Brother Fat & Friends

Brother Fat was formed to honor the passing of Count M’Butu, Grammy Award-winning member of The Derek Trucks Band. The band came together to be a part of his memorial show in August of 2021. The moniker was a nickname from his younger years. Today the band is a collective of musicians that all have separate music careers, brought together by local musician and songwriter Mark Chester. The music is a mix of funk, blues and classic rock covers and originals featuring improv jams that stretch the imagination.

This show at The One Stop will include:

Mike Barnes - Asheville Guitar founder Mike Barnes was childhood a friend of Warren Haynes and spent many rehearsal hours working on the art of improvisation. Mike has shared the stage with some of the worlds greatest and most influential musicians including Warren Haynes and Gov’t Mule, The Allman Brothers Band, Dave Grohl, Moe, String Cheese Incident... the list goes on and on!

Gaurav Molhatra - Conga player and percussionist, Gaurav is a fixture in the Atlanta music scene as well as the Suwannee Roots Revival and Spring Reunion. A student and close friend of Count M’Butu, Gaurav has shared the stage with Col. Bruce Hampton, Widespread Panic, Grant Green, Jr. and Rev. Jeff Mozier, among many others.

JD Smith - Bass player for the Asheville favorite Grateful Dead tribute “Phuncle Sam,” JD is also part of the “Bald Mountain Boys,” “Quickchester,” “Bum Monk” and the “Bridgett Gossett Band.” JD studied music at Johnson State College in Vermont.

Ethan Johnson - Keyboard player who studied under the late, great Johnney Knapp, also plays with “Chants in the Void” and “Le Gato” out of Chattanooga, TN as well as Marcus White. He is also a regular player at Soverign Kava, and the former Tuesday Funk Jams at Asheville Music Hall.

Zach Jones - Drummer and a frequent collaborator in the Asheville jam scene. Zach has played with Abby Bryant, “Bhuddagraph” and “Clouds of Delusion,” as well as the Tuesday Night Funk Jam House Band at Asheville Music Hall. Zach has a wide range of influences from George Benson to Tony Rice, and fluidly blends different styles of music and rhythms.

Mark Chester - Percussionist and vocalist, and a close friend and student of Count M’Butu. Mark played congas in Atlanta with “The Flying Oatsmen” and with Col. Bruce Hampton. Mark is also a songwriter and guitar player with “Quickchester,” and is the founder of Brother Fat. Mark will be celebrating his 67th birthday, so it’s going to be a party!
Kevin "Kalimbaman" Spears will be playing during the break for continuous entertainment.!There will be guest sit-ins and unrehearsed madness, so expect the unexpected!

Host or Publisher Asheville Music Hall