The Effinays will perform at Wakarusa Music Festival after winning battle of bands

The funk-infused reggae band brought out a large crowd from DFW NORML.

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The Effinays were also named Alternative Pick of the Year by The Urban Advocate, a local music and arts website.

DEEP ELLUM — Reggae, funk, and rock tunes blared from the speakers at Trees Saturday night when Wakarusa Music Festival hosted a battle of the bands show called the Wakarusa Winter Classic.

Five local bands competed for the chance to play in the Ozark Mountains on the 2013 Wakarusa bill. The crowd ultimately chose the winner. Dimitri’s Ascent (a last minute substitution for We The Sea Lions), Ugly Lion, The Effinays, Gravity Feed, and Goodnight Ned all put on commendable sets, but the people spoke, picking DFW NORML’s poster child The Effinays as the winner.

“It is an honor and a piece of a dream come true,” said Valenti “Funk” Thomas, drummer and keyboardist for The Effinays. The emotional draining of “what if” has now subsided and the band is on cloud nine, he added.

The Waka Winter Classic stretches as far East as Memphis, as far North as Minneapolis, as far West as Colorado, and as far South as Houston. The Classic is a great way to get embedded in the local scenes around the South and Mid-West and discover musicians the festival may have never heard about, said Aaron Stehman, a Wakarusa representative.

The Effinays’ funk-infused reggae style suits the Wakarusa lineup. For the festival’s 10th anniversary, The Effinays will be jamming alongside pioneer jam band Widespread Panic, rapper/Rastafarian Snoop Lion, and electronic guru Shpongle. Wakarusa takes place May 30-June 2 in Ozark, Ark.