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The Core: Ivan Neville

Ivan Neville on Dumpstaphunk, Dylan and Hard Decisions

Dumpstaphunk over Dough

Dumpstaphunk was basically meant to be a onetime thing [in 2002]. We were all sidemen and playing in other bands. Then we got a few offers to play some of the larger festivals—like Bonnaroo—before we were a real band. We played a late night show at Bonnaroo in ‘06 after Dr. John. That was one of these defining moments where we thought, “We should fucking do this—this should be a band.” A lot of kids saw us for the first time that night at 4 a.m. We played a few more festivals like High Sierra and eventually we decided to start touring more. It’s been fun but it’s hard sometimes ‘cause we are all used to being in [bigger bands] and making shitloads of money [laughs]—traveling on tour buses and flying around. It is hard to go back to riding around in a van and having this pretty much be the way we are making our living.

Before the Leap of Faith

We were excited about doing more with Dumpstaphunk but a few things happened that really put it into gear. Our drummer Raymond Weber and our bassist Tony Hall were playing with Trey Anastasio. But then Raymond had appendicitis, and went to the hospital so he stopped touring with Trey. Then Trey [was arrested in 2006] and he had to kill that band with Tony and Raymond. He killed that band. Our gigs with the Neville Brothers kept interfering with Dumpstaphunk so [guitarist Ian Neville] and I left the Brothers and started filling up the calendar as much as we could with Dumpstaphunk dates.

The Nevilles

I remember this picture of my Uncle Art holding Ian at JazzFest when he was two or three years old. That blows my mind because I remember when he started playing guitar and he started sitting in with the Funky Meters. We got real close [about ten years ago] when I started playing with the Neville Brothers again. They asked me to come back when Art was having some health problems and couldn’t play. When Art did came back, Ian started coming on the road to help him out and I stayed in the band.

Delayed Debut

We were tired of waiting on other people—different managers and people—to help us out. But we figured in the meantime—just to stay fresh and have something exciting to talk about—we should put out a studio album. So we [self-] released Everybody Want Sum this fall while we shopped it around. A lot of these songs were born in the studio. A lot of it is first and second takes on these songs.

Working with Warren

Warren Haynes wrote a song with us for the new Dumpstaphunk album. Ian came up with this guitar riff and we put the track down. I had an idea for a song based on that riff and needed someone to bounce some shit off of so I just sent it to Warren. He called me back and said, “Ivan, I think I got some words for this song.” I listened to it and then we put it together. That song is probably the most different sounding track on the record ‘cause its not the typical funk that we always lay down.

The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan

I have a friend named George Recile who plays [drums] with Bob Dylan. I told him I was thinking about going to see them in at The Backyard in Austin [Texas, 2010] so he put my name on the guest list. Then he called me back and said, “Bob might want you to sit in and play.” He told me a few songs Bob might want me to play on so I listened to them on my iPod. But as I am standing on the stage, I’m watching him play all the songs George told me I might play on. Then all of a sudden, I look over and they’re saying, “Come up here.” I’m like, “Oh, shit. Wwhat do they want me to play?!” [Laughs.] They told me what key and I just started playing. [Laughs.] I remember being at a Bill Graham show at the LA Forum in the ‘80s and meeting Bob Dylan. He said, “How you doing, Ivan? How’s your dad [Aaron Neville]?’ and I’m like,“Wow, fuckin’ Bob Dylan knows who I am.”