the team
alex wasily
with a passion for life, art, the hang, and the pursuit of unity through music, alex wasily has made a standout approach to music that can be attributed to his unique unyielding optimism and positive outlook on what most would consider a wild way to live.
who the hell is alex wasily?
he goes by many names. a-waz. waz. my dawg. ya boy. the forever hang. Egyptian born, American raised, all soul, and all hang. alex was born in alexandria, egypt and raised in savannah, georgia. performing music is alex's way of taking you out of what may have been a depressing day and into what might be the wildest night of your life.
alex regularly performs and tours the world with Dumpstaphunk and is Neal Francis’ horn arranger when the 11-piece goes on the road. alex has performed, toured, or recorded with: The Isley Brothers, Ziggy Marley, Stephen Marley, Tower of Power, Dave Matthews Band, Lenny Kravitz,Ricky Martin, Michael Bublé, Ms. Lauryn Hill, The Fugees, Bob Weir, Tower of Power, Ghost-Note, Christina Aguilera, Andra Day, Yungblud, Greg Errico, Jerry Harrison and many more.
for more information on alex, click here.
ari teitel
Prolific across a wide swath of sonic topography, Detroit-raised, New Orleans-based musician Ari Teitel keeps many hot irons in his creative fire. A soulful expressionist, Ari’s guitar styles incorporate foundational influences R&B, funk, gospel, jazz, hip-hop, blues, and psychedelic rock, a greasy gumbo that coalesces with many multi-hued endeavors. A co-founder of premiere Mardi Gras Indian Funk band The Rumble feat. Chief Joseph Boudreaux, they released debut studio LP Stories From the Battlefield in 2024, and were swiftly GRAMMY nominated for the second straight year. The versatile 30-year old guitarist was recently drafted into Dumpstaphunk, the mighty Crescent City institution founded by Ivan Neville, a NOLA icon with whom Teitel has performed extensively. In 2024, Ari announced a dynamite organ trio and forthcoming debut record alongside renowned drummer Adam Deitch (Lettuce, John Scofield) and keyboardist Sam Fribush. This flurry of diverse activity comes in the tailwind of The Rumble’s searing Live at The Maple Leaf (2023), and his own swaggering sophomore solo LP I Got My Thing (2022). Another newer experiment is AX3, an avant-garde instrumental project with drummer Alvin Ford Jr. (Pretty Lights, ex-Dumpstaphunk) and The Rumble bandmate Andriu ‘Yano’ Yanovski on keyboards. An in-demand multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and producer, Ari Teitel has collaborated with local legends Irma Thomas, George Porter Jr. (The Meters), PJ Morton, Nicholas Payton, and Herlin Riley; in 2021, he worked with Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Iggy Pop. For three years, Teitel was Musical Director of Cha Wa, receiving two GRAMMY nominations: Spyboy, (2018) and My People (2021). The guitarist performs annually at the world famous New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and coveted all-star Jazz Fest late-night events. International appearances include JazzAscona in Switzerland, Montreal International Jazz Festival, Ottawa Jazz Festival, Cupa Dupa in New Zealand, and tour through Europe with Jamison Ross’s band.