Black Pumas: KCRW Live from HQ

Anyone on the ground for South By Southwest 2019 remembers that the serious discovery/highlight was Black Pumas. Or they should remember, since it’s all the rest of us heard about for months after. Formed in Austin, TX not long before making their auspicious debut at the famed fest, the duo of LA-native Eric Burton (singer-songwriter, guitar) and Adrian Quesada (production, guitar) rapidly made their presence known on the strength of Burton’s soul-drenched, self-taught vocal style combined with Quesada’s serious studio chops. Their self-titled LP, also released in 2019, was a tour de force blend of psych-rock, soul, and funk that delivered cultural landmarks like “Colors.” It also put them on Grammys’ radar. The duo picked up a nod for best new artist in 2020 and three subsequent nominations for Black Pumas’ deluxe version (including Record and Album Of The Year) in 2021.

More: Multi-talented Grammy-nominee Adrian Quesada is in the house

Its follow-up, 2023’s Chronicles of a Diamond, delivers on the hype. The skyward reach of gospel-inflected lead single “More Than A Love Song,” the down ‘n’ dirty funk of “Ice Cream (Pay Phone),” and the sultry smolder of “OCT 33” are among the cuts that see the band expanding on the dialed-in dynamics that made us fall in love all those years ago.  

Click into the video at the top of the page for a full-throated, leave-it-all-on-the floor set from the Pumas and their full band: JaRon Marshall (keys), Brendon Bond(bass), Stephen Bidwell (drums), Lauren Hornsby (backing vocals), Angela Miller (backing vocals), Terin Ector (backing vocals, utility player). You’ll hear all of the songs listed above, plus more Chronicles cuts and back catalog gems. 

And watch Burton and Quesada in conversation with KCRW’s Novena Carmel below. They break down measuring career milestones in haircuts (or lack thereof), why losing at the Grammys is good, actually, and what Burton learned about songwriting from his days busking on the Santa Monica Pier.