Relix calls Plump a  "Band on the Rise" in 

 
The Houston Chronicle features Plump in    the "Spotlight on Local Bands" section.      

Mark Williams from the Bulletin Online has a few words to say about the original   "funk-jazz-groove-jam-hip-hop-reggae sound".

PLUMP is:

James Yarbrough, vocals
Doug Payne, drums & vocals
Al Bear, guitar & vocals
Josh Matranga, bass
Jason Jackson, saxophone

Andrew Rice, bass & vocals
David Flores, saxophone

This is original funk/groove music. Plump wants to play music that is immediately fun for both the players and the audience--and they want people to get moving on the dance floor, plain and simple. In performance, Plump strives to listen to each other intently and create a new audio experience every night. The players celebrate a wide variety of influences, and what comes out when these guys play is a gumbo of musical styles—a taste sensation. If you were to investigate the car stereos of the guys in Plump, you would be sure to find The Meters, The Grateful Dead, Bob Marley, Fela Kuti, Funkadelic, Sly and the Family Stone, John Scofield, Dr. John, Jane’s Addiction, Jesus Christ Superstar, the O’Jays, and Miles Davis. All influences aside, when these guys get together and start playing, they make Plump music. Period.

Plump first got started in the early fall of 2001. The band spent a few months jamming in Doug’s living room, until they grew weary of the next-door neighbor calling the cops for playing too loud. After getting some songs together, the band tested their mettle in some “battle of the bands” in a cheesy bar in downtown Houston. This was Plump’s first official gig. They lost. Unfortunately, some heavy metal band won the epic “battle”, and looking back Al now attributes the loss to the utter lack of platform shoes and laser lights in the Plump stage show. Luckily, the disappointment of such a humiliating loss didn’t last too long, and the guys soon found themselves playing in venues all over Houston. By the summer of 2002, Plump found themselves playing throughout Texas, and then often found themselves being asked to open for touring bands of the “jamband” variety when these bands came to town. As Plump became friends with these bands, their touring circle became wider and wider. The band began driving to Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Colorado for shows. In 2003, Plump released their first CD and launched their website at www.plumpsounds.com. In addition, Plump was selected and featured as being “On the Verge” in the July 2003 issue of Relix magazine. In April 2004, the band released their second CD titled, “Voyage”, which features many of Houston’s fine musicians making guest appearances. In January 2005, Plump was named as one of 10 “Bands to See in 2005” by www.jambase.com. Plump has averaged 75 shows per year from 2003 through 2005. In 2006, Plump was nominated for the second time by the Houston Press for Best Funk. Plump is also pulling together songs and is preparing to complete recording of their third full-length album in the late summer. The future looks bright, and Plump is looking forward to playing in your neck of the woods.

Plump has played at the following venues in the greater Houston area: Last Concert Café, Fabulous Satellite Lounge, Fitzgerald’s, Paesano’s, the Rhythm Room, and Helios. Around Texas, Plump has played at The Vibe, Headhunters, and The Empanada Parlour in Austin, TX, Club Dada, the Red Blood Club, Muddy Waters, The Boar’s Nest, the Lakewood Bar and Grill in Dallas, TX, and Klusoz in Lubbock, TX, and Fitzwilly’s and Revolution in Bryan/College Station, TX. Outside of Texas, Plump has played at Tipitina’s in New Orleans, LA, Rikenjak’s in Lake Charles, LA, Quixotes and Cervantes in Denver, CO, The Library Pub in Boulder, CO, The Starlight and Avogadro’s in Fort Collins, CO, the Utopia Café in Colorado Springs, the Summit in Durango, CO, the Roma in Telluride, CO, the Deli in Norman, OK, the Belle Isle Brewery in Oklahoma City, and Herb’s Lounge in Taos, NM. Plump will continue to make regular stops throughout Texas and beyond.

Plump has shared the stage with the following bands: Dr. John, Rebirth Brass Band, Umphrey’s McGee, New Monsoon, Tony Furtado Band, Smokin’ Grass, Moses Guest, The Greyhounds, Olospo, Zony Mash, Larry, Psychedelic Breakfast, Brotherhood of Groove, Peach Truck Republic, Gnappy, Dimorphodon, Mellowship, Groovin’ Ground, Netwerk: Electric, Zwee, Drop Trio, and Vibe Committee, among others.