shows in Saint John, Fredericton and Moncton.

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King Sunshine

While a good time is always had when King Sunshine hits these shores, they've enlisted some local flava to get the parties started. Joining King Sunshine will be Fredericton reggae dudes Weak Sized Fish and New Brunswick's own Diva on the Decks, DJ Mizz Maxine.

King Sunshine's Marc Shapiro messaged [here] on his way to a Phish show last week. He tells [here] readers that for some strange reason New Brunswick always holds a special place in his band's collective heart.

"We love coming out east, King Sunshine is a pure party band and from what we see the east-coast knows how to party. Maybe there's something in the Alpine beer? Or maybe it's just the effects of the funk. The east holds its own vibe and we dig it. We can't wait to get back."

Shapiro tells fans to expect lots of new jams on this swing through New Brunswick. He says King Sunshine's live show is constantly evolving and hints at a "dirtier" groove to move the crowd on the dancefloor. He assures fans that favourite grooves will still be included on the setlist but credits a lot of time in the studio prepping for a new album for bringing some new jams onto the stage for next week's tour.

"We have been quite active in the studio working on new material. New tunes seem to be popping out from all corners of the funk spectrum ... We aim to keep things sonically stimulating. It's hard to put into words exactly, but the modern KS sound is slightly more experimental, dirtier grooves and always infused in the soul of the dancefloor."

Getting the party started will be two up and coming New Brunswick acts, both with lots of experience in getting the dance floor moving. While Weak Sized Fish and DJ Mizz Maxine come from different musical points of reference, the goal is the same: get people dancing and having fun.

DJ Mizz Maxine is a part of a growing movement of female DJs who are letting their turntablism cross the gender divide on the club and party circuit. She's long been a member of the influential Ultrasound Collective and is hoping that she'll inspire more and more females to take to the decks.

"I wouldn't say that being a DJ in and of itself eliminates gender lines. It is more so the music that speaks for itself. Personally, I don't think there are enough females in the DJ world; it is still to this day a very male-dominated scene, even more so in the production side of things. I can count on one hand the amount of female DJs in the electronic music scene here in the Maritimes, and they are all very talented. I'm hoping to see a lot more females on the decks in the generations to come."

Fredericton reggae/funk outfit Weak Sized Fish will also join King Sunshine on New Brunswick dates of the tour. The fish has been winning fans over across the region and they have their sites set on wider appeal for 2010 and are looking for bigger fish to fry across Canada starting with some shows at the ECMAs. Fish dude Nick Mazerolle tells [here] that while some areas of the province have seen their live music scenes take a hit, tours like this are exactly what's needed to help secure a future for original live music in this province.

"I think the easiest way to secure a future for live music in N.B. is to just keep doing what we've been doing. Keep the shows coming, keep the amazing bands coming. N.B. and the East Coast have a copious amount of great bands to offer and you just need to keep pushing it out there to the people and it will stick. We live in Fredericton and we find that the music scene in Fredericton is doing great! There are tons of amazing bands coming through the city and it's really giving the people here a great variety of amazing music to go see! Music will always be around and there will always be new bands coming and going. The big thing is that the scene is hurting, but there are still some people going to shows and they're having a great time. That message will be sent out to others and it will catch on. We just need to make sure that word is getting around that the East Coast houses tons and tons of amazing bands and exciting shows!"

You can catch King sunshine with Weak Sized Fish and DJ Mizz Maxine as they tour the provice with shows Wednesday, Dec. 3 at the Blue Olive in Saint John. Thursday, Dec. 4 they'll be in Fredericton at Nicky Zee's and on Friday, Dec. 5 they'll play the Manhattan in Moncton. Tickets for the Saint John show are $15 with Moncton and Fredericton at $20 per. Tickets for all shows available at the door.