PREVIEW
Five Alarm Funk
Friday, March 29 at 7:30 p.m.
Arden Theatre
5 St. Anne Street
Tickets: $35 plus service charges. Call 780-459-1542 or visit www.ticketmaster.ca
Vancouver funk sensation Five Alarm Funk makes its St. Albert debut this week at the Arden Theatre.
If you’re unfamiliar with the eight-piece composed of drums, guitars, bass and horns, click onto their website.
A homepage video features a sample concert and it turns out they are typically a hot, sweaty riot. Fuelled by testosterone, these primal goofballs are the brassiest bunch with the biggest smiles.
Front and centre is drummer-spokesman Tayo Branston wearing only a pair of booty shorts. He pounds the skins and cymbals like a raging bull. Sweat drips down his back and chest. Droplets fly off his nose as he swings his head from side-to-side.
Behind him the rest of the band jumps up and down like throbbing windup toys. Mimicking their idols, the crowd morphs into a rolling sea of yo-yos.
“All our concerts are a full-throttle dance party from beginning to end. We never relent. It’s very energetic and we like to have fun,” said Branston.
The eight-piece has seven albums on the market and it just released two singles – We Play the Funk and Wheels on the Bus. We Play the Funk chronicles the band’s collaboration with Bootsy Collins, a highly revered bassist whose funk runs deep.
“He’s a funk icon. He’s influenced me, and my life as a musician. As a kid growing up, I always listened to Bootsy and he had a great effect on me. And he’s very flashy and funky. He’s out there and it’s hilarious. Just like we are – flashy and fun.”
Wheels on the Bus instead is inspired from a gazillion tours where the musicians spent hours cooped up in a bus hitting on different ways to entertain each other. Just as energetic as the previous track, it lends itself to a jazz rock vibe with semi-rapped vocals.
The band first met in 2003, after musicians from different parts of Vancouver were invited to a house party and spontaneously started a jam session.
“It was fun. It felt right and the players bonded. When we started writing songs, it was a blast, and 16 years later, we’ve toured Canada at least 10 times.”
The five founding musicians are Branston, guitarists Oliver Gibson and Gabe Boothroyd, Thomas Towers on conga and Ricki Valentine on timbale. The newer members are Andrew Fraser (bass), Kent Wallace (trumpet) and Brent Mah (sax).
“We haven’t changed that much. We bring more to the craft. Our stage show is better. The music is tighter and we’ve become a well-oiled machine. It’s really our passion that keeps us going.”
The stage show is high-octane, aggressive and has a spontaneous vibe.
“It’s all about synchronizing – the dance, the music, the costumes, the sharks and the hot dogs running around on stage. Everything you can think of is up there. Our motto is ‘leave your ego at the door.’ It looks like a wild party, but it’s actually a very organized event.”
