MEET THE BAND
Jack Ryan
Drums
(Marcus King Band)
Marcus White
Keys
(Voodoo Visionary, Killakeyz_band)
David Katilius
Bass
(Scrumptious, Adam Knight’s Buried Alive)
Charles Hedgepath
Guitar/Vocals
(The Work, The Bad Popes)
Justin Johnson
Horns/Vocals
(Marcus King Band)
…and a surplus of surprise special guests is always a unique part of The Shady Recruits performances.

TheShady Recruits, a super group of a rotating troupe of seasoned musicians who play something their Facebook page describes cheekily as “tasty tunes.” The band’s set at The Taproom Stage turned out to be much better than just tasty. It was absolutely delicious. The Shady Recruits supporting cast includes keyboardist Marcus White of Chattanooga’s Soul Mechanic, bassist David Katilius of Greenville’s Earsight and The Jordan Okrend Experience, guitarist Charles Hedgepath of Greenville’s The Bad Popes and The Work, and trumpeter and trombonist. Justin Johnson of the Marcus KingBand. They were joined by MKB’s Dean Mitchell on sax and Deshawn Alexander on keys for a booty-shakin’ dose of funk and R&B. Sly & The Family Stone’s “Same Thing,” Nigel Hall’s “Don’t Change For Me,” the band’s own “Save Your Pride,” and, out of mad respect, Colonel Bruce Hampton’s “Working On A Building” and more were on the menu. Just in case anyone was still sitting down, somewhere in there were teases of Parliament Funkadelic’s “Give Up The Funk.” Jack Ryan will be keeping his day job, but I hope he moonlights with The Shady Recruits for a long time to come.
— Musicfest News