Interview | Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band

Interview with JP Miller of

Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band

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Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band is one of the best funk bands around as they travel across the country to preserve the art of funk. Their onstage live presence is highly reminiscent of George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic with high energy shows that have value both vocal talent and sonic instrumental improvisation. They are commanders of the groove following George Clinton’s mantra of “Free Your Mind and Your Ass Will Follow”.

Guitarist and Vocalist of YMBFBB, JP Miller, discussed with LiveMusicDaily Founder,Andrew McConnell, a variety of topics ranging from the preservation of funk to their favorite guest sit-ins.

We will be giving away a FREE TICKET to their upcoming show this Thursday at The Hamilton in DC with legendary saxophonist Ron Holloway. Click here for details.

Why do you think this genre continues to be relevant ? Would you say it has a lot to do with the power of being a “feel based” musician over a technical musician ? Obviously you do both, but the “feel based” facet of funk music is an apparent attraction of the genre either directly or indirectly for a fan.

JP Miller: Funk is something that will never die. It is uplifting music that makes you feel good. Therefore, it has, and will continue to make it’s way into all sorts of genres of music. Early rap sampled old school Funk to create it’s beats, many 80’s and 90’s pop bands infused Funk into their music and it is even very common to see current Jam Bands referring to themselves as “Funky.” The difference between Funk and “funky” can be immense, but it is nice to see that the genre is being kept alive through current music. Sometimes music that is too technical, can loose it’s feeling. It is impressive to see someone shredding some scales all over the place, but sometimes people just want a simple groove they can bounce to. James Brown, Sly Stone and George Clinton were excellent at sitting on a groove and letting it ride for a while. People get lost in that kind of jam and it helps to release things inside of them that make them feel good. Many people could not name a Funk band, if asked, but the second they hear that groove, they start to dance! There is a love of Funk out there, but a lack of knowledge on it’s history. That is why we pick some lesser known Funk songs to bring back, as a sort of education to the masses. It is our duty to the genre.

You have been playing together for over a decade, how do you keep things interesting and relevant for yourselves ? The last album really stands out from previous records you have done, was this more aggressive approach an example of how you keep things fresh and exciting as a family ?

JP Miller: We are always hungry to write new songs and explore different avenues of music. As long as we are able to get together and combine our brain power to see what kind of interesting concoctions we can come up with in the practice spot, we are happy. The new album “Funk Life” (scheduled for a Spring 2015 release) will be the best, most cohesive album we have ever recorded. We have been playing some of the songs live and have gotten a great response.

How has the city of Asheville influenced your sound ? The natural surrounds as well as the artistic culture of the area seems to drive in inspirational painters, writers, and musicians ?

We are on the road about 200 days a year, so our time in Asheville is limited. We do have a great support group of people here, and Asheville culture is something that is growing and changing every day. It is a great place to come home to!

You are Jam cruise vets, could you please tell us why exactly to you personally this experience is so magical ? Clearly Cloud 9 is doing something spectacular with all the events they put on, but Jam cruise is the pinnacle of all these.

Jam Cruise was a great place for us to jam out with and hang out with some of our favorite musicians. People don’t realize that most musicians don’t get a chance to see other musicians that they have befriended over the years, because everyone is always on the road. Festivals provide this atmosphere, but Jam Cruise is much more intimate. We also got to create relationships with fans, that we have continued to keep over the years.

What has been your top 3 guest sit-in moments at a festival or a regular booty band throw down?

*Sharon Jones sat in with us in Augusta Georgia (her hometown). We have a ton of respect for her, so that was a highlight.

*Keller Williams has sat in with us on numerous occasions throughout the last couple years. It is amazing how he gets on stage and turns Booty Band into an extension of his wild Keller personality. We become his musical puppets for a tune and the results are highly entertaining.

*On two separate occasions we had the honor of playing an original Funkadelic song with the co-writers Bernie Worrell (keys) and Gary Shider (guitar/vocals) of George Clinton’s band Parliament-Funkadelic. They have always been a huge inspiration to the band, so it was amazing to have them on stage with us, jamming a tune that they wrote back in the 70’s.

Do you find the amount of music festivals in the present day to be a bit overwhelming? Are there too many of them?

Festivals are a great opportunity for bands to get in front of new faces and to link up and play music with other touring artists. As long as the attendance does not go down dramatically, due to an over saturation of festivals, I do not think there can be too many.

What musical influences do you have that most people wouldn’t expect?

We listen to a wide variety of music in this band. The rule on the road is, the driver picks the music. On a long drive, where everyone takes a turn, you will hear everything from middle eastern infused electro-dance music, to classical symphonies, to late 90’s rock, to japanese pop, to something off the Dirty Dancing soundtrack. There is also a healthy dose of talk radio included, that covers topics ranging from financial advice to aliens.