You’re as smooth as Japanese whiskey… Well, that’s not quite the right lyric, but that is the kind of cultural crossover that is at the heart of studio funk collective Toyesauce. The band’s latest single, “From The Barrel”, is out now, with the music video premiering today exclusively through Live For Live Music.

The brainchild of guitarist Leon Toye is back with its first release since the band’s self-titled debut EP in 2022. Toyesauce features a lineup of Ben Ellman (saxophone, Galactic), Peter Levin (keyboards, Gregg Allman Band, Trouble No More), Terrence Houston (drums, George Porter Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners, Toubab Krewe), and Jerry “JBlakk” Henderson (bass, Big Sam’s Funky Nation) with contributions from artists across the country and across the musical spectrum.

Toyesauce’s cross-genre, cross-country collaborations unite influences from New Orleans, Nashville, Austin, and beyond into a style without borders. It’s no surprise that the group was born at the musical and cultural summit that is New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

Related: Galactic’s Stanton Moore Details Three Unique Late-Night Shows During NOLA Jazz Fest 2024

“From The Barrel” looks southward to channel the group’s NOLA influence. Though not a domineering presence, Ellman’s saxophone looms large over the track, which is backed by the rock-solid rhythm section of JBlakk and Houston. Between funky breakdowns, Levin colors “From The Barrel” with swirling, textural organ while bandleader Toye interjects sparing and searing electric guitar distortion.

“From The Barrel” was one of the first songs that Toye and JBlakk came up with after first connecting at Jazz Fest. When putting together the lineup for the band, they hoped to snag Galactic’s Ben Ellman and even employed a bit of outside help to do so. “Hoping Ben Ellman would eventually play sax on it, we wrote the tune in the horn-friendly key of B flat,” Toye explained. “Ben is a busy guy but was cool enough to record on it. Sending him a bottle of nice Japanese whiskey called ‘Nikka From The Barrel’ seemed to help. It also provided an idea for a song title…”

Check out the new music video for “From the Barrel” by Toyesauce, premiering exclusively through L4LM, or stream the track on your preferred platform. To learn more about Toyesauce, head here.

Toyesauce — “From The Barrel” [Official Video]