Imagine you’re at a sweltering Mardis Gras kick-back. Cajun aromas spike your nerves and thick swamp air hangs and shines as the sun sets over the bayou. Then, out of nowhere, a queen emerges to sing you the most lyrically intricate spoken word jazz story about the human experience, love, and childhood. You don’t have to go to New Orleans to get this experience – Tank and the Bangas brought this undeniably vibrant flare of creole culture through anecdotal poetry, funk, rap, and more to NYC. The New Orleans natives were sensational for Summer Stage’s inaugural summer event, which featured a star-filled line-up of funk, jazz, and DJ acts including The Soul Rebels, Marcus Miller, and DJ Logic.
Audience members roared when the ensemble took the stage and right off the bat, lead vocalist Tarriona ‘Tank’ Ball was an absolute force to be reckoned with as she commanded the crowd in a stunning yellow and silver sequin dress. With a captivating genre-blending instrumental presence and unreal lyrical prowess, the band started off the show with their original “Quick”. After the first track, we could tell there was a reason why they won a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album in the last year. Tank’s style is a combination of multiple hip-hop and R&B artists combined. The ability to characterize her voice based on impulses and directions her words provide is similar to that of Niki Minaj, while her storytelling ability reminds us of great MCs like Lauryn Hill. All this to say, she’s a performer in her own league and her originality shines from the culture in her veins and brings poetry to our ears.
Accompanying Tank was an insanely talented group of instrumentalists and vocalists who helped to bring the heat during their set especially during a favorite cover of ours, “Another Star” by Stevie Wonder. There was no shortage of spoken word poetry as pieces like “This Black Girl” and “Remember ft. Samara Joy and Robert Glasper” had us closing our eyes to feel the emotion of Tank’s own human experience, a soliloquy of growing up different and finding herself through the chaos of life. Other notable tracks were a cover of “Hollywood Swinging” by Kool and the Gang as well as Big (ft. Big Freida), a song off their Grammy nominated Album Red Balloon, which brought the NOLA funk to NYC.
With the show coming to a close, what other way to end a set than with some rock n’ roll as they busted out “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey mashed up into their original track “The Bradys,” which sounded like something out of a Disney channel movie and had our heads absolutely spinning. Needless to say, Tank and The Bangas brought a refreshing new take on poetry, jazz, hip-hop, and more, making them a must-see act this summer on their US tour.
Connect with Tank and the Bangas on Instagram, Spotify, TikTok and their website.
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Arlo Parks
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The Womack Sisters
The Womack Sisters carry a family legacy into Music Hall of Williamsburg 🎤
Hailing from LA, the soul and R&B trio of BG, Zeimani, and Kucha keep the Womack family's musical story alive, one three-part harmony at a time. On Tuesday, September 29, they brought that story to Music Hall of Williamsburg, and the groovement was there to soak it in. One groover in line told us they found the sisters through an Instagram video, and by the end of the night, it was easy to see why that clip stuck. 👀
the room
Ribbon red light bathed the stage while the sisters walked out in near-identical white suit dresses with black buttons and black tights. The crowd matched the mood with cowgirl boots, cowboy hats, and brown leather, a desert country look with a homey, intellectual edge. Groovers around us whispered Womack family lore, which told us this crowd came for the history as much as the music. ✨
the legacy
The sisters leaned right into it. They acknowledged all the Womack brothers, called out their dad Cecil, and sang a few of the brothers' songs. They're also Sam Cooke's granddaughters, and that lineage showed up in every note.
Their rendition of "California Dreamin'" was a highlight. Bobby Womack recorded a soulful cover of the song in 1968, and it became his first major hit as a solo artist, so hearing the sisters carry it forward felt like a full-circle moment.
the sound
The sisters have mastered three-part harmony. Thirty minutes in, we noticed almost every song lived at a slow tempo, a far cry from the pace of EDM or the tempo of a lot of NYC drill. That slow burn gave the harmonies room to breathe. One sister told the crowd, "you make it easy baby," and the crowd fell in love with the sisters just as easily.
When the trumpet, trombone, and sax joined in on "I Just Don't Want You (To Say Goodbye)," the whole room got a lift. 🎶
what groovers are saying 🎧
That old-school feel is exactly what hooked Mike from Queens, who came to his first Womack Sisters show after falling for "Monster" about three months ago.
"They make me feel like I'm in a *Shaft* movie," Mike said. The Motown vibes take him back to being a little kid running through his family's apartment in Queens while his mom played music.
For Mike, the draw is originality. "They don't sound like anyone in today's day and age, and I like that." His advice to the sisters: stay the course and stay original. His advice to everyone else: come see them, every race, every color, every age. 🙌🏿
where they go next
Originality is also the big question for what comes next. We're excited to see where the sisters take their songwriting. Can they keep that Motown sound and modernize it? We believe they can. Their new self-titled project, The Womack Sisters, is a great place to start, and it includes "Monster."
The sisters can definitely fill a large room, and the crowd showed up. They closed with an encore of "My Sisters And Me," a tribute to their unity and a soulful goodbye. 🙌🏿
catch them again 📣
Missed the show, or want a second helping? The Womack Sisters have more NYC dates coming up:
- Wednesday, September 30** at Baby's All Right in Brooklyn, 10:00 PM
- Thursday, October 1** at Baby's All Right in Brooklyn, 7:00 PM
- Friday, October 2** at Apollo Theater in New York, 10:00 PM
groove on ✌🏿
This show was one of the picks for groovement insider members. Peep the groovecal for more upcoming shows, and tag @thegroovement.nyc in your concert IG stories to get featured on the groovecam. Stay groovy!
Connect with The Womack Sisters on Instagram, Spotify, TikTok and their website.
artists•September 30, 2026
Bikini Kill
Bikini Kill | 09.25.26 | Brooklyn Steel
artists•September 30, 2026
Lila Forde
Lila Forde | City Winery | 09.21.26