Fusebox Funk

By Danny Kelly
Funk Music is tough to do half-assed. It sounds either fantastic live, or it sucks. Luckily for local boys Fusebox Funk, they know how to translate their sounds from the stage to the dance floor.

The band also rocks the pseudonyms: guitarist-vocalist Dr. Concussion, keyboard-vocalist, J.Dash, saxophonist-vocalist ChrizP, trombonist-vocalist Jstarr, trumpeter Starrcoughogus, bassist Cary the Label Guy and drummer ByrDog. After investing a decade of recording their music with tireless local gigs, Fusebox Funk is now enjoying the payoff. The septet has parlayed ambition into multiple projects while gaining new fans in Cali. The band has also learned how to save some cash on all those broken drumsticks and guitar strings, garnering endoresement deals from heavyweight music companies like Yamaha and Warwick. Fusebox guitarist Dr. Concussion recently spoke with Folio Weekly about Duval love and balancing social consciousness with funky-bootyliciousness.

Folio Weekly: What is Fusebox Funk all about?
Dr. Concusion: Fusebox has around nearly a decade now, and putting on a top-notch show has always been our priority. It's the only arena you can't fake your value, as opposed to albums or videos. We like to think we're good at those things, too, but withoug the live element, those other things don't mean quite as much.

F.W.: I noticed you are playing in California. That's a long way from Jacksonville.
D.C.: We love to play out of town. It's always an adventure and we get to meet some amazing folks. Right now we're in Anaheim, Calif., about to perform at NAMM for the Yamaha 2011 Product Showcase. They've been one of our most generous sponsors and we love working with them.

F.W.: Your music is upbeat and the songs are very danceable. Does a song's topic or lyrical content ever get lost in the music itself?
D.C.: That's actually a really good question. Early on in the band's history, we struggled with the idea of being a socially conscious funk ensemble; it wasn't a hugely popular concept at first. Mostly because audiences don't really want their party music full of social commentary, they just want to party. But as we became better lyricists, and the music improved, the divergence just sort of faded away. Now we four-plus vocalists and everyone also plays an instrument, so everyone can just innately feel where the vocals and instruments need to sit in the mix.

F.W.: Fusebox Funk has splintered into more than one side project. How are those creative influences manifested in the band's work?
D.C.: Having this many talented players in one group requires a form of "artistic maintenance"; that is to say, trying to get all of our music ideas into one project just isn't realistic. So we have of really creative side projects. J. Dash has a hugely successful solo career, a few of us are in a rap/metal/punk band called Black Drum and hopefully this year I'll be releasing a solo folk/alternative album entitled "JacksonVegas".

F.W.: What are the highs and lows of being a gigging band in Jacksonville?
D.C.: We're all really proud to call Duval home, but like any place, there are pros and cons. We're rich in venues that have great production values. We've also seen a recent explosion of supportive media outlets pop up in the last couple years locally. Entities like CW17's "YourJax Music" and folks like David Luckin and Tracy Collins have been really instrumental in helping local artists, such as ourselves. The downside to a city like Jax is that it's gigantic and there are a ton of voices creating noise. In order to be heard over the din, you've got to speak so loudly that things like promotion become almost more what you're known for. It can be a fickle town if you don't bring your A-game.

F.W.: When did you realize this was something you wanted to do with your life?
D.C.: There isn't a single member in our group that didn't know they wanted to be a performer as a child. It sometimes feels like it's our collective destiny. The music found US too... All we did was make ourselves available to discover it. - Folio Weekly

Kevin Johnson
Fusebox Funk has released their fifth EP, The Subterrestrials, via Extra Medium Productions. The four-track EP was produced by two-time Grammy winner Ross Hogarth, who has also worked with Ziggy Marley, Motley Crue, Jewel, and Jimmy Eat World.

The band itself has shared venues with the likes of Parliament/Funkadelic, Smash Mouth, Against Me!, and Ozomatli. The Florida based group creates a genre-bending fusion of funk, hip-hop, and rock that is held down by bassist Cary “The Label Guy” Jordan. The Label Guy endorses Gallien-Krueger amps, as well as Warwick, having his own ‘Cary Jordan’ Custom Streamer Stage I bass. - No Treble Magazine

http:// - Rick Grant -- EntertaingU Magazine

Get ready to dance. Fusebox Funk is bringing its mix of funk, jazz, soul and hip-hop to Ragtime Tavern on Thursday.

"There is no better reward than to see people dancing their tails off to your music," drummer Peter Booras said. "We combine jazz and funk and make you dance."

The members of Fusebox Funk -- Seth Kottler on bass, Grant Nielsen on guitar and vocals, Chris Poland on sax and vocals and Jim Starr on trombone and vocals, in addition to Booras -- are known for their high-energy instrumental style. They like to keep people on their feet through the night.

"Our strength is as a jam band," Booras said. "We can come together for an impromptu jam and go for hours. We put every ounce of energy into it."

A fluke and the opportunity to jam just for the fun of it brought Fusebox Funk together, Booras said. Poland, Kottler and Nielsen were playing in Thunder & Lightning, a blues band that converted into the rock band Magilla. Poland knew Starr from the University of North Florida jazz program and Booras, a longtime family friend who had lived with his father when he was younger. Fusebox Funk started as a side project and soon became their focus.

"As soon as we got together, everything clicked," Starr said. "We are doing the music we enjoy and doing what comes naturally. We are all part of one team. Our chemistry has a lot to do with it."

The chemistry lets them all be comfortable together on or off the stage. In addition to the jams, their performances feature staging and visual effects, including live backdrops with graphics in sync with the music.

As a band, Fusebox Funk members say they have not done things in the usual manner. They act as their own agent, and instead of having one leader, all five share equally in making artistic and business decisions. In addition, Booras' 10-year-old company, PT First Rehabilitation Services, sponsors the band and provides financial backing.

"It's another unusual way of doing things," Booras said. "My business provides an opportunity to reach the public with our music. I promote my business at shows and it brings people to my business as well as funding the band."

Another unusual aspect is that all of the band members are in their early 20s except for Booras, who is in his early 40s. "When you listen to our CD, you don't hear our age," Booras said.

Fusebox Funk celebrated the release of its first CD, The Solution, Friday at Freebird Live. The CD contains all original music, including the CD's title track, Part of the Solution.

"The song attributes the type of music that's out there right now, which we are not real fond of," Booras said. "You can be part of the problem or part of the solution. This is the solution as far as we are concerned."

Fusebox Funk is talking to representatives from a couple of labels and looking to tour the Southeast. They think the time is right for their music and for the band to make it big.

"We want to get this music out," Booras said. "I keep telling everyone around here, 'Someday you're going to hear about us.'"

By Tamara McClaran - Florida Times Union (Shorelines)

Some Beaches jazz aficionados may recognize one of the players in Fusebox Funk, the jazz/blues/funk band that will perform Thursday at Ragtime Tavern.

Chris Poland, the saxophone player, fulfilled his lifelong dream to play sax with his idol, Grover Washington Jr., on stage at the Jacksonville Jazz Festival in 1999.

Poland met Washington, a Grammy-winning saxophonist, at the 1992 Jazz Festival when he was 10. Three years later, Washington promised Poland that if he kept practicing, he would invite him on stage to play the next time he was in town.

Washington kept his promise.

On Nov. 12, 1999, Poland left his Fletcher High School homecoming game and drove to the festival at Metropolitan Park. He arrived just as Washington's band was wrapping up.

Washington told the audience, "I'd like to introduce you to a friend of mine," and backed away from the microphone. Poland raised the saxophone and went to town.

"I started soloing hard-core," Poland said in an interview with Shorelines. "I heard him going, 'Oh man, yeah.' Then we started trading off licks, and then we were joining together."

Washington died weeks later, On Dec. 18, 1999. Poland e-mailed Washington's manager with his condolences.

"I appreciate the risk you took letting me out on stage with a man as great as Grover Washington Jr.," the e-mail said. "If I ever make it big, I will do everything in my power to bring a little of Grover back to music."

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/072104/nes_16140348.shtml - Florida Time-Union (Shorelines)

With a rare weekend off, my wife and I decided to check out the Fusebox Funk CD release show at Freebird's last night. I heard they were really good from a couple of my band mates who had witnessed them some time ago at the Red Zone. Opening up was a band name I had heard but not heard much about... "Subject to Change". STC set the tone immediately with a powerful performance. Psycho bass riffs, excellent original drumming, and tasteful guitar riffs laid a concrete foundation for their quintessential front man who appeared to be born for the task of lead singer. About three or four songs into their performance I began calling them "Subject to Change Time Signatures". How refreshing! STC had hooked me in with their seemless transitions between 3/4, 6/8, 5/4, and did I detect 7/4 time? That is the trick - making odd time signatures groove because it takes your brain where you never expected it. Kudos to "Subject to Change". We bought the CD and look forward to seeing their name headlining their own CD release party someday soon.

What happened next was shocking. Fusebox took the stage. Five seemingly harmless gentlemen anyone of which could be the guy in line behind you at Wal-Mart. A long time lover of funk music, I was looking forward to the show. But they didn't just PLAY funk. They dragged it up on stage and introduced it to everyone. Then in a sadistic turn of events proceeded to strip it naked, throw it on the floor and beat the crap out of it. I felt I should do something. Call the police perhaps. Instead I sat there involuntarily banging my head like a rat in a lab experiment. It was then I realized that these were not merely musicians... they were hypnotists! And they had the entire crowd under their spell before anyone realized they had lost control of their faculties. This was unfair. Have they not listened to corporate radio? Don't they know the rules? Pete Booras' drums were bumping and grinding convincing the hypnotized packed house to follow suit, Chris Poland's sax playing would strike job security fear into that guy from Saturday Night Live's band - simply excellent, Grant Nielsen was pure style on guitar and melted butter on the Fender Rhodes, Seth Kottler on bass... best I've seen in Jax for sure. He knows it and Fusebox knows it. Flea, Geddy, Stanley, Les, Seth. This was not fair. And certainly lets talk about Jim "Rock" Starr on trombone. What a freaking cool sound to have in the band. Trombone solos added an incredible dimension to the songs and rhythmically Jim and Chris seemed joined at the hip ala Tower of Power. In fact I think these guys are the love children of Parliament, Earth Wind and Fire, James Brown, Chili Peppers, Primus, and Rage Against the Machine. Somewhere in history these folks got together and had an orgy that produced what is now "Fusebox Funk".

I'm not sure when the show ended. All I know is that my wife and I woke up naked in the median on Philips Highway with no recollection of how we got there. We bought the CD, sticker, and T-shirts. I sit this morning afraid to play the CD for fear of the same fate that befell us last night. Like a sinister street drug however, I feel it is only a matter of time before I can no longer resist. GO SEE THIS BAND!

- Neal Gupton

Some Beaches jazz aficionados may recognize one of the players in Fusebox Funk, the jazz/blues/funk band that will perform Thursday at Ragtime Tavern.

Chris Poland, the saxophone player, fulfilled his lifelong dream to play sax with his idol, Grover Washington Jr., on stage at the Jacksonville Jazz Festival in 1999.

Poland met Washington, a Grammy-winning saxophonist, at the 1992 Jazz Festival when he was 10. Three years later, Washington promised Poland that if he kept practicing, he would invite him on stage to play the next time he was in town.

Washington kept his promise.

On Nov. 12, 1999, Poland left his Fletcher High School homecoming game and drove to the festival at Metropolitan Park. He arrived just as Washington's band was wrapping up.

Washington told the audience, "I'd like to introduce you to a friend of mine," and backed away from the microphone. Poland raised the saxophone and went to town.

"I started soloing hard-core," Poland said in an interview with Shorelines. "I heard him going, 'Oh man, yeah.' Then we started trading off licks, and then we were joining together."

Washington died weeks later, On Dec. 18, 1999. Poland e-mailed Washington's manager with his condolences.

"I appreciate the risk you took letting me out on stage with a man as great as Grover Washington Jr.," the e-mail said. "If I ever make it big, I will do everything in my power to bring a little of Grover back to music."

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/072104/nes_16140348.shtml - Florida Time-Union (Shorelines)

By Heather Lovejoy
Fusebox Funk is a different band than when it formed in 2001. After years as a jazz/funk instrumental combo, the lineup changed in 2007-08 and its music went in a new direction — rap.

The horns and funky rhythms are still prominent, but they're combined with quick, assertive voices and lyrics charged with social commentary.

On its latest recording, a four-song EP titled "Subterrestrials," the band takes command of a redefining and rousing hip-hop/funk sound. To celebrate the release, Fusebox Funk will play Thursday at the Ocean Club in Jacksonville Beach. Doors open at 8 p.m., and Greenhouse Lounge is the opening band.

Ross Hogarth, a Grammy winner who has worked with major acts such as REM, Jewel, Ziggy Marley, Keb Mo and Motley Crue, produced the EP. Guitarist and vocalist Dr. Concussion described the experience of working with Hogarth as "extremely humbling and reaffirming."

Recordings, of course, are essential, but Fusebox Funk considers live shows the most important part of its work. Despite playing in Jacksonville only about four times a year, the band has gained a reputation here as putting on energetic, well-choreographed shows. For a long time, Dr. Concussion said, playing live was its "entire identity."

"Playing live is the reason I play music," he said. "It's absolutely the most important thing to us."

It's apropos, then, that the group put out a live album last year, "Live and Limited," of its headlining show at the Mossy Headz Music Fest in the state's Panhandle.

"We have a lot of songs that we'll never record and will only play live," Dr. Concussion said. "They only work live."

The band approaches recording music and playing live from different angles, so they're not a perfect match of each other. Listening to the new EP gives fans one experience, and a live show gives them another. - Florida Times-Union

By Helene Vece
'The Subterrestrials' EP will be released by Extra Medium Productions and Fusebox Funk. 'The Subterrestrials' is the fifth EP accomplishment for the band, who have played venues with A-List performers such as Smash Mouth and George Clinton.

Fusebox Funk is quickly gaining press momentum by reason of not just of media value but sound quality too. 'The Subterrestrials' has been produced by Ross Hogarth of Hoax Productions. Hogarth is highly regarded within the entertainment community. He has worked on, and produced, albums for RoadRunner Records and RCA/BMG. He also co-produced 'Love is my religion' with Ziggy Marley. The disc won a Grammy for Best Reggae Record of The Year. In addition, Hogarth has engineered and mixed discs for Motley Crue, Jewel, and Jimmy Eat World. Fusebox Funk are honored to be listed on Hoax Production's official website along side names like Roger Waters, The Black Crowes, and R.E.M. Fusebox Funk's ability to secure a producer, such as Ross Hogarth, speaks volumes to their musical ability.

Fusebox Funk will launch the debut of 'The Subterrestrials' on July 1st, 2010 in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. The band will be accessible to speak with fans and the press after their live show at The OceanClub. The EP release party is located at 401 First Street. The live music portion of the event kicks off at 8pm. The OceanClub is an 18yr old + venue. A supporting tour is currently being considered with future national dates in mind.

iTunes is executing the climate in which 'The Subterrestrials' is launched. The cost of the EP is $3.96 for fans. Preview MP3 song samples are available to the media upon request. Fusebox Funk chose to utilize iTunes as their medium of choice because of the iTunes brand's ability to digitally distribute music to a diverse market of music aficionados.

This funk band from Florida, who are considered "cross-over artists" may be defined by their sound but not limited within their genre. The band's incommensurable sonancy is what defines their popularity. Fusebox Funk upholds their endorsing brands- Yamaha, Warwick, Gallien-Krueger, Snapjack and Tradition. URB magazine listed the band in their "Next 1000" category , along with artists like Sage Francis, The Black Keys, and M.I.A. Fusebox Funk demonstrates the essence of a true human interest story for feature writers while attracting the interest of seasoned music reporters.

Fusebox Funk is inviting both traditional and social media press to review 'The Subterrestrials'. Interviews with the band are accessible to qualified media only. A limited supply of press and photography credentials will also be made available for the EP's launch party in Florida on July 1st 2010.

'The Subterrestrials' promises to be the vehicle which drives the band's burgeoning career right into the limelight. - Billboard Publicity Wire

By Jay Cridlin
Musically speaking, the only thing funky about Jacksonville is the scent of Gregg Allman’s beard. At least, that was the case until Fusebox Funk boogied onto the scene. The J-ville sextet is Florida’s low-ridin’ answer to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jurassic 5 and Rage Against the Machine, blending slick rhymes, Super Fly horns and El Camino-bouncing bass into an irresistible melange of rock, hip-hop and outer-space funkadelia. Tampa’s own ska-pocalyptic Johnny Cakes always bring a thundrous presence to the stage, so this should be one nonstop, all-night party. - Tampa Bay Times: Soundcheck

By Roger Bull
On one side you've got the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra. It's big, formal and . . . symphonic. On the other side, you've got Fusebox Funk, five local guys playing some decidedly non-orchestral hip-hoppy funk.

And bringing the two of them together is a nice, polite 22-year-old living in the dorms at Jacksonville University.

Meet Andrew Chopra. When the symphony plays with Fusebox Funk in the first of the JSO's Plugged In series Saturday night, they'll be using the music that Chopra wrote down. During the Plugged In series (later concerts are with Mofro, Seven Nations and a Grateful Dead tribute band), the symphony and Fusebox will each play a set of music on their own. But they'll also get together to play five of Fusebox's songs.

But the symphony works from sheet music, and Fusebox's funk is not written down.

"We write down the words," said Jim Starr, trombone player with Fusebox. "But not the music. We just remember it."

So the symphony hired Chopra to work that out. He listened to each of the five songs and transcribed the basic stuff: chords and changes and rhythm. That itself is tough enough.

"I couldn't do it," said Alan Hopper, the symphony's executive director. "I don't have a good enough ear. I was a performing musician, and I played my instrument well enough. But I can't just listen to other people's music and know exactly what they're doing."

But Chopra isn't done there. He's writing the symphony parts for about 20 different instruments. And that's not just copying what Fusebox is doing or turning the symphony into an 83-person rhythm section. He's creating new parts, even solos for the symphony's musicians.

Hopper said they've had trouble sometimes in the past with Plugged In arrangements that went too far in turning the band's work into something orchestral. The identity of the band's music has to remain intact, he said.

"It is tricky," he said. "But we told him 'Do whatever you want, but make sure the band agrees with what you do.' "

So the Fusebox guys have met with Chopra a couple of times in the JU studio to hear computerized versions of what he's come up with.

"It's pretty amazing to hear," Starr said, "Because I've only heard our band as five pieces.

"The coolest thing is that since we have so many opportunities for parts," he said. "We can make counter melodies, things we hadn't thought of before. But as soon as we got in there and starting hearing it, it was 'Wouldn't it be cool to add this or that?' "

It's been time-consuming. Chopra figures he's been spending six hours a day, five days a week for the past month, hunched over the keyboard and computer. That's working around classes: major in music composition and theory, minor in aviation management and flight operations. Yes, he's an instrument-rated pilot.

He also plays in a couple of ensembles at JU and is the associate music director at St. Mark's Lutheran Church, playing the organ every Sunday. And he's involved in a couple of cancer organizations, since he's been leukemia-free for almost 10 years now.

Down the road, he said, he wants to get write music for movies, a far cry from the funk of Fusebox.

"Actually, I'm not too familiar with that genre," Chopra said. "It's kind of ironic that it's working out so well." - The Florida Times Union

By Keith Wilkins
Friday June 18, 2010 Fusebox Funk will be teaming up for an amazing show in Ybor City with Johnny Cakes and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypso. The show Crowbar is certain to be a spectacle to behold as Fusebox Funk and Johnny Cakes have a history of stellar performances together dating back to Johnny Cakes’ roots in Jacksonville.
Fusebox Funk (Jacksonville, FL) has been receiving major media attention and radio play throughout the Southeast and is currently touring on the release of their new EP “The Subterrestrials” recorded with two time Grammy Award winning producer Ross Hogarth.

Johnny Cakes and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypso just finished a three major music festival run throughout Florida which began with them opening for Less Than Jake on the Main Stage at the Florida Music Festival. This show was followed by Sunfest in West Palm Beach which had an attendance of over 300,000 people and featured acts such as Weezer, ZZ Top, Damian Marley, Flogging Molly, Rise Against, and many more. Johnny Cakes’ festival run concluded with WMNF’s Tropical Heatwave where they played an over the top performance to A packed house at the Crowbar that had a line out the door with people waiting to get in.
Now these two bands will team up to put on an amazing show at the Crowbar in Ybor City. The doors are at 9pm, the cost is $5, and the show is 18+. DJ Craig Heneveld will also be performing. - Examiner.com

Kyle Hemker
If you all listen to the podcast regularly, I was the only member of Random Frequency to attend Bele Chere this year. This means that I am responsible for making sure you all get some music education this summer. First on my list to share with everyone: Fusebox Funk and J. Dash.

Fusebox Funk was one of the afternoon shows at Bele Chere. Fusebox Funk is made up of six excellent musicians. Together, they create a sound that at times is relaxing and smooth funk, and other times is in-your-face rock or impressive hip-hop. I prefer to let their music do the talking, so I found a live performance for you all to enjoy.

If you enjoyed that video, I hope you all listen to the rest of their music on MySpace, Stereofame, and their homepage. Keep an eye out for these guys, they are rising fast.

Now, I hope by now you have realized that J. Dash is a part of Fusebox Funk. He is also a solo artist, and after the Fusebox Funk show at Bele Chere, I picked up his solo album, Music for the Colorblind. If you know me at all, then you know I am not a huge rap or R&B fan, but this album is quality. He really amazed me at Bele Chere when he rapped the alphabet. Listen and have some fun.

Once again, you can find J. Dash and his music at MySpace and Stereofame.

Support real talent. - Random Frequency

By Keith Wilkins
Friday June 18, 2010 Fusebox Funk will be teaming up for an amazing show in Ybor City with Johnny Cakes and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypso. The show Crowbar is certain to be a spectacle to behold as Fusebox Funk and Johnny Cakes have a history of stellar performances together dating back to Johnny Cakes’ roots in Jacksonville.
Fusebox Funk (Jacksonville, FL) has been receiving major media attention and radio play throughout the Southeast and is currently touring on the release of their new EP “The Subterrestrials” recorded with two time Grammy Award winning producer Ross Hogarth.

Johnny Cakes and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypso just finished a three major music festival run throughout Florida which began with them opening for Less Than Jake on the Main Stage at the Florida Music Festival. This show was followed by Sunfest in West Palm Beach which had an attendance of over 300,000 people and featured acts such as Weezer, ZZ Top, Damian Marley, Flogging Molly, Rise Against, and many more. Johnny Cakes’ festival run concluded with WMNF’s Tropical Heatwave where they played an over the top performance to A packed house at the Crowbar that had a line out the door with people waiting to get in.
Now these two bands will team up to put on an amazing show at the Crowbar in Ybor City. The doors are at 9pm, the cost is $5, and the show is 18+. DJ Craig Heneveld will also be performing. - Examiner.com