Funky Feat, born of Little Feat, plays HopMonk in Sebastopol, Novato

You may remember Little Feat, the country, folk, blues and rock band with a long and colorful history dating back to 1969. So then, who - exactly - is in Funky Feat, the quartet playing next week at the HopMonk Tavern in Sebastopol?

The answer is easy and logical: Funky Feat is the funkiest still-touring part of Little Feat - singer-guitartists Paul Barrere and Fred Tackett, bassist Kenny Gradney and drummer Gabe Ford.

“Little Feat’s not workin’ a whole lot. Fred and I had been touring quite a bit just as a duet, and we started to get some offers to come and play some private parties and bring along Gabe and Kenny,” Barrere said by phone from his home is Los Angeles.

“So we started doing that, and those shows started being in demand. And I thought, ‘Well, we can’t call it Little Feat.’?”

Without Little Feat’s pianist, Bill Payne, and its percussionist, Sam Clayton, the smaller Funky Feat lineup is naturally more influenced by its rhythm section, producing a funkier sound, Barrere reasoned.

“Having no keyboards, there aren’t those sweet, melodic parts,” he said. “It’s more of a rhythm and blues jam. It’s a real nice vibe.”

Funky Feat will play live Jan. 18 at the Sebastopol branch of the HopMonk Tavern franchise, and Feb. 20 at its Novato outlet.

“We like it up there in Northern Califorina,” Barrere said. “A lot of our friends live in that area.”

At 70, Barrere said he’s delighted to still be playing and pleased with the chance to rock out a bit more.

Little Feat is known for a unique blend of sounds, evident in the band’s signature song, “Dixie Chicken,” long before the catch-all musical category called Americana became widely recognized.

“We consider ourselves well-centered. We understand how people use music for causes, but with us, there’s no real message,” Barrere explained.

“The music business has changed so much in the past 50 years, but we’re kind of a throwback to the late ’60s, when it was basically about having fun.”

You can reach Staff Writer Dan Taylor at 707-521-5243 or dan.taylor@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @danarts.