Live & Listen’s Funksgiving
Earphunk • McLovins
CONCERT REVIEW

By Jordan Kirkland

When bands begin planning a tour through the Southern states, a handful of cities are always expected to make the final cut. There are the major markets: Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte, Charleston, New Orleans, Birmingham, and Memphis. Then you have your college towns, like Athens, GA, known for their rich history and numerous intimate venues. Growing up in Montgomery, I learned at an early age that I would likely be looking to Birmingham and Atlanta for bands I was hoping to see perform.

In recent years, a noticeable effort has been made to revitalize Montgomery’s reputation as a viable option. The city holds an abundance of amazing local talent and a number of new and/or renovated venues. This past weekend, Montgomery welcomed Earphunk and McLovins for Live & Listen’s “Funksgiving” benefit concert, setting a high standard for what looks to become a highly anticipated tradition.

Funksgiving was held at Montgomery’s newest venue, The Warehouse at Alley Station. Located in the heart of downtown, this beautiful room proved to be a perfect setting for a crowd of all ages to get down over the holiday weekend. McLovins, from Hartford, CT, sparked the evening in appropriate fashion, with the title track from their latest EP, “Funk No. Uno”. This funky instrumental tune had no need for vocals. A heavy bass line from Jason Ott was complimented perfectly by guitarist Justin Berger, while drummer Jake Huffman held a tight, steady rhythm from the opening note. Atticus Kelley, keys/organ, made his presence known with a lengthy solo, while the 3-piece horn section (Michael Bafundo, Kevin Supina, and John Mundy) added that brass element that any great funk band needs. “Purple Trees”, a vintage McLovins original, allowed Huffman to warm up the vocals, featuring just the band’s four core members.

Next came “Tokyo Tea”, a McLovins staple since their early years. The horns made their way back to stage left for “Wasp”, another highly entertaining tune from Funk No. Uno. The band’s tight knit friendship and chemistry was especially noticeable as each of them laughed and danced throughout “Wasp”. Huffman delivered yet again with “Catch The Ball”, showing an amazing amount of vocal range from behind the drum kit. Before long, a spontaneous decision led to “You Enjoy Myself”, a Phish original, which holds fairly significant history for the band. While YEM isn’t typically a song featuring any brass, the horns added a special element, leading into a lengthy tease of Bill Withers’ “Use Me Up”, before the song’s conclusion. With just a few minutes left in the set, the band welcomed their own Kara Kirkland to the stage, who took lead vocals on “Do It Like You Do”. If anyone in the building hadn’t been dancing and singing along, Kirkland and the boys changed that with a soulful closing number.

Earphunk, from New Orleans, LA, took the stage just 30 minutes later to rowdy and loose crowd; hungry for more funk. They wasted no time at all, opening their set with “Sweet Nasty”, the title track from their latest album. Picking up right where McLovins left off, the party was moving again and ready to yell “Sweet Nasty!” each time the chorus built up. Guitarists Mark Hempe and Paul Provosty began battling back and forth immediately, before leading into “Try Try Try”, a catchy original from their previous album, No Nine To Five. Drummer Michael Matthews picked up the rhythm while bassist Michael Comeaux delivered a heavy dose of funk slap bass guitar. Christian Galle carried with constant precision throughout on the Hammond B3 organ. A new original, “Thangis”, was next and certainly welcomed with open arms by what had become a very energetic atmosphere. One of Earphunk’s classic jams, “Stuck In A Funk”, opened the stage back up for a classic Hempe vs. Provosty guitar dual. The groove was contagious and the lengthy instrumental allowed for all five members to have their moment to shine.

As things began to settle down, Comeaux began the opening notes of The Allman Brothers “Whipping Post”, and no one saw it coming. The placement of this crowd favorite was perfect, coming off of a lengthy instrumental ballad and totally changing the pace. “Saura”, another track from Sweet Nasty, brought the band back into a heavy hitting instrumental. Another Earphunk favorite, “Drove”, really seemed to get the band and crowd excited. A tight rhythm and powerful bass line gave way for Galle to take us for another wild ride on the Hammond. The band was firing on all cylinders and the rowdy crowd was a direct reflection.

The band’s take on “Fly Like An Eagle” was very well received, as anyone would expect. Another well-known sing-along was perfectly placed and warmed up the band for a very special treat. Hempe soon turned his guitar to his back and stepped up to his synthesizer. The talk box tube was in place and the new dance tune “Phine” sent things to another level. This brought out an 80’s Zappa-esque sound from the band, and led directly into Daft Punk’s “Around The World”. The cover tune eventually led back into “Phine” before Hempe ever stepped away from the talk box and synthesizer. With just enough time for one last song, the band decided to end the night with a bang. The decision to close with “Killing In The Name Of”, one of Rage Against The Machine’s most infamous songs, was a strong indicator of the energy in the room. This sent many folks jumping up and down, screaming along with Hempe, and needing to catch their breath as the set came to an end.

Fortunately, those wanting more from both McLovins and Earphunk were in luck. Another exciting New Orleans funk band, Gravy, was slated for the after party next door at AlleyBAR. Before long, members of McLovins and Earphunk were sharing the stage with Gravy, which made for numerous special moments. Gravy led the way with assortment of original material, along with plenty of improvisational jams featuring various guests on several occasions. Funksgiving proved to be a truly special night for the city of Montgomery, featuring three accomplished nationally touring acts and nearly six hours of live music.

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