Soul n' Roll
Pocket grooves and Stax-warm feel that turn a back porch into a juke joint.
Asheville · North Carolina
A four-piece funk & jazz outfit dragging the second line up the Blue Ridge — soulful covers, classic B-sides, and originals built to move the room.
Listen live
On Stage
Catch us live
Breweries, patios, festivals, back rooms. If there's a stage and a crowd, that's where we want to be.
The Sound
Tradition and trouble,
stirred into a groove.
Based out of Asheville, North Carolina, Mama Roux is a four-piece melodic funk and jazz band that blends tradition with innovation to make a sound that's evocative and unconventional — without ever sacrificing the groove.
Driven by the interwoven guitars of Collin and Chris, with Jon on electric bass and vocals and Jeff on drums and vocals, the band pulls from popular covers, classic B-sides, and original compositions. It all comes from one place: a love of music and the joy it brings everyone in the room.
100+ years combined
4 players, one pocket
AVL born & gigging
Jazz n' Jam
Two guitars trading lines, stretching standards and chasing the changes.
Funk n' Junk
Thick low end, fat backbeats, and a horn-section attitude minus the horns.
The Players
Four players, one pocket.
Over a century of stage time between them. Here's who's making the racket.
Guitar
Collin Smith
A native of NC playing guitar for 25+ years. Earned his BA in Music Performance — jazz concentration — from Limestone in 2010. Teaches at WNC Music Academy and gigs as a solo artist; fluent across just about every style a guitar can speak.
Guitar · Vocals
Chris “Lombo” Lombardi
Grew up in New England working the bar circuit at 17. Ran the Northwest blues scene, held the house-band chair at San Francisco's famed Blue Lamp, and sat in with Zigaboo Modeliste and Kenny Neal. Has opened for James Brown, Flogging Molly, and Booker T.
Bass · Vocals
Jonathan Guarriello
Freelance electric and acoustic bassist with lead and backing vocals. Loves music that's just good — hits thick metal strings, makes the low frequencies that hold the whole thing down.
Drums · Vocals
Jeff Lott
BA in Music (Percussion) from Brevard College under Dr. Laura Franklin, with studies beside Jeff Sipe, Rick Dior, and Donnie Marshall. Runner-up for Best Drummer in the Mountain Xpress “Best of WNC” poll — and a devoted teacher.
Get in touch
Book the band
Weddings, breweries, festivals, private parties, late nights. Tell us about your room and your date, and we will bring the groove.
Follow along
Find us online
Gig drops, rehearsal clips, and whatever else we are up to in the mountains.