MTN LION, the new Denver-based funk project featuring members of Lettuce and The Motet, has released their second single, “Funky Strummer.”
The group brings together drummer Adam Deitch and guitarist Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff of Lettuce with keyboardist Joey Porter and bassist Garrett Sayers, both known for their work with The Motet. Their debut album, Stealth, is due July 24 via Golden Wolf Records.
For fans of modern funk, jam, soul, and groove-driven festival music, MTN LION arrives with a stacked lineup. Deitch and Smirnoff have spent decades helping shape Lettuce into one of the leading names in the modern funk revival, while Porter and Sayers bring deep Colorado roots through The Motet’s long-running presence in the live music world.
“Funky Strummer” follows the band’s first single, “Turning Up The Heat,” and gives the spotlight to Smirnof
f’s guitar work. Written by Deitch for the group, the track nods to James Brown’s legendary “Funky Drummer” while flipping the focus toward tight rhythm guitar, deep-pocket drumming, and the kind of interlocking instrumental chemistry that makes MTN LION feel like a real band rather than a side project.
The origins of MTN LION go back to 2020 and 2021, when touring shut down and all four musicians found themselves in Denver at the same time. With their main projects off the road, they started meeting at Deitch’s house to play music together. What began as an informal hang between friends quickly became something bigger, first through livestream performances and eventually through studio sessions that would become Stealth.
“There wasn’t any reason we had to do it,” Porter says. “We just wanted to. We like playing with each other. We were all in the same spot. There was nothing happening, so we were like, let’s play some music that we love.”
Deitch describes the project even more simply: “Funk for funk’s sake.”
That spirit comes through on “Funky Strummer.” The track is built around pocket, tone, and feel, with Deitch and Sayers locking into a syncopated rhythm section while Smirnoff’s guitar drives the arrangement forward. Porter’s use of talkbox and vocoder across the project adds another layer to the band’s sound, pulling from classic funk traditions while keeping the recordings sharp and immediate.
The full album pulls from a wide range of influences, including James Brown, Prince, Herbie Hancock, Marvin Gaye, Zapp, Tower of Power, and the broader lineage of analog funk. The tracklist also includes the previously released “Turning Up The Heat,” the Nigel Hall-assisted “You Can Leave But It’s Going to Cost You,” “Star of the Show,” “My Time,” “Garibaldi,” “Doin It,” and “The Kid.”
Although the recordings sat for several years after touring resumed, MTN LION’s music still feels urgent. That is part of the appeal. Stealth captures four veteran players making music for the pure joy of it, with no over-polished concept and no attempt to chase trends.
“This album will get y’all on your feet!” Deitch says. “Real instruments, no AI, and analog warmth.”
