Funky Blu Roots

The Funky Blu Roots are a Fort Lauderdale-based quartet that is part Sly and the Family Stone, part B.B. King, and part Eric Clapton. They sound as crispy-clean on their live recordings as they do on their studio productions, and their signature song, "Long Time Coming," plays like a jacked-up Johnny "Guitar" Watson tune: sweet, deliberate, and funky. "Stoop Down" kicks out bass lines full of that sexy, boom-chicka-wah-wah feel that only the blues can create. The band has been a staple in the local blues scene for two years. Founder Mikal Serafim is a UM grad and the brain behind fellow South Florida act Crooked Hat. Although the Funky Blu Roots are unsigned, they've had little trouble finding work, playing venues like The Poor House, Elwoods, and South Shores regularly. On August 26 they'll be in Lantana playing the Old Key Lime House, a 100-year-old waterfront spot just aching to get blue and funky. —