funk in your trunk
Funk was something I grew up playing, lucky for me. A grade ten drummer friend was into the Muscle Shoals scene in the sixties, and he'd let me, a guitar friend and bassist come over and jam with his band's equipment, as long as it was "Soul Man", "Baby Hold On, I'm Comin" and "Midnight Hour". I wasn't good at all on guitar, but singing those songs and trying to strum made me funky.
I see funk as the next evolution after swing. yeah, yeah, yeah, me made funky.
Here's a story.
There I was in a rock showband: lead singer, backup chick singer, three horns, beautiful keys, David Burke, a real show drummer, Derick McKendrick, another guitarist-vocalist, follow spot, roadie and lights, and a bass player who quit. The three local Toronto players had a friend who retired from bars to quit drinking, working in a factory. They brought him to a rehearsal. I thought he looked and sounded fifties, combed back slicked hair, playing rock and roll and walking jazz lines. But our show centered on "The Blues Brothers" for a while, doing those R+B hits I could sing, and "Brick House" was a current hit we played extended dance jam. This bassist, Dorian Littlejohn, couldn't get it. I watched his friends sit with him for two and a half days, in the room all day, sometimes between sets, and it was truly strange to see him struggle with notes until he finally jumped up saying "I got it" after making it through a song. I've never seen a musical metamorphosis like that. He was stepping into it a week later, my guitar cord lashings and dancings around him no longer throwing him off. He'd get so happy he'd be laughing out loud.
Four years ago, I was asked to join Drastic Measures, a very current band from Dominque, family and session pros who won The Toronto Caribana Parade Contest their first year in Canada. They were in my home town at my local music store dropping $15,000 on new P.A. components. The owner suggested trying me, saying I could play like Hendrix. This drew some glares, so I said I also saw George Benson and got jazzy. This got some hands out and while shaking I was told he toured the islands a lot and everyone loved him. They, members of the Hinds family, asked if I would rehearse with them that afternoon, so we left together. We kept playing, and I was onstage with them that night. It turned out they owned the club, somewhere I played before. The next day they said I had to learn my rhythmic place, with and in front of the beat. It took over an hour before I could come in by myself, Ashbon, Reg and Henwood working me into an island sweat. Building a float for The Grape and Wine Festival Parade was the only time I've seen men hammering four inch nails with one hammer blow. You can imagine the dynamics onstage. My pants would ruffle in front of the bass drums. I played for two seasons and made the signs for Palmgrove when they bought an entire building. That wasn't funk, it didn't swing, but I can get up in the face of most musicians and strum away and they wonder where I am. I'm even accused of not making eye contact and sounding like I'm passing by and can't be heard. Henwood, the drummer, took three weeks before I made eye contact with him onstage. That was a hard lesson from a tough band. Reg had a $5,000 guitar synth that sounded like the names on the buttons, vibes, cathedral organ, flute, and he was a wild lead man.
All this inspired the only new move they saw, one that got me featured up front for three songs. I'd get a body wave going and hit the back of my guitar with my hip, knocking it up flat in front of me, where I was holding my arm and pick out, just swiping it for the one-stroke rhythm shot. I really played along with these guys, staying over weekends, tripping around, hearing international stories. And every night we played, guitarists from Toronto to Buffalo would be there beside the stage, guitar in hand, thinking they could cut me from the band, seeing this older white guy. Twice, Buffalo gangsta acts insisted on being hired, showing weapons. That didn't last long. The audience took care of them. That was funky for me.
The dance floor? Along the wall? I blood hot moves.
