Article Contributed by Regime Music Group
Published on 2026-07-24
MTN Lion is a powerhouse Denver-based funk quartet composed of drummer Adam Deitch and guitarist Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff of Lettuce, alongside keyboardist Joey Porter and bassist Garrett Sayers, both known for their work with The Motet. Sayers remains an active member of the group, while Porter was a member for 17 years before his departure this January.
While their main projects were off the road in 2020 and 2021, the four musicians began gathering at Deitch’s house to play—first for themselves, then during a livestream and soon afterward in the studio, where they recorded their debut album, Stealth.
The album is out today via Golden Wolf Records. Listen HERE.
MTN Lion began as an informal pursuit after touring paused and left all four musicians in the same place, building on years of overlap within the Denver music scene. By that point, they were already crossing paths regularly on local gigs.
“There wasn’t any reason we had to do it,” Porter says. “We just wanted to. We like playing with each other. We were all in the same spot. There was nothing happening, so we were like, let’s play some music that we love. That’s what art should be—for nothing except the art.”
Deitch puts it just as plainly: “Funk for funk’s sake—for the love of the art, for the love of music and good friends.”
He adds, “We probably wouldn’t have even done this without the pandemic, having the wherewithal to get together with a bunch of masks on our faces and do it.”
Smirnoff ties the sessions directly to that moment.
“Because of where we were at with the pandemic, how hungry we all were to play at that time—I feel like this album captures some of that incredible hunger.”
The band’s shared history runs back decades. Deitch and Smirnoff have played together for more than 30 years, eventually becoming part of a leading band in the modern funk revival on the jam and festival circuit. Lettuce has earned multiple No. 1 debuts on the Billboard jazz charts and a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album.
Porter and Sayers came up through The Motet, the long-running Colorado band that has headlined Red Rocks and built a national audience through steady touring.
By 2020, all four musicians were based in Denver and working within the same tight-knit musical ecosystem. They had already crossed paths at Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom, Funk Sessions and one-off gigs assembled under different names, whether under Porter’s name or briefly as “Let Tet.”
The name MTN Lion came later, after the music was already underway. By that point, they already knew how to play with one another. The project never carried a formal agenda beyond the sessions themselves.
On Stealth, the band locks into tight, interlocking parts. Deitch and Sayers anchor a deep-pocket, syncopated groove shaped by the approach of Tower of Power bassist Rocco Prestia, while Smirnoff’s guitar moves between rhythmic drive and tonal detail.
Porter brings talkbox and vocoder into the heart of the arrangements, giving the group a distinct sonic identity that comes into focus immediately on the opening track.
The material came from across the band, with Porter, Deitch and Smirnoff all bringing in ideas that were then honed in the room.
The album opens with “You Can Leave But It’s Going to Cost You,” a rarely covered late-1970s Marvin Gaye deep cut that Porter brought into the sessions. The recording features vocalist Nigel Hall, the album’s only guest, while Porter handles the vocal part through a talkbox during live performances.
“Turning Up the Heat” follows, built from a Deitch demo that Porter completed with lyrics and talkbox lines, locking in the band’s core sound.
“Funky Strummer,” another Deitch composition written for the group, nods to “Funky Drummer” while shifting the focus to Smirnoff’s guitar.
“Star of the Show” draws directly from early-1970s James Brown, referencing both the era’s stage-introduction aesthetic and the sound associated with the House Guests, Bootsy Collins and Catfish Collins.
“My Time” centers on a drum break and a point Porter has made for years.
“I had to practice my ass off for decades,” Porter says. “I’ve been here the whole time.”
“Garibaldi,” named for Tower of Power drummer David Garibaldi, shifts the focus to the rhythm section. The song is built around the syncopation between bass and drums and was tailored to Sayers’ playing, which draws heavily from Prestia’s influence.
“Doin It,” the album’s second cover, comes from Herbie Hancock’s 1970s electric period and recalls the sound of bassist Paul Jackson and guitarist Wah Wah Watson.
“Herbie Hancock is maybe our biggest influence combined,” Porter says.
The album closes with “The Kid,” a nod to Prince that begins with a bright melodic feel before turning toward harder, stripped-down funk.
After finishing the sessions, the band members moved on as touring resumed and their other projects took over. The recordings sat for several years before the musicians returned to them, yet the album sounds as though it could have been recorded this morning.
“This album will get y’all on your feet!” Deitch says. “Real instruments, no AI and analog warmth. Stealth is in line with all of MTN Lion’s influences and musical heroes, ranging from James Brown to Prince to Herbie Hancock to Marvin Gaye and Zapp. Fans of our longtime touring groups Lettuce and The Motet, as well as fans of funk music, will surely dig this unique, electric quartet’s musical output.”
“Put on Stealth at a party,” he concludes, “and watch everyone get up and dance!”
Stealth Tracklist
