JUNK has been called a jazz band, a funk band, a jazzy-funk band, a funky-jazz band, an "anything but jazz" band, even (horrors!) an acid jazz band. While critics can't agree on how to define them, the listeners & dancers who have heard and seen JUNK will usually agree on this: they have a talent for moving their audiences (body and soul) and they do it intelligently, confidently, and without getting hung up on the labels others try to hang on them. Call it what you like--it swings, it grooves and occasionally it goes off the deep end. But label it, and the music will punch a hole through the box you tried to put it in.

JUNK's beginning can be traced back to 1988 when Dave Schumacher (guitar) and David Robbins (baritone sax) roomed together at Boston's Berklee College of Music, while Schumacher played with Frank Swart (bass) in a band that was to have a significant influence on JUNK. Six years later they all met again in the Bay Area and hooked up with Malcolm Peoples, the local drummer of choice for numerous funk/hip hop acts. Their first CD, JUNK was born out of jams worked out in a smoke-filled rehearsal space. The buzz got going right away. "A solid album," said Stepjazz magazine, "which really shows the possibilities of this music and this band." Urb agreed. "Quite against the pretty boy space cowboy pseudo-funkateer pretenders, they are willing to funk themselves into a cold sweat without apology or gimmickry."

Following tours of the West Coast, the band entered the studio with Philip Steir of Consolidated to record Kiss My Acid Jazz. A more varied CD than the first, KMAJ 's jazz/funk mix was spiced with some experimental cuts that raised a few eyebrows but also brought them critical praise, and national radio airplay. JUNK was nominated in the Outstanding Jazz Band and Jazz Album categories of the 1997 Bay Area Music Awards (Bammies).

As fiercely independent as ever they continued to tour hard, expanding the boundaries both geographically and musically. In 1997 they spent three days in Swart's kitchen cooking up Continuation of Madness , fifteen tracks that arguably come closest to capturing the true spirit of JUNK. 'Madness charted for over a month on the CMJ Jazz Charts and the band won the 1998 California Music Award for Best Jazz Artist!

More touring and studio projects are always on the horizon for the band. As a matter of fact, JUNK's list of collaborations has been long, eclectic and, to their credit, downright impressive. To date they have shared billing with George Clinton & the P-Funk Allstars, War, Graham Central Station, Taj Mahal, G Love and Special Sauce and Keb Mo. Various members have also recorded and performed with Pete Townsend, Morphine, Live, Bush, Chumbawamba, Lori Carson, Flea, Fishbone, Joe Bowie of Defunkt, Narada Michael Walden, The Charlie Hunter Trio, Patty Griffin, Kyle Monogue, Randy Brecker, Steve Turre, Red Rodney, Zander Schloss, Dave Valentin, David Ellis, Johnny Clyde Copeland and Phoebe Snow.