John Verwa
Audio By Carbonatix
Lettuce is ready to cook.
The jammy funkadelic band has been trickling out singles for its latest album, Cook, which will available in full on December 3, just before the celebratory “House of Lett” shows at a secret location in Denver on Friday, December 5, and Saturday, December 6.
“I always view each album as a kind of continuation from the last,” says Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff, the group’s Grammy-nominated guitarist. “Each of our albums progress in songwriting or production or finding a way for us to deliver better performances in the studio that represent who we are in a live show. And I think Cook does that.”
John Verwey
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Lettuce shows are always memorable, given the members’ penchant for improv and delivering infectious grooves. The upcoming Denver shows have a special twist, too: They kick off the band’s fundraising efforts for Music Is a Language, a nonprofit that Lettuce has partnered with to launch the Lettuce Scholarship, which will fund full tuition for a student to attend the Berklee School of Music, where the bandmates met as students during a summer program in 1992.
“We are so excited about that,” Smirnoff says of the new scholarship. “Looking at what the prices of college are nowadays, it’s daunting. So if we’re able to help any kids on their journey to get to Berklee School of Music…I mean, what a dream for us to be able to help anyone along the way. We all enjoyed our time there, and we ended up leaving and becoming professional musicians.”
Jeremy Elder
Beyond the Berklee credential, Lettuce’s members have impressive performing resumes: Smirnoff has toured with Lady Gaga; drummer Adam Deitch has worked with 50 Cent, Wyclef Jean, Talib Kweli and more; bassist Erick Coomes has performed on tour with Britney Spears and the Game. And in 2020, the band’s album Elevate was nominated for a Grammy as Instrumental Album of the Year.
Cook brings the heat, too — as well as a little something extra for people who buy the vinyls: A cookbook featuring family recipes from the members will be tucked into the sleeve of each one. The idea “came from the name, Cook,” Smirnoff says. “It’s a reference to, you know, modern slang — ‘let them cook’ — and also the musical creation process, where it’s a bunch of different ingredients.”
John Verway
A Smirnoff friend in New York, chef Josh Capon, had a hand in some of the recipes, including a take on Deitch’s dad’s Caesar salad. “We have a pretty wide variety of recipes on there, including some family stuff,” Smirnoff says. “My wife comes from an Italian family, and we have her nonna’s eggplant casserole. It’s delicious. Hit the record, pull out the cookbook, try some recipes and listen to some good music.”
Now the group is looking forward to its upcoming two-night run in Denver. “We’re trying to leave a little bit of a surprise. We’re figuring out a lot of it as we go — like much of Lettuce’s existence,” Smirnoff notes.
“The amount of time and hard work and energy that we’ve put towards this project is also one of the things that holds it together.”
House of Lett, Friday, December 5, and Saturday, December 6; the location will be revealed to ticket holders via email. The shows are sold out, but a waitlist is available to join.
