Tank and the Bangas

Tank and the Bangas

Tank and the Bangas are a New Orleans group active since 2011. Their music spans contemporary R&B, hip hop, jazz, neo soul, slam poetry and spoken word, with funk and soul also central to their sound.

Formation and style

The group is based in New Orleans, United States. It is fronted by Tarriona “Tank” Ball on lead vocals, and Ball first draws attention as a slam poet before leading the band. The group’s work brings together live band arrangements with spoken-word performance, reflecting the mixture of musical and poetic forms in its genre profile.

Members

Current members include Joshua Johnson on drums and as musical director, Norman Spence on bass and synth keys, Jonathan Johnson on bass, Merell Burkett on keyboard, Joe Johnson on keyboard, Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph and Kayla Buggage on background vocals, Albert Allenbeck on alto saxophone and flute, and Etienne Stoufflet on tenor saxophone. Previous members include guitarist Keenan McRae and percussionist Nita Bailey.