KASHMERE STAGE BAND
Texas Thunder Soul 1968–1974
(Now-Again)
1/2 (out of 5)

I'm no expert on high-school bands, but if there are any better in American history than the Kashmere Stage Band, I'll be stunned. The savvy Now-Again subsidiary of Stones Throw Records has been on the case with these Texas dynamos for about a decade. Now the label augments the previously issued two-disc set of studio and live recordings with a DVD featuring an unearthed 1973 documentary (directed by Charles Porter) that tells the inspirational story behind this musical dynasty, a live performance from 1972, and a short film produced by Flying Lotus and B+. As the title implies, Kashmere Stage Band played soul music—enlivened by liberal doses of funk—that hit you with extreme meteorological force. Texas Thunder Soul captures the large ensemble—which was mentored by Conrad O. Johnson, aka Prof—during soul and funk's peak era, and these young guns held their own with the country's elite players. KST's repertoire included some of the greatest songs ever—Dennis Coffey's "Scorpio," the Soulful Strings' "Burning Spear," Isaac Hayes's "Shaft," Sly & the Family Stone's "Thank You," etc.—executed with fiery panache. They could school many of the pros.

Kashmere Stage Band - "Super Bad"