Starship Mantis is a five piece funk band that is best described as a blend of funk, pop, and jazz-fusion. The confluence of their sound is inspired from such groups as Jamiroquai, Snarky Puppy, and Lettuce. On stage, Starship Mantis also incorporates the pageantry of Parliament Funkadelic, which adds to their unique presence and musical flare. In late 2016, Pittsburgh bassist, Beni Rossman, brought together current and former colleagues from different projects around the city. Rossman’s goal, while bringing together the members and the music of the band, was to combine the genres of Jazz, Funk, and Hip-Hop, Pop, into an intellectually and physically stimulating experience (in which their mantra reflects; “Your brain is in your butt”). As of the beginning of 2018, the band has toured internationally and has shared the stage regionally with artists such as Lettuce, Cory Henry and the Funk Apostles, and Ghost Note, and has performed at numerous festivals across the east coast such as Some Kind Of Jam, WaterFire Festival, Feastival, and many more.