with Farnell Newton and The Othership Connection 6:30 pm doors, 8 pm show All ages welcome $25 advance, $30 day of show Election Year - Winter Edition Karl Denson's Tiny Universe is on tour this Winter in support of its latest studio album, 'Gnomes & Badgers.' Highly regarded as one of the best funk-rock bands working today, KDTU stop in Portland for a headline performance at The Crystal Ballroom on 2/21 to celebrate the release of the new recording. Singer and saxophonist Karl Denson fronts the Tiny Universe as if he's preaching the gospel. His energy and spirit are contagious, while his songwriting serves a larger message of fellowship across generations, genders, religions and cultures. Not surprisingly, he's none too pleased with the current state of political discourse. Thus the reason why KDTU’s new album, 'Gnomes & Badgers' (out now on Seven Spheres Records), is Denson's hard-grooving answer to these tragically divisive times. Distilling the sweeping stylistic range of KDTU’s concert performances into their own authentic sound, the inimitable Denson and his long-standing seven piece unit that includes guitarist DJ Williams, drummer Zak Najor, bassist Chris Stillwell, keyboardist David Veith, trumpeter Chris Littlefield and slide/lap steel guitarist Seth Freeman have delivered their strongest work yet. The album's first video and single "Change My Way," makes a poignant statement about the current crisis at the U.S. border. The clip was directed by TG Herrington—an award-winning director, writer and producer—whose work includes 'The Free State of Jones,' a series of music videos for Paul McCartney and the new feature-length documentary 'A Tuba To Cuba.' Denson co-wrote the song with New Orleans singer-songwriter Anders Osborne and co-produced the track with Adrian Quesada (Brownout, Spanish Gold). Watch & share the video here. Along with KDTU, Denson serves as the touring saxophonist with The Rolling Stones, while continuing to hold down his role as a founding member of the seminal funk band, Greyboy Allstars.