Preview
GUERILLA FUNK MONSTER
Friday, May 14
Liberty Lounge
Guerrilla Funk Monster have a lot to be excited about. School’s out for summer and they have a new album out. And let me tell you, it’s the bomb. Literally. Bomb represents a year of planning and playing by James Musulak (bass-trumpet) and his brother Colin (percussion), along with friends, Daniel Martinez (bass-trumpet) and Chris Maric (keyboard-trombone). Also, the band’s lead-singer Maric explains how the bomb was dropped in two very separate stages.
"We recorded the bass, guitar and drum tracks in September of last year, then we all took a much needed break and we came back to it in the spring of 2004 to finish the keyboards, vocals and horns. We were still in the same frame of mind, but really fresh. We hadn’t touched the material in six months. And I was really impressed it turned out so good."
In addition to the implications of its explosive title, Guerilla Funk Monster’s new release has the daunting task of living up to the high standard set by their debut release, the monstrous double CD Triptophonic. Maric is nonchalant when it comes to this challenge, he feels that the seven-song Bomb has the integrity and energy to stand and thrive on its own. Incorporating the multiple instruments into their reggae-funk-soul fusion, GFM employ horns, Hammond B3 keyboards, clarinets, accordions and more percussion to complete the full-sounding backbeat-breakdown of Bomb. A concentrated reduction of their fluid former selves, the new and improved Guerrilla Funk Monster embodies the spirit of artistic distillation, a potently refined version of what has come before.
"It was a lot of work to do the last double. We deliberately narrowed the scope of our second project. We kept it smaller and I think the pieces really work together. Everything is really stripped down and there’s a raw sound to the mix that’s closer to what we sound like live, essentially. We did get a little over the top," Maric says, laughing good-naturedly. "We wanted to do some thing that was shorter, but still consisted of as much craziness as the last album. It was a very different experience than last time."
The band may be heading back to the studio soon, but right now they are eager to get back on stage. This explains their nationwide six-week tour and interest in remounting last year’s monster jam marathon.
In the meantime, you can check out GFM’s latest work free of charge by visiting them on the web at www.absurdmachine.com. The rationale for putting their MP3s up for grabs for free? Maric and company take a pragmatic approach to sharing their talents. "I don’t really care. It doesn’t cost us anything to put the music up there. Hopefully, in the end, it all amounts to more listeners. Hey, let’s face it, people are going to steal it anyways." |
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