2008 Woodie Awards
Funk it up!
Fatback Circus, St. James Infirmary, Jumping Monks leads the pack in funk concert
By: Erika Morgan
Issue date: 4/10/07 Section: Entertainment
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All three bands were similar in that they all had a modernized funk or blues/jazz sound but differed in their method of portraying these new modern sounds.
St. James Infirmary started the show with an edgy, blues sound. The vocals pierced through the crowd with moving and clever lyrics.
James Phillips, a senior music education major, sings vocals and plays bass in the band. Phillips described the band's sound in an unusual way.
"It's dirty. We make it as dirty as we possibly can. We don't want to sound bad, just dirty," Phillips said.
Other band members agree with the unusual description.
"It's upbeat, dance grooves. It's a blues-flavored dirt," Jaime Ramirez, who plays keyboard, harmonica and sings vocals, said.
The strong influence of power rock in San Antonio has given the band a new perspective.
"It seems that rock has dominated the city so long that it's time for a change. This is not to say we are jumping on a bandwagon; I like to think we are part of a new edge on leading new music in the San Antonio area," J.J. Greene, guitarist, said.
The band plans to release a CD in winter '08 featuring original and cover songs.
Following St. James Infirmary was Jumping Monks, who stepped up the momentum set by the previous band. The band began the set involving the crowd in the music. They encouraged them to clap their hands on beat, and the band played on top of the crowd's beat.
Starting strong, the band had an in-your-face sound. The music reached out and pulled the crowd into it like an invisible arm.
At one point, the band resonated Dave Matthews Band with soft, powerful vocals and artistic, funk instrumentation.
Towards the end of the set, the band played a medley of covers including "Do You Love Me," "Baby Got Back," "Brick House" and "Give It Away." During the medley, the band also experimented with different genres of music like Tejano.
Jumping Monks made the audience an equal part of the show, which added to the experience.
Travis Ripps, bassist and vocals, described the band's sound as a mix of funk and rock.
"We pride ourselves on making good music but also on entertaining as well," Ripps said.
The band recently played with Vanilla Ice in Houston and said they picked up a lot of fans that way. The band was interviewed by a magazine in the U.K. where they have a substantial European fan base.
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