Uncle Mingo to groove at Windjammer with ’90s funk

Jam band fans are rejoicing: Uncle Mingo will be at Isle of Palms for a Saturday-night reunion set at The Windjammer that will be full of ’90s vibes and nostalgic tunes.

The beloved Charleston band began in 1989, playing an infectiously danceable style of funk blended with jam-band freakouts. By the early ’90s, Uncle Mingo was among a wave of South Carolina bands that seemed ready to break into the mainstream.

But as time would eventually tell, that level of success really only happened for Hootie & The Blowfish and Edwin McCain, meaning acts like the Blue Dogs, Almost Steve and Uncle Mingo had to make do with the grind of endless touring. Ultimately, Uncle Mingo’s musicians got tired of spending months at a time staring at each other in a van, and it broke up in 2000 after being dropped by its record label.

But much like troopers like Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ and the Blue Dogs, Uncle Mingo generally reunites once a year or so for a gig, which it is doing on The Windjammer’s outdoor stage April 19.

“It might just be once a year,” said Mingo sax player and keyboardist Jason Moore, “but it’s so much fun for us to do it, and to have that still in our lives. And there are so many people that still listen to the stuff. They know it by heart, and it’s not just the original fans, but it’s their kids, too. It’s wild to see a 20-something down there singing all the songs.”

The occasional one-off shows are also fun for another reason: Uncle Mingo has no interest in making it big anymore, and that’s removed a ton of pressure for the musicians.

“There was a time when we were all trying to make it,” Moore said, “and it felt like we were really close. But it was what we were doing for a living, and so our livelihood depended on it. That’s a whole other level of pressure, and it’s still fun, but after you’ve been doing that for 10 years, we were ready to try a little bit of something else.

“But now it’s fun for us,” Moore added, “and we have so many great memories at The Windjammer. We just love it.”

Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets $25/advance, $30/door. The Windjammer. 1008 Ocean Blvd. Isle of Palms.