Darla | photo by Magdalena Papaioanno | courtesy of the artist

This November 18th, Philly’s resident jazz and funk octet Darla return with Darla Rolls The Dice!, a fresh sampling of tasty jam sandwiches produced by Phil Nicolo of the legendary Butcher Brothers. In the past, Nicolo has worked with likes of John Lennon, Bob Dylan, and Aerosmith, but this is first release on his aptly-titled new imprint Phil’s Records. To celebrate, the band will play a headlining set at Boot & Saddle on November 16th.

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of seeing these guys play some songs off the new record at Johnny Brenda’s, and I was seriously impressed. Their songwriting has never sounded so focused and lively, and it effectively thawed my cold, dead heart and made it long for dance. I’ve known some of these guys for years, so I may be biased, but with the added polish of a great producer, the new EP is shaping up to be their best yet.

Check out a trailer for Darla Rolls The Dice! below, then head over to XPN’s Concert Calendar for tickets and more info on the release show.