Moses Mayes: Bringing Winnipeg Funk to the World

Music is a vast landscape with many different textures and styles. When musicians collaborate, they bring their own distinct flavor to the collective. The larger the group of musicians, the more diverse the sound becomes. The key to channeling eclectic and unique styles of music is for the musicians involved to be connected through one underlying element.

The element in Winnipeg's Moses Mayes and the Funk Family Orchestra is funk. These groups of eight extremely talented musicians all bring something different to the table, yet, are all equally rooted in the funk movement. The band cites Herbie Hancock, Deodato and Tower of Power as influences and heroes in establishing their sound.

Moses Mayes blend retro grooves (culled from the aforementioned influences) with newer musical styles highlighted by Grant Paley's use of the turntables. The other elements that make up Moses Mayes and the Funk Family Orchestra are Antin Muzyka on drums, Paul Farley on bass, Chuck Copenace on trumpet, Nathan Reimer on moog, rhodes, clavinet, Scott Senior on percussion and Mark Penner on guitar.

The band has been a staple on the Winnipeg music scene for the past couple of years, slowly building a following and a reputation as being one of the most dynamic live performers in the province.

In September of 2000, the band released their self-titled debut. The album has received a great response in the Western provinces with the band planning on bringing the funk to the east coast in the next couple of months (They will make a Toronto appearance on March 27th at the Reverb). The album consists of ten intricate songs that bounce from funk grooves to jazzy rhythms. Picture the Beastie Boys "In Songs from Way Out" blended with some Parliament and Headhunters.

Moses Mayes is very in touch with the groove and manage to keep a relatively consistent sound throughout the entire album, which is a rather difficult task considering the size of the band. With the album, the band has laid an impressive framework for what is sure to be an explosive live performance. Moses Mayes have generated quite a significant buzz around their live shows, gaining a pretty enthusiastic and rapidly growing fan base in the West.

It's good to see that the live music scene in Winnipeg is raging and that it has produced such an impressive group like Moses Mayes. Now that the band is bringing their sound east, it's only a matter of time before they have the entire country grooving to the Moses Mayes special brand of prairie funk.

For on Moses Mayes and the Funk Family Orchestra log onto: www.mosesmayes.com

Upcoming News:

The Burt Neilson Band are back on the road and will be doing a show for Canadian Music Week on March 31 at The Comfort Zone in Toronto check out www.burtneilson.com for other tour dates. The New Deal will also be performing during CMW at the Berklee Church. For more info on CMW, check out www.CMW.com The festival, which highlights Canadian talent runs from March 29-31 at most Toronto venues. Mike Clark's Prescription Renewal play at the Comfort Zone on March 12.