GIVE FOR VIV: Viveca Hawkins Benefit Features Dumpstaphunk/Nikki Glaspie Reunion, Lyrics Born Appearance, More [B.Getz on L4LM]
Photo: Christopher Morand — Viveca Hawkins at Give For Viv benefit, The Independent, San Francisco, CA, 6/29/25
originally published on Live For Live Music
On Sunday June 29th, a colorful collection of Bay Area musicians, movers, shakers, and fans congregated at San Francisco’s The Independent for an inspirational benefit concert celebrating vocalist Viveca Hawkins. The beloved Berkeley-born, Bay Area phenom was most recently singing with Dumpstaphunk before suffering a severe stroke in January 2025, followed by two life-saving brain surgeries. The event—dubbed GIVE FOR VIV—brought together a unique Dumpsta lineup featuring former drummer Nikki Glaspie back on the throne. Other performers included Bay Area All-Stars, East Bay funksters Collectivity, Jazz Mafia, Kev Choice Ensemble, DJ D-Sharp, and a surprise mini-set from area legend Lyrics Born; the evening was emceed by Rafael Casal and also included a silent auction with signed memorabilia, wine, yoga classes, and more.
Viveca Hawkins is a powerhouse vocalist who’s collaborated with a who’s who of Bay Area luminaries, including Zion I, Kev Choice, Jazz Mafia, and Con Brio, and has performed with Glaspie’s The Nth Power. Her debilitating stroke came at a time when Viveca was just hitting her stride as a full-time member of Dumpstaphunk. Though doctors are encouraged by rapid progress in the aftermath of the operations, she’s staring down a long, hard road ahead to get back to something of a normal life, let alone return to the stage. She faces months, if not years, of intensive rehabilitation to regain speech and motor functions. Hawkins’ friends and peers put together this party to continue to raise funds, so that she may fully focus on her recovery without stressing the burdens of immense financial pressure.
The evening began with the venerable DJ D-Sharp, official DJ of the Golden State Warriors, throwing down grown ‘n’ sexy vibes throughout his sets slotted before and in between bands. D-Sharp mixed up classic funk, hip-hop, soul/R&B, electronic, and pop hits with appropriate style and panache. Kev Choice Ensemble performed first, equal parts rugged and soulful, a large group with a horn section. The bandleader mastered ceremonies and moved the crowd with a bevy of hot rhymes while seated center stage at a keyboard. Viveca has created much music with Kev Choice over the years, and he was the perfect call to kickoff the festivities.
The Bay Area All-Stars set welcomed a steady stream of musicians to the stage. The core of Collectivity tore into some greasy funk grooves, on this night including birthday boy Ben Misterka (guitar), Uriah Duffy (bass), Kevin Wong (keys), and James Small (drums), plus Jazz Mafia’s Daniel Casares (sax) and Ross Eustis (trumpet). After several seriously funky instrumental cuts that saw each of these cats really work it out proper, Duffy called up an area hip-hop icon: Quannum Projects OG and vegan cooking show star Lyrics Born, who appeared onstage with his wife/backing vocalist Joyo Velarde for a surprise 20-minute mini-set. Misterka and Duffy play in Lyrics Born’s live band, so the situation was a natural fit, and a special gift for Viv, her friends, family, and the fans.
After Bay Area Allstars wrapped up, Rafael Casal thanked everybody for coming to the show, contributing to the fundraiser, and bidding on the auction. The total raised—just via this evening’s efforts—had already surpassed $10K by the time Rafael made the announcement. Then Casal welcomed the guest of honor to the stage, and a ravishing Viveca Hawkins appeared to bask in the chorus of cheers, hoots, hollers, and a few tears. Bouquets were passed to the stage, and the room fell to a hushed silence as Viv spoke carefully and beautifully, letting everybody know how much she appreciated the support, felt the love, and then defiantly promised to get back to the stage. It was a powerful, inspiring moment of triumph that every beating heart in attendance will not soon forget.
Dumpstaphunk is certified family to Viveca Hawkins, as she has deep roots with Ian and Ivan Neville. Long before she was an official band member, she’d sat in with the group dozens of times all over the country. So it was no surprise that the band members moved mountains and flew in from all over to headline this benefit for their girl. Dumpsta’s lineup on this night featured Ivan (keys/vocals), Ian (guitar), Tony Hall (bass/guitar/vocals), Alex Wasily (trombone), John Michael Bradford (trumpet), and vocalist Rebecca Todd, who were joined by former Dumpsta drummer Nikki Glaspie (The Nth Power, Punkadelick, Snarky Puppy) for a rowdy funk reunion.
The wrecking krewe was further augmented by Uriah Duffy, who played with Ivan Neville years ago in a Family Stone reboot, and who has joined Dumpstaphunk a couple of times in recent months. The sum of these parts was a thundering blowout of bombastic proportions. In addition to Dumpstaphunk faves like “Deeper” and “Itchy Boo”, the squad paid tribute to SF’s recently-deceased funk pioneer Sly Stone by digging into a pair of his hits, “Everyday People” and “Sing a Simple Song”. Dumpstaphunk’s greasy grooves smothered us in their patented stank sauce to complete a heart-filling night, lifting up a Bay Area queen when she needs her people the most.
Fans can continue to support Viveca Hawkins recovery journey by donating to her GoFundMe. For more information about her situation, go here.
Click below to view a gallery of photos courtesy of Luna Stower and Christopher Morand.
words: B.Getz
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Give For Viv | The Independent | San Francisco, CA | 6/29/25 | Photos/Videos: Luna Stower & Christopher Morand
