LEWISTON — Let’s pull out all the Randy Jackson “American Idol” cliches to introduce the Brooklyn funk-fusion band New York Funk Exchange: They’ve got the heat. They’re keepin’ it real. They work it out. They’re the bomb. They are in the house.

Lead vocalist and Lewiston native Serena Fortier describes their music another way. “There are no sad songs in funk,” and “Seats are not required for our shows.”

All funk fans know the big horns and heavy bass sounds of the 1970s Tower of Power, Sly and Family Stone,Earth, Wind & Fire, The Isley Brothers and, of course, James Brown.

And they know what Fortier is talking about – it’s about movin’ and groovin’ and havin’ a party.

New York Funk Exchange will play Friday, April 8, in Heritage Hall at the Franco-American Heritage Center.

While a throwback to an old school blend of soul, jazz and rhythm & blues, New York Funk Exchange brings a fresh vibrant sound that comes from young musicians living their dream and doing their thing. The band launches positive energy with every guitar slap and pop and every brass blast and slide.

As a Lewiston High School student, Fortier had no idea that she could go to school for music. Encouraged by LHS chorus teacher Darren Avery, she went to Berklee College of Music in Boston. From there, she made the jump to New York in 2006.

Now, she has a day job working as operations manager at Avatar Studios, where the likes of Kings of Leon and John Mayer have recorded. And every weekend, she wails out powerful, soulful vocals with an eight-piece band in New York clubs and throughout the Northeast.

“It’s a blast,” Fortier said from her Brooklyn home. “The city is pretty amazing. I really do love the hustle and bustle. I work at Avatar, I love that. I get to meet all my musical influences.”

New York Funk Exchange came together when Fortier and Berklee classmate and keyboardist Jamey Zebrack reunited in New York when Zebrack’s previous band fell apart. Then, they tracked down another fellow Berklee classmate, guitarist Matthew Godfrey.

“We had a drummer and a bass player from Jamey’s old band, but we both knew we just had to get Matty G.,” Fortier said.

Fortier’s story evokes images of The Blues Brothers and The Commitments putting together a band and setting out on a musical mission. They recently landed a regular gig at hot spot Club Groove NYC, and are currently working on their second CD.

“Our upcoming album is lot more cohesive,” Fortier said. “We’ve been playing together a while now and we’ve got this groove.”

Band members wrote the songs, recorded and released their first CD, “Funkonomic Stimulus Plan (Without You),” a couple of years ago without the backing of a label. They managed to snag Christian McBride, named Downbeat’s acoustic bass player of the year, to play on four of the tracks. The band plans to continue operating independently and to release its second CD this summer.

“The music business is a lot different today,” said Fortier, who studied music business, songwriting and vocals while at Berklee. “Why get somebody else, when this is what we do?”

Even though Fortier seems to be finding her groove in New York, she admitted that every now and then, it’s nice to get away and come back home. She grew up surrounded by older sisters who sang and a mom who was in a high school band of her own. Last summer, New York Funk Exchange somehow managed to squeeze into She Doesn’t Like Guthries after getting all of the band members into what they call “The White Whale” and packing gear into a second van. From that show, the band was invited for a return visit to Lewiston by Franco center program director Richard Martin.

“Just bring your dancing shoes,” Fortier said.

Go and do

WHO: New York Funk Exchange

WHAT: Show for 21-plus (cash bar)

WHERE: Heritage Hall, Franco-American Heritage Center, 46 Cedar St., Lewiston

WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday, April 8

TICKETS: $10, call 689-2000, visit www.francoamerican.org or buy at the door