Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band backs into Boone

One of the Southeast’s favorite funk institutions, Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band, brings it back home to Boone, stopping at Legend’s for a show on Thursday, Feb. 16, with Lady and the Krunk.

Known for their off-the-wall live performances and dance-floor heroics, Yo Mama’s The Booty Band has made a name for itself across the country, thanks in part to the buzz surrounding its sell-out shows and the success of its award-winning and critically acclaimed debut studio album, “Now You Know.”

The Asheville-based six-piece exerts what fans call an undeniable energy, using funk as a foundation to weave elements of hip-hop, reggae, ska and Latin soul all throughout, creating a musical entity entirely its own.

“If (anyone’s) seen the Booty Band before, they can expect a party in the same manner,” saxophonist Greg Hollowell said. “We get into it … we’re really excited to be doing what we’re doing, and we’re not afraid to express that on stage. That’s a big part for us, I think.”

It’s a part the High Country’s grown to know and love. The band started in Boone in 2002, with a couple of its members attending Appalachian State University. The Booty Band’s first show hit downtown’s Caribbean Café, now the Boone Saloon.

“It began as a party and grew into a band,” Hollowell said. “It evolved into a sound and emerged into an institution. It’s still very much a party.”

The Booty Band brought its party to disc with “Doin’ It Hard,” the group’s second studio album, described as “a reflection of the band’s approach to music, touring, performing, recording and life in general.”

The High Country can get a sample on Wednesday, Feb. 16, when Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band returns to Legends, located at 190 Hardin St. in Boone. The show starts at 9 p.m. Tickets cost $8 at the door and $6 in advance for students. Only those 18 and older will be admitted. Legends features a BYOB six-pack limit with a valid ID.

For more information on Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band, visit http://www.bootyband.com.