Founded by Robbie Kowal (aka DJ Motion Potion) and John Miles of Sunset Promotions in the fall of 2001, the semi-annual San Francisco Funk Festival has presented a who's who of hard-grooving soul and dance legends over the past decade plus including George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic, Mandrill, The Headhunters, Grandmaster Flash and many others. For it's 11th anniversary, the festival is offering a tremendous line-up of acts that range from the '60s and '70s through the modern era in the month of November.

The festival follows up last weekend's spectacular concert featuring legendary James Brown/P-Funk arranger and trombone player Fred Wesley playing a fiery set with classic-era James Brown drummers Clyde Stubblefield and John "Jabo" Starks and bassist Fred Thomas with two nights spotlighting the talents of New Orleans institution the Rebirth Brass Band. Perhaps the most revered contemporary brass ensemble working in vintage marching band style, Rebirth has been delivering its updated take on the sounds of a classic New Orleans street party for almost 30 years.

Formed in 1983, the band cut its teeth with extensive street performance in the Big Easy, eventually recording their early hit albums Feel Like Funkin' It Up and Rebirth: Kickin' It Live and taking to the road to tour concert venues and festivals all over the world. Rebirth is committed to upholding the tradition of brass bands while at the same time incorporating modern music into their show, frequently covering funk, soul and jazz classics and injecting a hip-hop influence into the classic sound. Their signature brand of heavy funk has placed them among the world's top brass bands and a hands-down favorite among the younger generation.

The group returned to a more straightforward marching-band approach for its most recent recording Rebirth of New Orleans last year, but fans can expect the group's usual mix of traditional Big Easy standards and modern party-starting grooves when they play these two shows for the SF Funk Festival. Bay Area soul group the California Honeydrops and DJ Motion Potion warm things up on Friday night, while Saturday's concert features Subharmonic -- the new brass band project of bandleader Adam Theis and the renowned Jazz Mafia collective -- and respected soul/funk DJ Harry Duncan. For tickets and more information, please visit the SF Funk Festival website.

Rebirth Brass Band
Friday-Saturday, Nov. 9-10, 9 p.m. $22-$25
Mezzanine