music made here
“I was born here in Richmond and was exposed to music at an early age. I learned the clarinet in the 5th grade and had the privilege of being under the tutelage of a professional musician from the Richmond Symphony, Louis LeGrand, from 6th through 8th grades and learned 14 different instruments. He was a huge influence on me and he was a big part of making me appreciate being a musician and all aspects of making music as a group. We all have a part to play, sometimes we’re the lead, sometimes we’re supporting, both are important.”
-David Hunter on why he loves making music in Richmond
“I first entered the Richmond music scene in an original band at the age of 17 playing my first bar gig. Back then, the music venues for original bands were located mostly in the VCU area. Fans could bounce from club to club catching everything from Punk, Rock, Jazz, Blues, you name it, it was available. There was definitely a healthy competition between bands, but in the end, there was great camaraderie and support. Today, music venues are all over and more diverse from venues that feature original music to bands that play covers. For fans of live music, it’s great because you don’t have to travel far to find it.”
-David Hunter on what he loves about the Richmond music scene
About the band
Three of the members are former members of The Fredds who heavily played the Mid-Atlantic region from ‘91 to ‘97 and then again from 2008 to 2018!
After a hiatus from The Fredds in 2018, David Hunter joined up with Flat Elvis, Steve Wetzler joined with with Mashup & Cozy Condition, as well as other bands such as Nobody’s Poet. Mark Watts teamed up with Brian Mhlongo to form The HemiCats.
At some point, David, Mark and Steve had an impromptu jam one evening and Mark thought that Brian would be a natural fit to fill out the vocals and keyboards if we decided to take it any further. Three years later when the stars aligned, the four finally jammed and bam! Funhouse was born!
We quickly worked up a couple of sets to perform our debut at RVA is Brewtown-USA, Brewfest 2023! While the event sold out, it was so hot we lost most of the crowd due to the heat but we played and many Fredd Heads came out to support! That night we planted our flag in the RVA Music scene and can’t wait for what’s next!
High Energy Rock Soul Funk Blues!