An oasis of soul, hip-hop, and forward-thinking R&B awaits at the Skirball with a special performance from New Orleans collective Tank and the Bangas. The 2025 GRAMMY Award winners lead a wildly interactive show packed with call-and-response moments, handclaps, and joyful grooves that turn the atmosphere into a shared celebration. Bold, uplifting, and built for the stage, Tank and the Bangas are here to kick off your Fourth of July festivities in the perfect way as the Skirball celebrates America250. 

Butter Funk Family opens with the energy of classic funk for the twenty-first century and beyond.

Doors open at 6:00 pm. Concertgoers should arrive early to eat, drink, shop, and see current exhibitions. While relaxing in the Skirball's hillside courtyard before the concert, enjoy a set by DJ Tosstones.

• 7:00–7:45 pm: Butter Funk Family
• 7:45–8:15 pm: Intermission with set by DJ Tosstones
• 8:15–9:30 pm: Tank and the Bangas

Led by the magnetic vocalist Tarriona “Tank” Ball, Tank and the Bangas defy genre boundaries with a sound that blends spoken word, soul, funk, hip‑hop, jazz, and New Orleans spirit into something entirely their own. Since the release of Think Tank in 2013 and their viral breakout win at the NPR Tiny Desk Contest in 2017, the group has become one of the most inventive and beloved ensembles in contemporary American music. 

Fresh off their 2025 Grammy win for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album for The Heart, The Mind, The Soul, Tank and the Bangas arrive at the Skirball with a project rooted in introspection and storytelling. Conceived during a train ride with her bandmates, the album explores self‑discovery, confidence, and vulnerability with a kaleidoscopic sound, lush melodies, and piercing writing. In their expansive new album The Last Balloon, the band blends their signature emotional catharsis with a powerful joyful energy, creating a sound perfectly catered for their dynamic live performances. 

For the Skirball’s America 250 celebration, Tank and the Bangas offer a vision of American creativity that is expansive, inclusive, and deeply rooted in community. Their music reflects the multiplicity of American identity—its rhythms, its contradictions, its humor, and its heart. On July 2, they bring a performance that celebrates both the nation’s past and the imaginative, expressive future being written by artists across the country.

Musicians

Tarriona “Tank” Ball - Lead Vocals
Mark-Anthony Thomas - Background Vocals
Raion Ramsey  - Background vocals
Norman Spence II - Synth Bass, Synth Keys/Guitar
Deven Trusclair - Drums
Kenaniah Turner - Bass
David McKissick -Trumpet
Arnold Little - Guitar

Butter Funk Family (BFF) is a music collective led by two‑time GRAMMY® Award–winning artist, songwriter, producer, and multi‑instrumentalist Printz Board, whose work with the Black Eyed Peas, Mark Ronson, and CeeLo Green helped shape the sound of 21st‑century pop and funk.  

 With BFF, Printz brings the electricity of 1970s funk into a modern era with music built on unshakeable rhythm that resounds through the audience, pulling them to their feet.  

 As part of the Skirball’s America 250 celebration, Butter Funk Family embodies the legacy of American funk as a force for unity, expression, and liberation. Their sound honors the Black musical traditions that shaped the nation’s cultural identity while inviting audiences into a collective joyful present. On July 2, BFF brings a needed reminder that in America, music has always been about community, and that the dance floor is a powerful place to gather.

Musicians

Eric England - Bass
Dylan Elise - Drums
Nadav Peled - Guitar
Ed Cartwright - Percussion
Khris P - Trombone, Vocals
Jay Flat - Sax, Flute, Vocals
Alana Hil - Vocals
Sam Pounds - Vocals
Printz Board - Trumpet, Vocals

Tosstones Aponte is a GRAMMY-nominated musician, composer, and producer. His artistry has no boundaries because of his ability to create, direct, and perform. The trail blazer has been able to build a successful career as an independent artist and band leader organically. 

Growing up in Puerto Rico, the richness of percussion and dance shaped every aspect of his expression. Tosstones merges salsa, hip-hop, reggaeton, Caribbean music, Afrobeats, jazz, and more. Tosstones has made major noise in Hollywood for being a part of the creative team behind Bad Bunny’s 2023 GRAMMYs performance, Mexican icon Marisela's world tour (2021–2022), Elvis Crespo's “Suavemente” 25th anniversary on Univision TV (2020). He received Best Jazz Album (GRAMMY and Latin GRAMMY) nominations for his collaboration on David Sanchez ’s Carib album (2019). 

Skirball Presents Tank and the Bangas to Kick-off Summer Concert Series Celebrating Nation’s 250th Anniversary
LA Sentinel | June 23, 2026