In the vein of Prince, Melbourne funk juggernaut Lake Minnetonka is forging a solid reputation for creating a faithful Minneapolis sound.
With collaborations including Eric Leeds (fDeluxe, D'Angelo), Dr Fink (Prince and the Revolution), Sonny Thompson (NPG) and most recently, St Paul Peterson (The Time, fDeluxe), their '80s-inspired jazz fusion and on-stage antics will leave you on a purple high.
Lake Minnetonka celebrate 30 years of Tim Burton's Batman (as well as the 80th anniversary of Batman's first comic appearance) with the short film 'Year Of The Bat' (a 20-minute video the likes of which hasn't been seen since – dare we say it? – MJ's 'Thriller' video masterpiece), which scenestr is stoked to premiere today.
"Thirty years ago, Tim Burton set a new benchmark for comic book films with his iconic take on 'Batman', featuring a suitably dark and funky song soundtrack by Prince," says Adam Rudegeair, Lake Minnetonka's bandleader.
"In June, Lake Minnetonka marked the occasion by performing a live medley of highlights from the 'Batman' album, featuring a rogue's gallery of special guests.
"It went so well, we decided to re-stage the performance at the Night Cat as a live video recording, complete with costumes and specially designed projections.
"In a fashion befitting the Purple One himself, the project quickly expanded to include extra scenes, rehearsal footage, transitions between songs, and Easter eggs for Batman and Prince fans alike - culminating in 'Year of the Bat', a 20-minute cinematic love letter to the 1989 'Batman' experience.
"The video contains allusions to other incarnations of the Dark Knight too, as 2019 also marks the 80th anniversary of Batman’s first comic appearance.
"Although Prince performed a few Batman songs on the 1990 Nude tour, he never actually toured the Batman album as a whole. So this is our imagining of how some of these amazing songs could have been executed in concert.
"We were meticulous about incorporating minute details from the record, like extra percussion parts and live triggering of samples from the movie. Of course, we put our own spin on it too. You could say I got a little obsessed."
Lake Minnetonka will recreate the magic of 'Year Of The Bat' when they host The Gotham City Gangster Glam this Halloween. "The Lake Minnetonka Halloween party this year incorporates the themes of superheroes, Prince, and the gangsters of Gotham," Adam says.
"We will be giving away prizes for both best costume and best bat dance, so it's going to be a lot of fun.
"Brian El Dorado and the Tuesday People will warm up the stage, before Lake Minnetonka swoop in to perform highlights from 'Year Of The Bat', along with plenty of our trademark Melbourneapolis funk."
The Gotham City Gangster Glam will be happening at The Spotted Mallard (Melbourne) 31 October.
