Sass

Sass is a rock band from Boston that begins as the Jack Sass Band, a New York City showband active on the club circuit in NYC, Rhode Island and New Jersey. The group plays a mix of funk-based music shaped by 1970s funk, British punk and a “punk funk” approach, and its recordings also move toward a smoother, more polished sound in places.

Career and live work

The band performs in clubs across New York City and nearby states, including the Stone Pony in New Jersey. It also works as a backing group for The Coasters and Chuck Berry at Madison Square Garden. In New York, it becomes part of the no wave scene and performs with James White & The Blacks at the Peppermint Lounge and at other Bowery venues, both official and unofficial.

Club residency and related scenes

Sass holds regular bookings at clubs such as Leviticus and serves as one of the house bands at The Cellar, a venue associated with Kinky Foxx, Johnny Kemp, Timmy Allen and Platinum Hook. The band also spends a two-month stretch of Wednesday and Thursday afternoons at Queens College Rathskellar events alongside Madonna.

Style and line-up changes

The band’s sound is described as drawing on 1970s funk, British punk, and comparable sensibilities to Rick James and Prince, as well as the Minneapolis sound. Over time, Sass goes through several incarnations and line-ups, with later members coming from bands based in Jamaica, Queens. The name comes from the motto “Jack Sass Kicks A**”.