Local veterans Funky Miracle will be gracing the stage at the Brisbane Jazz Club once again this week.
But founding member, Dr Bob, hopes a national tour isn't far away for the group who’ve been playing their brand of New Orleans funk/ blues since 1996. “We'd love to get onto the festival circuit, with the groove and blues things like Byron [Bluesfest] and Big Day Out, we'd certainly like to visit the southern capitals.
“I know in Melbourne the R&B and funk circuit is quite good. So yeah, we'd definitely like to spread our wings and fly out of Queensland.”
Dr Bob appreciates the similarities between the genre's home and his own. “It's always struck me that there’s quite a bit of similarity between New Orleans and Brisbane. The history is quite different, but the climate and the environment: subtropical, on a big river and we get flooded. It’s a similar vibe in that subtropical, outdoor lifestyle. Historically in a musical sense its been a really important centre, obviously people are most aware of jazz, but the funk is pretty important too, and that's less well known.”
New Orleans
The group take their name from the title of The Meters 1991 ‘Best Of’ album. The New Orleans group were responsible for popularising the second line grooves N’awlins is renowned for. “They had a bit of a pop sensibility about them, so it was an accessible form of that music that was quite different to what's really well known to have come out of soul music like Motown and Atlantic Records.
“I think the difference with [The] Meters is just how loose and rough it is, the production values are quite different. You really hear the sound of the room and the instruments are less processed, but its still funky. So it’s much more visceral, it just goes more directly into the nervous system I think. It really struck me when I first heard it, because I really hadn't heard that loose and rough production, which is very different from what you hear from Motown or Atlantic and definitely very different from disco.”
Funky Miracle has some big plans for the future as well. “Ideally we'd like to play in New Orleans — a tour through New Orleans would be the real pipe dream. They have the Blues Heritage Festival over there, which would be pretty cool to go to. I imagine they get a lot of funk and blues bands wanting to go there as well. Who knows, maybe one day.”
Written by Daniel Conaghan
Funky Miracle play the Brisbane Jazz Club Friday April 11.
