The Delight of ‘Discovering’ ‘New’ Bands — Funktoberfest Florida
Why do you go to music festivals? Most people I know go to spend great times with their musical families and to hear wonderful music from their favorite bands. There is another reason that many of us go: to “discover” bands we’ve never heard of or know nothing about.
Certainly more than half the bands I revere on today’s music scene fall into this category, and I am always glad to collect more. I picked up two last night at Funktoberfest Florida out at Maddox Ranch in Lakeland (Saturday, October 6). Due to a very busy weekend, I could only fit in a slice of the action at Funktoberfest. My plan was to see The Reality, Holey Miss Moley, High Test, and Guavatron. And, honestly, Guavatron was the deciding factor. I am an unabashed fanboy.
I pulled into the parking lot at 9 PM, only to discover that the lineup was at least 90 minutes behind schedule. On stage was a band I did not know (Christian Ryan assures me I saw one of their iterations several years at Orange Blossom Jamboree, and challenging Ryan is futile at best!). And the schedule I’d seen had been rearranged, anyway.
[By the way, the lighting was absolutely atrocious, so you won’t see much in any nighttime photos that have surfaced.]
Fabulous jazz was pouring from the stage. Public Sounds Collective was the name of this band (self-described as “(Jazz+Funk)xSoul=Public Sounds Collective”). I saw Adonis Guava (guitarist from Guavatron) up front in appreciation; he told me that PSC were from West Palm Beach, like his band. I was tempted to accuse him of withholding vital information, like how south Florida has yet another band this fine and I haven’t heard about them.
Kevin Cripanuk was digging into a really powerful trombone solo as the band laid down the perfect groove behind him on “Eating Sheets.” There was so much going on, with all six members displaying incredible chops. Elijah Gee was a monster on keyboards, especially synths, and several times successfully added his version of a talk box. Bassist Chris Patsis showed that he is a proud member of the Jaco school of thought with great playing throughout and several great features.
Christian Davis seared a few guitar solos as well, especially on “Mr. Pickle Party,” “Scribbly” and the closing “Funky See, Funky Do,” and everyone was singing drummer Gus D’Angelo’s praises. And then Markis Hernandez stepped up with alto sax to wail. His flute added a great touch, and he also played tenor. Cripanuk also doubled on percussion. This was a joyous set, great fun, and — in the best way possible — a reminder of the great direction Snarky Puppy has sent countless jazz and funk ensembles across the country.
If I’d had to leave there and then, I would have been a happy man.
Fortunately, I did not. The Reality and Holey Miss Moley were next up. We’ll get to that part of the review shortly, but first, fast-forward to 3:00 AM. According to the schedule, Guavatron should have been on stage for their closing 3:00-4:30 set. Instead, High Test was about to begin after some long technical delays with the sound engineers.
The Tallahassee band — a quartet now expanded to a quintet — opened with a deeply soulful “When the Funk,” Paxton St. John tearing off the first of a series of jaw-dropping solos, this one subtle. They followed that with a blistering short tune appropriately title “Pax-Tone.” The band’s recent addition — Kalen Mercer on EWI — meshed so well with Derrick Koelsch’s keyboards. This was all-out funk with a distinct R&B bent, going from funky to funkier as they proceeded through “High Test.”
Koelsch added excellent vocals on “Loungin’” as St. John ripped off another incredible solo. The whole affair was kept in overdrive by Butch Gonzalez and Brett Crook, a powerful rhythm section (bass and drums, respectively). Charles Griffin pointed out to me the band’s strong jamtronic elements, especially keyboards and EWI. There were times I was hearing a jamtronic version of the Meters. This performance was so brilliant. Koelsch is a remarkable vocalist and keyboard player, and St. John was simply stunning. The closing “Cadillac” was sheer magnificence.
As they finished, it was about 4:30 AM. Right then, I saw Adonis Guava and Roddy Hansen (keyboards for Guavatron), and they explained that they would not be playing since it was so late. And mind you I went out to Maddox to see them specifically. And my answer to them was:
“Just as well. Because in the moment nobody’s going to top that set.”
FACT
And there were two excellent sets of music in between as well. The Reality gave us a tremendous set that was at once introspective and a bit subdued and still outrageous. “Scooch on Over” and “All My Time” weren’t delivered at blasting volume, which meant all the great subtleties shone through much more clearly. The volume was an issue with the sound system and, apparently, local gendarmes who stopped by to “suggest” that they turn the sound down!
The newest member of the quartet, Josh Kim, has truly become a full functioning part of the band. I’ve joked that, even if he were unplugged, he’d still be great because of his incredible facial expressions. This night, however, he was top dog instrumentally, especially his work on organ throughout the show; he also plays synths and electric piano.
As always, Dan Jones dedicated “Fat Fanny Pack” to his “favorite part of the body. I would contend that the best “instrument” in the band is the voice of bass player Caleb Bone; he had his usual spectacular night both on lead vocals and brilliant backing vocals. “Sweet Tooth” and “Really Don’t Care Anymore” were audio dynamite, and the Jones brothers — Dan on vocals, guitar and trombone and Brian BA on drums and vocals — were in prime form. The closing “Dancin’ in D” is always guaranteed to pack the dance floor. In fairness, it was packed all set long.
https://www.facebook.com/SwampHippieGulfCoast/videos/512636905814484/
The ultra-small stage at Maddox (the permanent wooden one) was just too small to accommodate everybody from Holey Miss Moley. Jen Peacock Ryan (trumpet and vocals) sat this one out. At that, it was still tight but workable.
It was a fine night for vocals in spite of PA challenges, and Danny Clemmons and Miss Robyn Alleman were stars. They opened with “Big Bad Wolf” and “Bermuda Triangle” before Alleman stepped up to belt one of her features, “Don’t Stop” (and yes, don’t). “Shake It with Me” was an opportunity to make sure all the percussion equipment was in proper working order: Jamal ‘MusicCity’ Wright, then Tony Morales, and Vernon Suber. Christian Ryan took his saxophone effects pedal out for a wild spin.
There are Funkadelic songs I like more than “You and Your Folks, Me and My Folks,” but it’s worth it every time just to hear Jacob Cox pay homage to Eddie Hazel with his badass guitar solos. WOW. Alleman had another feature with “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition was in).” Cox on guitar and then Kenny ‘Bonesaw’ Harvey (also one of the evening’s saviors using the band’s PA brought by Cox) on bass eased into “Ain’t No Use.” As it took off, Cox allowed his solo to segue into “Red Hot Mama,” and it was officially ON. It was great hearing Clemmons and Alleman singing this medley.
The band’s magnum opus, “Afroshaft,” was introduced by Wright on drums. Cox had a wonderful subdued solo, followed by Ryan’s tenor sax avec pedal, then Morales and Suber with percussion outings. Mikey Guzman offered some superb electric piano work reminiscent of Fela Kuti, and as the jam settled toward the end, Ryan added Rahsaan Roland Kirk-style flute work.
It was Clemmons’ turn to have fun with the crowd on “Devil Funk” with his series of cues and prompts, Guzman on synths. To close, Alleman gave us a cover of Norah Jones’s beautiful “Say Goodbye.” The time issue eliminated the last song of the official setlist: “There’s Something Wrong with This Picture;” that would have been most appropriate on this Saturday.
So that was my brief slice of the Funktober Florida pie. There were apparently many beginners’ errors in running a festival that will be correct for future events. Despite the problems, everyone seemed to be having a blast!
[PSC: Ya Don’t Say, Irregular Prime, Eating Sheets, Hipster Biscuits, Mr. Pickle Party, Where’s Eugene, Scribbly, Funky See, Funky Do]
[REALITY: Scooch On Over, All My Time, Fat Fanny Pack, Pineapple Salsa, Set Her Free, Julia, Final Countdown Tease > She’s Too High, Sweet Tooth, Really Don’t Care, Wait For The Moment, Dancin’ In D]
[HMM: Big Bad Wolf, Bermuda Triangle, Don’t Stop, Shake It with Me, You and Your Folks, Me and My Folks, Just Dropped In, Ain’t No Use > Red Hot Mama, Afroshaft, Devil Funk, Say Goodbye]
[HIGH TEST: When the Funk, Pax-Tone, High Test, Loungin’, Too Cool, Funky Love, Lovely Day, You Got Soul, Got to Be Free/Unite, Cruise, Put Ur Nutz, Higher, Run Around, Sally Sue, Cadillac]
In addition to my brief foray into Funktoberfest Florida, Swamp Hippie Gulf Coast and photographers Nikki Kathan and Chuck Smalling were there all weekend archiving all of the shenanigans and fun (despite horrible nighttime lighting). We gratefully share some of Swamp Hippie Gulf Coast’s videos and Kathan’s photography.
CUSTARD PIE
https://www.facebook.com/SwampHippieGulfCoast/videos/1143921082429489/
XOTIC YEYO
https://www.facebook.com/SwampHippieGulfCoast/videos/323141885111873/
RUSTY SHINE
https://www.facebook.com/SwampHippieGulfCoast/videos/2170237089931177/
THE PSYCHEDELIC MONKS
https://www.facebook.com/SwampHippieGulfCoast/videos/866581383550388/