Disco Bitch and the Funk Machine
- a retrospective Q&A at McgurkMusic with fellow IUP alum and DBFM fan Dan McGurk
During my freshman year of college at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, I lived in Scranton Hall. While Scranton Hall no longer exists, the memories of three fellas on the floor starting a band with other like minded musical friends still remain. During that first Spring semester musical sparks started flying with these hall-mates and their classmates and a funk band was started. Soon they became Disco Bitch and the Funk Machine. The band was extremely popular! Although other bands on campus such as Bob, Teenage Girls, or Levelhead, could give them a run for their money, a Disco Bitch and the Funk Machine concert became an event like none other. During the next four years the experience was a wild one for the guys.
The band was funk galore. They started off with incredible covers to go with their own incredible original material. As the band evolved they famously had an epic "covers" montage that made any venue and crowd go insane. It is this over the top style and over the top memories that made Disco Bitch and the Funk Machine the perfect band to complete a retrospective for with my blog. A: In general the band is a relative unknown. B: They're awesome. C: It is fantastic to relive the music, the memories, and all the good times while bringing this over-abundance of love of music shared by these guys out to the masses.
With the advent of Facebook I was able to keep in touch with some of the band members many years later. When I inquired about the idea of post, the fellas were intrigued. I started this project with just a list of questions. I put it up on a Google doc, and let the guys at it. Once it started, it was like watching a little kid on Christmas morning. The memories and sparks started flying all over again.
To kick things off, lets look at a roster the guys put together.
Members - Instrument - Time in the band
*Jim Graham - Drums - Full Time -Spring 96 - April 99
*Dave Huerbin - Vocals - Beginning till Spring 98
*Steve Moore - Bari Sax - Alto - Vocal - Fall of 96 - April 99
*Bert McBrayer - “on the bone” / Vocals - Full Time - Spring 96 - April 99
*DREW MINTON - Saxophone - Full Time - Spring 96 - April 99
*Matt Nelson - Bass Guitar - Full Time - Spring 96 - April 99
Andy Oldham - Trumpet/Vocals - Fall 96 - Fall 97 ??
*Ryan Oldham - Trumpet - Full Time - Spring 96 - April 99
Steve Something - Guitar - Only Played the Klondyke Show
Kevin Goldbach - Guitar - Fall 96 - Spring 97 (Art Show - Last Show)
*Ron Rohrbach - Guitar - Spring 97 - Spring 98
Josh Something - Guitar - Spring 98 (played 3 shows)
Adam McGregor - Guitar - Early Spring 98 - April 99
Damian Righi - Trombone - Fall 96 (played one show/IUP TV)
Rich Gunderlock - Bari Sax - Fall 96 (played one show/IUP TV)
Nicole Robinson - Keyboards - Fall of 97 - Spring 98 (played two shows)
*Jeff Gretz - Keyboards - Joined with McGregor
* Contacted for Retrospective
Each player throughout the post took a color and answered after their initials JIG (Jim Graham) starts if off with some clarifications
JIG: It should be mentioned that there were a couple horn players that showed up once or twice but never played a show with us. And it was always my job to do the firing for the band. Why was it my job...I am not sure...but it sucked. Once I had to tell a trombone player that he was not taking the stage with us...moments before the show started. I believe it was the IUP battle of the bands (where we won the Jake Blues show). MN: I think we had eight total horns at one time and that was during the taping of the IUP late night talk show (I forget the name of the trombone player - but we wrote a KILLER theme song for it). RO: I forgot about that song. I couldn’t even begin to sing it in my head. MN: I could lay it down for you on keyboard and send it to you. DM: TAPING THAT SHOW WAS COOL, I REMEMBER THE HEADPHONES. THAT REALLY WAS A KILLER THEME SONG. I HAVE SOME VIDEOS SOMEWHERE ILL HAVE TO LOOK FOR THAT..
**EDITOR NOTE*** Some of these "answers" turned into conversations after a while. I could have edited for brevity sake, but this trip down memory lane was such a fun read with all the banter, so I left it all in. Also some of the answers were added in late, and from cell phones, so if it's a little disjointed, that's why! I really can't think of an other way to interview 9 guys from a band that hasn't existed in over 10 years.
I'd like to start off with some music, since so many of the readers won't be familiar with the band. You can check out the band and then take the stroll down memory lane with them!
My Space http://www.myspace.com/DiscoBitchAndTheFunkMachine including 4 tracks for streaming, yet to be released.
The Facebook page is up: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Disco-Bitch-The-Funk-Machine
'When She Said Goodbye Forever' previously unreleased outside of MySpace by Disco Bitch and the Funk Machine. A cover of a song of the band Grand Mothers Funk
When She Said Goodbye Forever... by DBFM
'Magna Carta' live recording at H.B. Culpepper's Bar, Indiana, Pa. 4 April, 1998 original material by Disco Bitch and the Funk Machine
Magna Carta by DBFM
The Soundcloud page is also brand new. Be sure to check back for more songs from the vault as they are uploaded. Disco Bitch and the Funk Machine@ http://soundcloud.com/dbfunkmachine
Lastly, before we start the Q&A, I wanted to thank all the guys for getting on, and those that made of point of making this happen. It was a blast seeing all these memories coming back. To the readers, if you don't know a venue or player involved, relax these guys do a great job of bringing all the details to life.
Now on with the Q&A.
MM: Can someone describe the catalyst and lead up that turned into Disco Bitch and the Funk Machine. I recall a lot excitement before the 1st basement show. MN: If I remember correctly, Bert and I had a few music classes together our freshman year and we discovered that we had a lot of the same music interests. Being a Music major, we were around a lot of talented people and it was a scenario where “Hey, I know this guy that can play ‘X’.. Well, I know someone that can play ‘Y”. I think that was the actual first mention of getting a band together. RO: It lucked out that I lived next to Bert and Jim. There was no shortage of egotistical trumpet players at IUP. JIG: I was in 501 Scranton Hall....Bert was across the hall from me and Ryan was next door. I also roomed with Drew Minton for freshmen orientation. I also remember going to see Steve Moore play with Chuck Dumbri and some other cats at the Brown Hotel. It was crazy that we all ended up in a band. Thank you baby Jesus. MN: The cool thing was that as soon as we got together the first time, we all (the core guys anyway) knew that there was something there. Jim is hands down the best drummer I have ever played with in terms of our styles matching each other. We got to a point almost immediately where we knew what the other was going to do. JIG: I feel the same Matt. No one I have played with has come close to being the drum/bass pair. The first iteration was a bunch of guys that wanted to be in a band... I don’t remember the original guitar player’s name, (BWM: it was Steve... something) but it was awesome when Ron (BWM: Rohrbach) came in after him... Ron brought.... well, NUTZ! That man has something about the way he plays... it’s not flash but it’s got NUTZ!.... (JIG: It should be noted that Ron and I started our first band when were both in High School. Once I found out that Ron was also going to attend IUP a year after I got there, I wanted to get him in the band ASAP. Unfortunately we had a guitar player at the time that was a technical master. Just a little high on the good book for us bottom dwellers.) The next thing we knew, we had the original bad-ass line up of Dave as the front man, Jim on Drums, Me on Bass, Ron on Guitar, Bert on Trombone, Drew on Sax, Ryan and his brother on Trumpet. It was crazy, it was raw, it was a bunch of really talented musicians trying to put something new and crazy together.... Talented enough to come up with some really interesting stuff (hell we made an opening act made up of OURSELVES... playing completely different music). It would be fun to sit back and count how many people actually were a “member” of the band at some point. I bet you we went through close to 20 people.... BWM: Yeah, Matt and I had classes together. As I recall, it all REALLY started out of a conversation between us two Tenors in University Chorus (RIP James Dearing). MN: oh yeah! That’s right - darn that Requiem.... and.... “EX.....PLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODDD!” (inside joke between Bert and I... sorry guys). RR: Jim said to me “I'm in a funk band at college do you want to be in it? And because Jim and I had played together and had a good time I said yeah. It was a bit overwhelming i have to admit. i always felt musically “dumber“ than everyone else 'cause everyone was so smart musically. The shit the horns would write was amazing and technical! But once we all started playing the “feel” would gel, and the pocket would be as comfortable as a cloud full of boobies. DPH:From our first several practice the signature for the band name came from 'Low Rider' and the wailing like a Bitch in the middle of it. DM: I ATTENDED THAT BASEMENT SHOW--AS AN AUDIENCE MEMBER. LOVED IT AND WAS SO HAPPY TO LATER JOIN! STEVE THE GUITAR PLAYER I REMEMBER AS SKIPPY? HE PEED IN THE GARBAGE CAN IN TURNBULL HALL ONE TIME. SERIOUSLY THOUGH, I CANT REMEMBER "JOINING" SOMEHOW BUT YOU GUYS HAVE DEFINITELY CHANGED MY LIFE-GREAT MEMORIES!
MM: Besides the ‘Femmes, who else did you guys play with? MN: There was the show we did at IC Lite where we “opened” for Third Eye Blind and Eve 6. That was a pretty interesting day. I remember almost opening for the Village People... but didn’t Carl screw that one up for us??? Ha! RO: Let's not forget playing with Jake’s Blues - a show where we brought the entire crowd, and they left after we opened for them. JG- The Third Eye Blind show was so weird. Matt and I drove back to Indiana and Steve and Adam and Jim and some others stayed behind and ended up eating a lot of food from the Third Eye Blind dressing room. I went home and ate Spaghetti-Os or something. I have no recollection of the show other than that other than the fact that we had a 40 minute set and we spent 20 minutes of it doing 'The Jam', which was the big monster medley. BWM: I remember being kind of pissed that we had a separate stage. As I recall, we were all under the assumption that we would be playing “the big stage” -- where “the big acts” (HA!) were playing. Either way, it was a good time. I think that also led to us playing that girl’s birthday party.... what was that guy’s name? He was the promoter for IC Light and other venues in the Pittsburgh area....? DPH: And we opened for the Jerry Garcia Band after that long weekend in West Virginia. BWM: That LONG weekend at WVU and IUP led to the (in)famous quote: “It’s one thing to ride a ferris wheel, but that thing looks like a... tiddly-wink wheel” -Andrew Minton DM: DECEASER-ENGLER OR SOMETHING RIGHT? PLAYING AT HIS HOUSE WAS CRAZY. WE ALSO " OPENED" FOR REO SPEEDWAGON AT THREE RIVERS, YES?
MM: Favorite original to play? MN: For me it HAS to be 'Friday Night at Klondyke'. That tune was freaking awesome and some of the solos that Steve put over that tune were absolutely amazing. The horn lick was cool and cheesy all at the same time!! RO: I have always had a soft spot for 'Shady Mother'. JG - I was always fond of Wicked. It was a real burner. MN: Oh yeah - I forgot about 'Wicked'..... that definitely burned... BWM: 'Wicked', 'Shady Mother', geez... 'Magna Carta' was always fun. I also REALLY enjoyed Ryan’s composition 'George'. Good times, all. RO: Really? I was always embarrassed of 'George'. It seemed to have nothing to do with our band. MN: It really is too bad that we never got to finish our 2nd album. There were some GREAT tunes on there - or at least songs that had the potential to be great! I always wondered what '4/4' would have turned out to be. SM: My favorite was a song that Five O'clock Shadow used to play. I can’t remember what it was called - maybe it was “George?” I miss Five O’clock Shadow. RO: Ah yes, 5 O’Clock Shadow was a good opening act. JIG: While it was not my favorite to play, the song 'Chewy' was one of my favs only because the premise was absurdly ridiculous. If I remember, half of the catalyst was poking fun at some guy that wanted to jam with us who was nicknamed 'Chewy'. The fact that we would decide that “yeah..that's a good idea for a song”....beautiful. I still think 5’oclock shadow should be huge. DM: DAMN I REMEMBER WICKED. CAN'T HEAR IT BUT REMEMBER LOVING IT. WE WERE REALLY HITTING A STRIDE THERE I THINK. CAN'T FORGET 'MOVE YOUR SUBARU'
MM: Favorite cover/remake to play? MN: Can we include 'THE JAM'? What did that end up being - 30 minutes of solid covers rolled up in to one big massive song. I think it became a challenge to find out what song we can throw on to this thing.... “SCOTT BAIO!!! SCOTT BAIO!!” Or however you spell his name. RO: I’m not sure if I enjoyed the covers that much. Matt has a good point about 'the jam', though. What an infamous number that was! JG - 'The Jam'. Easily! It got so ridiculous at the end, it started out as maybe 3 covers, but then we kept expanding it, and it was never really rehearsed, a new song would get added at a show, usually by somebody just singing one song over one that was already in there, and then over time (at shows, while playing) people would all “learn” the song... then another one would get added. BWM: Definitely “The Jam”, but we played a lot of fun, and very unusual covers. 'William Shatner' comes to mind. MN: I am going to throw 'Groceries' in the mix of best covers... just a freaking great tune and Adam shredded the crap out of the guitar solo all the time!!! Speaking of Adam... does everyone remember when my now wife, Kate, slapped Adam across the face in the basement of Klondyke because someone told him to call her the “C” word??? ha! SM: I remember that. My favorite covers were 'Paradise City' and 'Jump.' Oh 'Spinning Wheel' was fun too. JIG: 'Shatner''' and the Jam....I always wanted to have the Jam become some late night commercial for a time life CD. Where they would just play 30 seconds of each cheese song from the 70’s. Those commercials always became one song in my head over time. DM: I LIKED THE CHRISTOPHER CROSS WORK DONE BY STEVE IN 'THE JAM'. 'WM SHATNER' WAS FUN, 'WHEN SHE SAID GOODBYE FOREVER'... ALL THE FUNK STUFF.
MM: Do you consider a “cover” to be more like KT Tunstall doing Beck’s ‘Golden Age’ or Limp Bizkit “Faith”. If you don’t consider the latter a cover, what do you call it?
MN: I think a cover is a song that you didn’t write. No matter how you “interpret” it. It’s not yours so it’s a cover. RO: Historically, covers were made so white people could listen to black music. Then of course, covers became a way for people to get famous on other people’s music. We did them so we had enough music for bar gigs. BWM: That’s what you have to do to get the crowd into it. If a no-name band takes the stage and the crowd doesn’t recognize anything, the band will lose momentum. Fast. That said, covers can be fun if you “make it your own”, and I think that’s what you are getting at Dan. RO: Bert - ever the diplomat. SM: Didn’t we cover 'Faith' too? The Limp Bizkit version? I like when we did covers of covers. Like the Cake version of 'I Will Survive.' DM: ALSO, WE PICKED SOME TO SHOWOFF WHAT WE COULD DO I THINK.
MM: Best Show Moment RO: Steve Moore yelling, “So what if I snort cocaine” was a pretty great moment. Honestly, pretty much every moment was a lot of fun. MN: Wow, what a great question! I think it’s the first time we had 5 horn players on stage for the first time. I think that might have been Steve’s first show and Jeff might have been in at the time as well. But he was playing Bari sax and we opened with the 2001 theme. The sound was just HUGE!!!! I remember my band from High School (shout out to “Relish”) was in town and we opened the show and I remember the guys were just speechless after we got done with our first set. Although, the first time that Ron and I played the first “jam” at the JAKE show.... that was so incredibly tight! Wait... what was that place we played at a few times in Greensburg... the one time that NO ONE was in the crowd and we got a tape of it (which I have since lost). I remember listening to that tape for years thinking that was one of the greatest music moments for the band. We were all on that night... Too bad no one was there to see it. JG - The ones that got the craziest. Mostly Culpepper’s show and a few around Pittsburgh, but Culpepper’s always took the cake. Things usually got weird, especially at the end. The weirder, for me, the better. The last show was pretty nuts. BWM: All of ‘em. Seriously, I don’t remember there ever being a moment that was truly “bad”. SM: I’m kinda scared by how little I remember about all this. Must be some kind of defense mechanism? So I don’t remember too many individual shows. The ones that stand out the most in my mind were the graduation parties. Ashley Engler and my little sister’s high school graduation party. Any show where the band ends up in the pool after the set is a good one - especially when the pool was only a few feet from the “stage.” JIG: Last show...bittersweet but the most fun. A fan was on stage in a wolf mask....he fell down and took out half the drum kit in the middle of a song. As I was playing, his head was on the ground looking up at me next to my bass drum pedal. So I was playing drums with a guy in a wolf mask looking up at me from the ground....'nuff said. Plus...the same show I attempted to play in an elephant costume as the Republican Party elephant. DPH: Jim, you had a man give you a hundred dollar bill to play a 2 min drum solo and you did it. So I don’t remember too many individual shows. The ones that stand out the most in my mind were the graduation parties. Ashley Engler and my little sister’s high school graduation party. Any show where the band ends up in the pool after the set is a good one - especially when the pool was only a few feet from the “stage.” RR: Honestly, too many to remember but I had a moment at the Coney where I was standing on a PA speaker because it was the only space open, playing “jungle boogie”, feeling the music and the crowd. DM; YEAH, WAY TOO MANY TO REMEMBER. [OF THOSE] THAT CAN BE REMEMBERED, JIM DID LIKE A 30 MIN SOLO THAT TIME! AND I REMEMBER THE TRAGIC RIDE TO JAMESTOWN FOR MY SISTERS GRAD. PARTY--- OOH! NATIONAL ANTHEM IVES STYLE.
MM: Some of you still remain in music. If so, what roles do you currently hold? MN: Believe it or not, but I haven’t played bass in over seven years. I am still in music but a completely different direction. I actually compete internationally with a Barbershop Quartet. Yep, you heard it right.... A Barbershop Quartet. I love it! RO: I’m still working the music scene. Finally finished my degrees and (although Dr. Oldham sounds catchy) still working my ass off to get people to play my works. I wouldn’t trade it for the world though. I teach youngsters (college kids) about the history of rock and roll right now for college credit. MN: Are you including Disco Bitch and the Funk Machine in the class? JG - I’ve spent pretty much every year since then involved in music. Both touring and local freelance. I did (and still do) some more metal type stuff. In bands like Zao and From Autumn To Ashes. But lately I’ve been playing with a group even larger than DBFM. I’m in one now called Emanuel and the Fear that has a bunch of Julliard and NYU cats in it, it’s a mess to organize, but it’s still fun. BWM: Sadly, I was musically inactive for many years following college -- but just recently jumped back in head-first. I’m in a funk band called Nor’Easter that is just starting to break-in to the State College music scene. It’s a 7-piece ensemble (2 guitars, drums, bass, keys, sax and me). We’ve played out a couple of times and are starting to build a following. I play trombone and flugelhorn and sing some backing vocals. We cover artists like Maceo Parker/JBs, Bill Withers, Funkadelic, Jimmy McGriff, The Bamboos, etc. SM: I’ve done a little bit of everything since Disco Bitch and the Funk Machine. Sadly I haven’t really touched my saxophone in years. I think I either entered a psychological fugue state or left one shortly after DBFM disintegrated. Either way now I mostly play synthesizers on my own or with a band called Zombi - which is hilarious because I can barely pluck out a melody and I read piano music on like a 1st grade level. I also play bass in a stoner metal band called Titan, and do a lot of recording just on my own. JIG: I am doing what I have always wanted to do...I am a Band Director. It's so lame next to some of my colleague's pursuits, but it has always been what I wanted to do with my life. I have also played in some local bar bands here and there, but nothing as fun as Disco Bitch and the Funk Machine...more of a money maker. What's strange is that I have headed in the direction as Steve in the world of Synths...I have been home recording for about ten years...nothing as prolific as Steve but he has been a huge influence in what I make at home. He pointed me towards eBay and my first MG1...Just finished my tribute album to the show Small Wonder. DPH: I still love singing but mostly remained a visual artist. I will say, with the talent of each and every member of this band, I truly cherish working and performing with them. With the composition and theory of music that was composed made it easy for me to write the wacky lyrics to complement the talent that these individuals possessed. DM: I TEACH BAND AND THEORY. PLAYED WITH A COVER BAND "THE PORCELAIN BUSDRIVERS" FOR ABOUT 8 YEARS AFTER DISCO BITCH AND THE FUNK MACHINE. DID SOME WRITING AND GIGGING ON MY OWN.
MM: Who’s the farthest away from being “in a band” MN: I don’t know - probably me. RO: Yes, either Matt or myself. I think Ron is somewhere in between. If you drew a line from IUP to Matt, and then from Matt to me, I think Ron would be somewhere on the hypotenuse side. RR. I've wanted to start a new band but Nashville is too focused on money and not enough on soul.
For Steve Moore: You had been involved in bands for maybe 10 years before your term in Disco Bitch and the Funk Machine. How did they compare? RO: I can answer this for Steve. All of Steve’s projects are bad ass, so he did a little slumming in his DBFM days :) Seriously though - you’ve heard Zombi, right? JEALOUS! MN: Agreed... Steve Moore is a musical genius.... I had the pleasure of continuing to play with him for a bit with WPAMC (or wherever the name ended up being)... I remember feeling like an ass because I could not play some of his bass lines (of course, it’s because he was using a pick.. ha!) SM: Sure blame it on the pick Matt. Sike naw. You guys are too kind. Shit I can’t believe it’s been over 10 years. I think Disco Bitch and the Funk Machine was by far the most punk rock band I’ve been in. No band I’ve been in can compare, no matter how hard we may have tried. JIG: Steve is the man...I still want my marching bands warm up chorale to be Spirit Animal...love that track. MN: I think if Steve put out a “greatest hits” album just from the stuff he recorded on that 4-track it would be a Gold record in about a week. RO: Bombs away. DM: TO ADD TO THE STEVE MASSAGE, YEAH HE REALLY CHANGED THINGS UP WHEN HE CAME. DEFINITELY INTIMIDATED ME BUT TAUGHT ME TONS!! ALSO WITH STEVE CAME THE NAME DROUCHE FOR ME. I STILL REFER TO MYSELF AS DROUCHE.
MM: Fav' moment as a member of Disco Bitch and the Funk Machine? MN: Way too many to mention or to even pick one... Nicks Fat City, the WVU show, the show at that other college, Violent Femmes, “the cops are here... shut up!” Actually now that I have been thinking about this entire Q&A session for a bit, the summer where we all lived at the house was a pretty good time. RO: I really liked rehearsing in Cogswell and having all the stuck up assholes hate us for 1) playing fun music and 2) getting paid for something they couldn’t do. That sounded very pretentious, but I only meant it to be slightly pretentious. MN: Remember, we had bathroom graffiti posted about the band on the 1st floor in Cogswell. DM: AGREE WITH ALL. PLUS WHEN WE STARTED GETTING MORE RESPECT THAN HATE AROUND COGSWELL, EVEN FACULTY. ANOTHER IS WHEN THAT GUY FROM THE FEMMES CAME IN TO THE DRESSING ROOM AND ASKED US TO PLAY WITH THEM. JG - Any of the shows at that weird place in Wilkinsburg, what was that place called?? The Hollywood Showbar. So sleazy. BWM: ditto. Everything was rad. I loved the feeling just before the shows in Indiana or at Nick’s in Pittsburgh. Carson Street Deli FTW. SM: Hollywood Show Bar was in East Pittsburgh. That show was awesome. How about the show we played somewhere in Ohio, I think - I think there might have actually been NOBODY there. Oh wait - the outside show on the Allegheny College campus, in Meadville. I was standing next to Drew and he got flashed by some girl in the audience. It paid to stand next to Drew. Oh also I liked our Sunday Morning Movie tradition. RO: No one is mentioning the prestigious gig we played for the marathon runners. I also loved the night that we made bell bottoms at Drew’s apartment. I also recall a gig where we had our set at a frat interrupted by the police. We then relocated to another frat house and started up mid-song, right where we were when the cops busted us up at the other party. DPH: We were the first to plaster our name on the sidewalks to come and see us play. Now the was advertising JIG: I remember way too many moments...but for me the best was walking home from some party at 3 am...a little...well...hydrated let's say, and saw some random person with a Disco Bitch and the Funk Machine shirt. Also...the day after we chalked the grove for our first HBC show. Walking around and seeing everyone read how we were the only college band without any STD’s. That was epic. MN: I forgot all about chalking the grove. What a way to build up a cult following and I still have every issue of the DBFM t-shirt series. DM: YEAH ALWAYS GREAT TIMES IN THE EARLY DAYS, GETTING READY AND PARADING TO THE BAR- WE EVEN HAD BODY GLITTER HAHA! I REMEMBER A FUN SUNDAY WE ALL AWOKE AT KLONDYKE TO SOME GUY GIVING US A KEG OF IC LIGHT OR SOMETHING. RYAN PLAYING IMPROV TRUMPET AND BLOWING BUBBLES IN MY GARDEN.
MM: saddest? MN: When it ended. Honestly, I cried... It was literally like a piece of my life was taken away. I loved those years. I still talk about them and I have people that I have met here in Florida, where I live now, that have heard of the band. RO: Leaving the band for sure. One of the most difficult choices I made at IUP. JG - when the keyboard died and I couldn’t play at the Rich Engler house show and had to sit around and drink beer all night in the pool.... oh wait, no, that was the best. MN: and then Carl jumped in the pool in nothing but his tight whities.... BWM: When that douche at The Coney offered us cocaine as payment for playing. That was sad. Oh, you mean, like sad sad? The fun coming to an end in ‘99. Oh, the Engler show was a bit embarrassing too. JIG: The Coney, ... I remember that night vividly. Honestly, I was a little naive about how bars worked. It was eye opening to say the least, but at 19 I walked out with a free six pack. Winning! RR: The day I realized what i left. DM: YEAH CALLING IT QUITS WAS TOUGH. PROBABLY THE ONLY SAD PART I CAN RECALL.
MM: What was better playing in front of your rabid fans @H.B. Culpeppers or playing in Pittsburgh’s South Side @ Nick’s Fat City? MN: We were in such a weird time during our shows at Nick’s... Dave had just left the band, we didn’t really have a front man for a while and we were all taking turns singing the songs. It was cool, but I think the home shows at HB were the best! There were times when you look out at the place and everyone was dancing, jumping up and down... just freaking rockin!!! RO: Culpeppers. The home crowds made us feel great. JG: I’ve never been able to get a band to harness that insane abandon that we were able to channel (especially at Culpepper’s). BWM: Culpepper’s, all the way. Don’t get me wrong, Nick’s was fun, but like the other guys have said, the home crowd was best. SM: Culpeppers, hands down. Nick’s Fat City was good only for comic value, imho. JIG: HBC....I worked as a cook there....also drank there for years before I should have. I can honestly say that the management loved having us there. DM: DEF CULPEPPERS. SO MUCH FUN AND WE WALKED HOME TO ALL NIGHT HOT DOGS ON THE CROOKED PORCH! PLUS I PUT MY HAND IN SOMETHING REALLY SICK ONE TIME AT NICKS.
MM: Favorite venue to play in? RO: Culpeppers for sure. MN: Agreed! That place was good to us, save the time the drunk guy stepped on my brother’s trumpet, or the time they accused Steve of doing coke in the bathroom, or the time that... Well, it was still my favorite. MN: yeah - where else can you rack up a $2k bar tab and have it comped??? BWM: Ditto. SM: Culpeppers, hands down! DPH: I still remember the first night we played Cullpeppers and we all marched in from Ryan’s apartment with a BOOM Box to the front stage. RR: I remember that! for me it would be a tossup between Coney and Culpeppers. The Coney was crowded as hell with people all up in your face. But the Culpeppers shows were brilliant. DM: YEAH. I AGREE!
MM: Favorite venue to catch a show? MN: The Coney??? haha! NOT! RO: Ha! Matt, you’re killing me. The fucking Coney! MN: Yeah - “um, guys we are a little short tonight, would you mind if we paid you in cocaine?” Um... yes I would you freaking crazy man! What was that guy’s name? Although you gotta give it to them, they actually put our CD in their music box... RO: R#*&&y. His name was fucking R*$##. BWM: ...and he was creeeeeeeeeeeeeepy... DM: HEH. RODNEY. WAS THERE A PLACE CALLED THE BROWN HOTEL THAT SERVED MURPHYS STOUT? THAT PLACE WAS COOL, WE DIDN'T PLAY THERE THOUGH.
MM: biggest influence for your playing style in Disco Bitch and the Funk Machine? MN: I have always said that my style was a cross between Flea and Jaco... Just not as good as either of them... ha! RO: I tried to play somewhere between the horn player for Chicago and the horn player for the Squirrel Nut Zippers. Fairly conservative, I know. JG - Nick Rhodes from Duran Duran, he barely made it through the songs, just like me! RO: Unlike Rhodes, Jeff had to actually play the arpeggios. Nick just had someone program an algorithm for his keyboard parts. BWM: ??? Fred Wesley? I don’t know. SM: Clarence Clemons. JIG: HAHAHA...Steve Moore...10 points for best answer. For a funk band...My influences were John Bonham and the guy from Pearl Jam. Oer at least that is what I have been told. DPH: I found inspiration from Tom Waits, David Byrne and the funk that Matt and Bert shared with me. Thanks to Ryan we found Chase. RR: Whatever ya’ll were listening to. I got the best music education and appreciation from you. Ryan, do you remember f*cked up music night? DM: AS A GROUP, I THINK A HUGE COLLECTION OF EVERYTHING WE ALL LISTENED TO, WHICH IS A FANTASTICALLY HUGE AND ECLECTIC COLLECTION.
MM: you had a Yeungling sponsorship, right? Do you also get beverages from venues as well? MN: It was actually Penn Pilsner... please reference the above mentioned $2k bar tab at HB’s....ha! RO: Holy crap, I forgot about Penn Pilsner. Where did they go? If I recall, Matt and I had far more free beverages from the Coventry Inn playing combo jazz gigs. Like...$500 worth of white Russians. MN: Oh yeah - we are talking top shelf too! If there is one thing that we were as a band was a bunch of professional drinkers.... Occasionally that brought on the band Disco Bitch and the Drunk Machine... which was entertaining at times as well. JG - We actually used to get one free case of beer a week, and a free keg once a month, we used to have Klondyke parties and charge for cups. I don’t remember what happened to the “profit” BWM: Mmmm. Beer. DM: I THINK WE GOT TO A POINT THAT PLAYING WITHOUT DRINKS BECAME A REAL PROBLEM.
MM: anything else cool on your rider? MN: Rider???? I didn’t even know her.... ha! (BWM: *groan*) Really - we had a rider??? RO: Yeh, what does that mean? JG - our rider was pretty much “open the bar tab and make sure it’s gone at the end of the night” BWM: Yeah, no rider for us. Just a handshake and a (shady) smile! DM: YES. HOT DOG EATING POSSUMS.
MM: Is there anything you never got to say to your fans that you would like to now? MN: Why didn’t you buy more merchandise?!?!?!??! Nah - our fans rocked! Especially the IUP crowd.... RO: I am very glad that anyone took interest in an 8 piece horn and rock set up. What are the odds of that? BWM: I think that we said everything that was necessary when we were on stage, like “Get the f**k up and dance!” or “Buy some sh*t!” Seriously, we had some awesome fans (except for the drunk douchecanoe who stepped on Andy’s horn). SM: I was NOT actually snorting cocaine. JIG: Thanks....and please stop humping my mom. DM: THANKS FOR SO MANY GOOD TIMES! DID THAT GUY EVER PAY FOR THE TRUMPET FIX? WE CAUGHT IT ON TAPE!!
MM: Did any other bootlegs ever surface, outside of Original Shirt, the digital copy of the Jake’s Blues and Violent Femme’s shows? MN: Adam “Uuad Wapa” Dann still has every tape of all of our HB Culpeppers shows - as do I... Except for the ones that I sent to Bert to make digital copies of... by the way Bert... how you doin' on that project??? You do realize that those are the only tapes of the band I have left right??? RO: Seriously Bert. Get off your ass. BWM: Dammit. I never completely finished that, but I’ll get those back to you Matt. *gets off ass* MN: It will give me an excuse now to go out and buy a tape deck... ha! JIG: I was moving from PA to Indiana and found an old cassette tape of the board mix from the second album. MN: Jim - can you make a copy and send it to me? I would love to hear it.
MN: I am adding my own question.... WHEN IS THE FREAKING REUNION SHOW???? Or party.... I will settle for a party... Of course, I can’t bring my son to either one.... I would be afraid of what he would see... RO: I’m for that. I started practicing my trumpet again just this month...after a 1.5 year hiatus! Honestly, the piano has been more useful in teaching theory. Can you imagine teaching harmony with a trumpet!!! So then Matt, are you hosting? MN: If everyone is down with traveling to Florida - I have enough people around that could house a few band mates. Plus we all lived in one house for a few months at one time... I am sure we could all do it again now that we are well in to our 30s.... ha! RO: Just give me a long yellow couch and a cardboard box! BWM: Eeeeew, that yellow couch! I’m in -- tell me when... MN: I will make sure there is plenty of Dinty Moore Beef Stew!!! SM: You guys should come up to Nyack, the little town where I live. It’s like Indiana PA for grownups. There are a ton of bar bands doing what we did, some of them a lot better. But they can’t do it the way we did it. They’re trying too hard. We could make a fortune here. JIG: I'm in for any reunion... DPH: I have friends and family that say a reunion needs to be in Pittsburgh.
other links
Jeff Gretz @ http://www.jeffgretz.com/html/About.html
Ryan Oldham @ http://www.ryanoldham.com/
Steve Moore @ http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13046-spirit-animal/
his brand new video @ http://pitchfork.com/tv/#/music-videos/1628-miracle/2580-the-visitor/
Bert McBrayer - new band The N'oreaster Band:
or his awesome political blog http://thepajamapundit.com/
The perfect amount of politics written by someone on our level!
Enjoy!
- a retrospective Q&A at McgurkMusic with fellow IUP alum and DBFM fan Dan McGurk
During my freshman year of college at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, I lived in Scranton Hall. While Scranton Hall no longer exists, the memories of three fellas on the floor starting a band with other like minded musical friends still remain. During that first Spring semester musical sparks started flying with these hall-mates and their classmates and a funk band was started. Soon they became Disco Bitch and the Funk Machine. The band was extremely popular! Although other bands on campus such as Bob, Teenage Girls, or Levelhead, could give them a run for their money, a Disco Bitch and the Funk Machine concert became an event like none other. During the next four years the experience was a wild one for the guys.
The band was funk galore. They started off with incredible covers to go with their own incredible original material. As the band evolved they famously had an epic "covers" montage that made any venue and crowd go insane. It is this over the top style and over the top memories that made Disco Bitch and the Funk Machine the perfect band to complete a retrospective for with my blog. A: In general the band is a relative unknown. B: They're awesome. C: It is fantastic to relive the music, the memories, and all the good times while bringing this over-abundance of love of music shared by these guys out to the masses. With the advent of Facebook I was able to keep in touch with some of the band members many years later. When I inquired about the idea of post, the fellas were intrigued. I started this project with just a list of questions. I put it up on a Google doc, and let the guys at it. Once it started, it was like watching a little kid on Christmas morning. The memories and sparks started flying all over again.
To kick things off, lets look at a roster the guys put together.
Members - Instrument - Time in the band
*Jim Graham - Drums - Full Time -Spring 96 - April 99
*Dave Huerbin - Vocals - Beginning till Spring 98
*Steve Moore - Bari Sax - Alto - Vocal - Fall of 96 - April 99
*Bert McBrayer - “on the bone” / Vocals - Full Time - Spring 96 - April 99
*DREW MINTON - Saxophone - Full Time - Spring 96 - April 99
*Matt Nelson - Bass Guitar - Full Time - Spring 96 - April 99
Andy Oldham - Trumpet/Vocals - Fall 96 - Fall 97 ??
*Ryan Oldham - Trumpet - Full Time - Spring 96 - April 99
Steve Something - Guitar - Only Played the Klondyke Show
Kevin Goldbach - Guitar - Fall 96 - Spring 97 (Art Show - Last Show)
*Ron Rohrbach - Guitar - Spring 97 - Spring 98
Josh Something - Guitar - Spring 98 (played 3 shows)
Adam McGregor - Guitar - Early Spring 98 - April 99
Damian Righi - Trombone - Fall 96 (played one show/IUP TV)
Rich Gunderlock - Bari Sax - Fall 96 (played one show/IUP TV)
Nicole Robinson - Keyboards - Fall of 97 - Spring 98 (played two shows)
*Jeff Gretz - Keyboards - Joined with McGregor
* Contacted for Retrospective
Each player throughout the post took a color and answered after their initials JIG (Jim Graham) starts if off with some clarifications
JIG: It should be mentioned that there were a couple horn players that showed up once or twice but never played a show with us. And it was always my job to do the firing for the band. Why was it my job...I am not sure...but it sucked. Once I had to tell a trombone player that he was not taking the stage with us...moments before the show started. I believe it was the IUP battle of the bands (where we won the Jake Blues show). MN: I think we had eight total horns at one time and that was during the taping of the IUP late night talk show (I forget the name of the trombone player - but we wrote a KILLER theme song for it). RO: I forgot about that song. I couldn’t even begin to sing it in my head. MN: I could lay it down for you on keyboard and send it to you. DM: TAPING THAT SHOW WAS COOL, I REMEMBER THE HEADPHONES. THAT REALLY WAS A KILLER THEME SONG. I HAVE SOME VIDEOS SOMEWHERE ILL HAVE TO LOOK FOR THAT..
**EDITOR NOTE*** Some of these "answers" turned into conversations after a while. I could have edited for brevity sake, but this trip down memory lane was such a fun read with all the banter, so I left it all in. Also some of the answers were added in late, and from cell phones, so if it's a little disjointed, that's why! I really can't think of an other way to interview 9 guys from a band that hasn't existed in over 10 years.
I'd like to start off with some music, since so many of the readers won't be familiar with the band. You can check out the band and then take the stroll down memory lane with them!
My Space http://www.myspace.com/DiscoBitchAndTheFunkMachine including 4 tracks for streaming, yet to be released.
The Facebook page is up: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Disco-Bitch-The-Funk-Machine
'When She Said Goodbye Forever' previously unreleased outside of MySpace by Disco Bitch and the Funk Machine. A cover of a song of the band Grand Mothers Funk
When She Said Goodbye Forever... by DBFM
'Magna Carta' live recording at H.B. Culpepper's Bar, Indiana, Pa. 4 April, 1998 original material by Disco Bitch and the Funk Machine
Magna Carta by DBFM
The Soundcloud page is also brand new. Be sure to check back for more songs from the vault as they are uploaded. Disco Bitch and the Funk Machine@ http://soundcloud.com/dbfunkmachine
Lastly, before we start the Q&A, I wanted to thank all the guys for getting on, and those that made of point of making this happen. It was a blast seeing all these memories coming back. To the readers, if you don't know a venue or player involved, relax these guys do a great job of bringing all the details to life.
Now on with the Q&A.
MM: Can someone describe the catalyst and lead up that turned into Disco Bitch and the Funk Machine. I recall a lot excitement before the 1st basement show. MN: If I remember correctly, Bert and I had a few music classes together our freshman year and we discovered that we had a lot of the same music interests. Being a Music major, we were around a lot of talented people and it was a scenario where “Hey, I know this guy that can play ‘X’.. Well, I know someone that can play ‘Y”. I think that was the actual first mention of getting a band together. RO: It lucked out that I lived next to Bert and Jim. There was no shortage of egotistical trumpet players at IUP. JIG: I was in 501 Scranton Hall....Bert was across the hall from me and Ryan was next door. I also roomed with Drew Minton for freshmen orientation. I also remember going to see Steve Moore play with Chuck Dumbri and some other cats at the Brown Hotel. It was crazy that we all ended up in a band. Thank you baby Jesus. MN: The cool thing was that as soon as we got together the first time, we all (the core guys anyway) knew that there was something there. Jim is hands down the best drummer I have ever played with in terms of our styles matching each other. We got to a point almost immediately where we knew what the other was going to do. JIG: I feel the same Matt. No one I have played with has come close to being the drum/bass pair. The first iteration was a bunch of guys that wanted to be in a band... I don’t remember the original guitar player’s name, (BWM: it was Steve... something) but it was awesome when Ron (BWM: Rohrbach) came in after him... Ron brought.... well, NUTZ! That man has something about the way he plays... it’s not flash but it’s got NUTZ!.... (JIG: It should be noted that Ron and I started our first band when were both in High School. Once I found out that Ron was also going to attend IUP a year after I got there, I wanted to get him in the band ASAP. Unfortunately we had a guitar player at the time that was a technical master. Just a little high on the good book for us bottom dwellers.) The next thing we knew, we had the original bad-ass line up of Dave as the front man, Jim on Drums, Me on Bass, Ron on Guitar, Bert on Trombone, Drew on Sax, Ryan and his brother on Trumpet. It was crazy, it was raw, it was a bunch of really talented musicians trying to put something new and crazy together.... Talented enough to come up with some really interesting stuff (hell we made an opening act made up of OURSELVES... playing completely different music). It would be fun to sit back and count how many people actually were a “member” of the band at some point. I bet you we went through close to 20 people.... BWM: Yeah, Matt and I had classes together. As I recall, it all REALLY started out of a conversation between us two Tenors in University Chorus (RIP James Dearing). MN: oh yeah! That’s right - darn that Requiem.... and.... “EX.....PLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODDD!” (inside joke between Bert and I... sorry guys). RR: Jim said to me “I'm in a funk band at college do you want to be in it? And because Jim and I had played together and had a good time I said yeah. It was a bit overwhelming i have to admit. i always felt musically “dumber“ than everyone else 'cause everyone was so smart musically. The shit the horns would write was amazing and technical! But once we all started playing the “feel” would gel, and the pocket would be as comfortable as a cloud full of boobies. DPH:From our first several practice the signature for the band name came from 'Low Rider' and the wailing like a Bitch in the middle of it. DM: I ATTENDED THAT BASEMENT SHOW--AS AN AUDIENCE MEMBER. LOVED IT AND WAS SO HAPPY TO LATER JOIN! STEVE THE GUITAR PLAYER I REMEMBER AS SKIPPY? HE PEED IN THE GARBAGE CAN IN TURNBULL HALL ONE TIME. SERIOUSLY THOUGH, I CANT REMEMBER "JOINING" SOMEHOW BUT YOU GUYS HAVE DEFINITELY CHANGED MY LIFE-GREAT MEMORIES!
MM: Besides the ‘Femmes, who else did you guys play with? MN: There was the show we did at IC Lite where we “opened” for Third Eye Blind and Eve 6. That was a pretty interesting day. I remember almost opening for the Village People... but didn’t Carl screw that one up for us??? Ha! RO: Let's not forget playing with Jake’s Blues - a show where we brought the entire crowd, and they left after we opened for them. JG- The Third Eye Blind show was so weird. Matt and I drove back to Indiana and Steve and Adam and Jim and some others stayed behind and ended up eating a lot of food from the Third Eye Blind dressing room. I went home and ate Spaghetti-Os or something. I have no recollection of the show other than that other than the fact that we had a 40 minute set and we spent 20 minutes of it doing 'The Jam', which was the big monster medley. BWM: I remember being kind of pissed that we had a separate stage. As I recall, we were all under the assumption that we would be playing “the big stage” -- where “the big acts” (HA!) were playing. Either way, it was a good time. I think that also led to us playing that girl’s birthday party.... what was that guy’s name? He was the promoter for IC Light and other venues in the Pittsburgh area....? DPH: And we opened for the Jerry Garcia Band after that long weekend in West Virginia. BWM: That LONG weekend at WVU and IUP led to the (in)famous quote: “It’s one thing to ride a ferris wheel, but that thing looks like a... tiddly-wink wheel” -Andrew Minton DM: DECEASER-ENGLER OR SOMETHING RIGHT? PLAYING AT HIS HOUSE WAS CRAZY. WE ALSO " OPENED" FOR REO SPEEDWAGON AT THREE RIVERS, YES?
MM: Favorite original to play? MN: For me it HAS to be 'Friday Night at Klondyke'. That tune was freaking awesome and some of the solos that Steve put over that tune were absolutely amazing. The horn lick was cool and cheesy all at the same time!! RO: I have always had a soft spot for 'Shady Mother'. JG - I was always fond of Wicked. It was a real burner. MN: Oh yeah - I forgot about 'Wicked'..... that definitely burned... BWM: 'Wicked', 'Shady Mother', geez... 'Magna Carta' was always fun. I also REALLY enjoyed Ryan’s composition 'George'. Good times, all. RO: Really? I was always embarrassed of 'George'. It seemed to have nothing to do with our band. MN: It really is too bad that we never got to finish our 2nd album. There were some GREAT tunes on there - or at least songs that had the potential to be great! I always wondered what '4/4' would have turned out to be. SM: My favorite was a song that Five O'clock Shadow used to play. I can’t remember what it was called - maybe it was “George?” I miss Five O’clock Shadow. RO: Ah yes, 5 O’Clock Shadow was a good opening act. JIG: While it was not my favorite to play, the song 'Chewy' was one of my favs only because the premise was absurdly ridiculous. If I remember, half of the catalyst was poking fun at some guy that wanted to jam with us who was nicknamed 'Chewy'. The fact that we would decide that “yeah..that's a good idea for a song”....beautiful. I still think 5’oclock shadow should be huge. DM: DAMN I REMEMBER WICKED. CAN'T HEAR IT BUT REMEMBER LOVING IT. WE WERE REALLY HITTING A STRIDE THERE I THINK. CAN'T FORGET 'MOVE YOUR SUBARU'
MM: Favorite cover/remake to play? MN: Can we include 'THE JAM'? What did that end up being - 30 minutes of solid covers rolled up in to one big massive song. I think it became a challenge to find out what song we can throw on to this thing.... “SCOTT BAIO!!! SCOTT BAIO!!” Or however you spell his name. RO: I’m not sure if I enjoyed the covers that much. Matt has a good point about 'the jam', though. What an infamous number that was! JG - 'The Jam'. Easily! It got so ridiculous at the end, it started out as maybe 3 covers, but then we kept expanding it, and it was never really rehearsed, a new song would get added at a show, usually by somebody just singing one song over one that was already in there, and then over time (at shows, while playing) people would all “learn” the song... then another one would get added. BWM: Definitely “The Jam”, but we played a lot of fun, and very unusual covers. 'William Shatner' comes to mind. MN: I am going to throw 'Groceries' in the mix of best covers... just a freaking great tune and Adam shredded the crap out of the guitar solo all the time!!! Speaking of Adam... does everyone remember when my now wife, Kate, slapped Adam across the face in the basement of Klondyke because someone told him to call her the “C” word??? ha! SM: I remember that. My favorite covers were 'Paradise City' and 'Jump.' Oh 'Spinning Wheel' was fun too. JIG: 'Shatner''' and the Jam....I always wanted to have the Jam become some late night commercial for a time life CD. Where they would just play 30 seconds of each cheese song from the 70’s. Those commercials always became one song in my head over time. DM: I LIKED THE CHRISTOPHER CROSS WORK DONE BY STEVE IN 'THE JAM'. 'WM SHATNER' WAS FUN, 'WHEN SHE SAID GOODBYE FOREVER'... ALL THE FUNK STUFF.
MM: Do you consider a “cover” to be more like KT Tunstall doing Beck’s ‘Golden Age’ or Limp Bizkit “Faith”. If you don’t consider the latter a cover, what do you call it?
MN: I think a cover is a song that you didn’t write. No matter how you “interpret” it. It’s not yours so it’s a cover. RO: Historically, covers were made so white people could listen to black music. Then of course, covers became a way for people to get famous on other people’s music. We did them so we had enough music for bar gigs. BWM: That’s what you have to do to get the crowd into it. If a no-name band takes the stage and the crowd doesn’t recognize anything, the band will lose momentum. Fast. That said, covers can be fun if you “make it your own”, and I think that’s what you are getting at Dan. RO: Bert - ever the diplomat. SM: Didn’t we cover 'Faith' too? The Limp Bizkit version? I like when we did covers of covers. Like the Cake version of 'I Will Survive.' DM: ALSO, WE PICKED SOME TO SHOWOFF WHAT WE COULD DO I THINK.
MM: Best Show Moment RO: Steve Moore yelling, “So what if I snort cocaine” was a pretty great moment. Honestly, pretty much every moment was a lot of fun. MN: Wow, what a great question! I think it’s the first time we had 5 horn players on stage for the first time. I think that might have been Steve’s first show and Jeff might have been in at the time as well. But he was playing Bari sax and we opened with the 2001 theme. The sound was just HUGE!!!! I remember my band from High School (shout out to “Relish”) was in town and we opened the show and I remember the guys were just speechless after we got done with our first set. Although, the first time that Ron and I played the first “jam” at the JAKE show.... that was so incredibly tight! Wait... what was that place we played at a few times in Greensburg... the one time that NO ONE was in the crowd and we got a tape of it (which I have since lost). I remember listening to that tape for years thinking that was one of the greatest music moments for the band. We were all on that night... Too bad no one was there to see it. JG - The ones that got the craziest. Mostly Culpepper’s show and a few around Pittsburgh, but Culpepper’s always took the cake. Things usually got weird, especially at the end. The weirder, for me, the better. The last show was pretty nuts. BWM: All of ‘em. Seriously, I don’t remember there ever being a moment that was truly “bad”. SM: I’m kinda scared by how little I remember about all this. Must be some kind of defense mechanism? So I don’t remember too many individual shows. The ones that stand out the most in my mind were the graduation parties. Ashley Engler and my little sister’s high school graduation party. Any show where the band ends up in the pool after the set is a good one - especially when the pool was only a few feet from the “stage.” JIG: Last show...bittersweet but the most fun. A fan was on stage in a wolf mask....he fell down and took out half the drum kit in the middle of a song. As I was playing, his head was on the ground looking up at me next to my bass drum pedal. So I was playing drums with a guy in a wolf mask looking up at me from the ground....'nuff said. Plus...the same show I attempted to play in an elephant costume as the Republican Party elephant. DPH: Jim, you had a man give you a hundred dollar bill to play a 2 min drum solo and you did it. So I don’t remember too many individual shows. The ones that stand out the most in my mind were the graduation parties. Ashley Engler and my little sister’s high school graduation party. Any show where the band ends up in the pool after the set is a good one - especially when the pool was only a few feet from the “stage.” RR: Honestly, too many to remember but I had a moment at the Coney where I was standing on a PA speaker because it was the only space open, playing “jungle boogie”, feeling the music and the crowd. DM; YEAH, WAY TOO MANY TO REMEMBER. [OF THOSE] THAT CAN BE REMEMBERED, JIM DID LIKE A 30 MIN SOLO THAT TIME! AND I REMEMBER THE TRAGIC RIDE TO JAMESTOWN FOR MY SISTERS GRAD. PARTY--- OOH! NATIONAL ANTHEM IVES STYLE.
MM: Some of you still remain in music. If so, what roles do you currently hold? MN: Believe it or not, but I haven’t played bass in over seven years. I am still in music but a completely different direction. I actually compete internationally with a Barbershop Quartet. Yep, you heard it right.... A Barbershop Quartet. I love it! RO: I’m still working the music scene. Finally finished my degrees and (although Dr. Oldham sounds catchy) still working my ass off to get people to play my works. I wouldn’t trade it for the world though. I teach youngsters (college kids) about the history of rock and roll right now for college credit. MN: Are you including Disco Bitch and the Funk Machine in the class? JG - I’ve spent pretty much every year since then involved in music. Both touring and local freelance. I did (and still do) some more metal type stuff. In bands like Zao and From Autumn To Ashes. But lately I’ve been playing with a group even larger than DBFM. I’m in one now called Emanuel and the Fear that has a bunch of Julliard and NYU cats in it, it’s a mess to organize, but it’s still fun. BWM: Sadly, I was musically inactive for many years following college -- but just recently jumped back in head-first. I’m in a funk band called Nor’Easter that is just starting to break-in to the State College music scene. It’s a 7-piece ensemble (2 guitars, drums, bass, keys, sax and me). We’ve played out a couple of times and are starting to build a following. I play trombone and flugelhorn and sing some backing vocals. We cover artists like Maceo Parker/JBs, Bill Withers, Funkadelic, Jimmy McGriff, The Bamboos, etc. SM: I’ve done a little bit of everything since Disco Bitch and the Funk Machine. Sadly I haven’t really touched my saxophone in years. I think I either entered a psychological fugue state or left one shortly after DBFM disintegrated. Either way now I mostly play synthesizers on my own or with a band called Zombi - which is hilarious because I can barely pluck out a melody and I read piano music on like a 1st grade level. I also play bass in a stoner metal band called Titan, and do a lot of recording just on my own. JIG: I am doing what I have always wanted to do...I am a Band Director. It's so lame next to some of my colleague's pursuits, but it has always been what I wanted to do with my life. I have also played in some local bar bands here and there, but nothing as fun as Disco Bitch and the Funk Machine...more of a money maker. What's strange is that I have headed in the direction as Steve in the world of Synths...I have been home recording for about ten years...nothing as prolific as Steve but he has been a huge influence in what I make at home. He pointed me towards eBay and my first MG1...Just finished my tribute album to the show Small Wonder. DPH: I still love singing but mostly remained a visual artist. I will say, with the talent of each and every member of this band, I truly cherish working and performing with them. With the composition and theory of music that was composed made it easy for me to write the wacky lyrics to complement the talent that these individuals possessed. DM: I TEACH BAND AND THEORY. PLAYED WITH A COVER BAND "THE PORCELAIN BUSDRIVERS" FOR ABOUT 8 YEARS AFTER DISCO BITCH AND THE FUNK MACHINE. DID SOME WRITING AND GIGGING ON MY OWN.
MM: Who’s the farthest away from being “in a band” MN: I don’t know - probably me. RO: Yes, either Matt or myself. I think Ron is somewhere in between. If you drew a line from IUP to Matt, and then from Matt to me, I think Ron would be somewhere on the hypotenuse side. RR. I've wanted to start a new band but Nashville is too focused on money and not enough on soul.
For Steve Moore: You had been involved in bands for maybe 10 years before your term in Disco Bitch and the Funk Machine. How did they compare? RO: I can answer this for Steve. All of Steve’s projects are bad ass, so he did a little slumming in his DBFM days :) Seriously though - you’ve heard Zombi, right? JEALOUS! MN: Agreed... Steve Moore is a musical genius.... I had the pleasure of continuing to play with him for a bit with WPAMC (or wherever the name ended up being)... I remember feeling like an ass because I could not play some of his bass lines (of course, it’s because he was using a pick.. ha!) SM: Sure blame it on the pick Matt. Sike naw. You guys are too kind. Shit I can’t believe it’s been over 10 years. I think Disco Bitch and the Funk Machine was by far the most punk rock band I’ve been in. No band I’ve been in can compare, no matter how hard we may have tried. JIG: Steve is the man...I still want my marching bands warm up chorale to be Spirit Animal...love that track. MN: I think if Steve put out a “greatest hits” album just from the stuff he recorded on that 4-track it would be a Gold record in about a week. RO: Bombs away. DM: TO ADD TO THE STEVE MASSAGE, YEAH HE REALLY CHANGED THINGS UP WHEN HE CAME. DEFINITELY INTIMIDATED ME BUT TAUGHT ME TONS!! ALSO WITH STEVE CAME THE NAME DROUCHE FOR ME. I STILL REFER TO MYSELF AS DROUCHE.
MM: Fav' moment as a member of Disco Bitch and the Funk Machine? MN: Way too many to mention or to even pick one... Nicks Fat City, the WVU show, the show at that other college, Violent Femmes, “the cops are here... shut up!” Actually now that I have been thinking about this entire Q&A session for a bit, the summer where we all lived at the house was a pretty good time. RO: I really liked rehearsing in Cogswell and having all the stuck up assholes hate us for 1) playing fun music and 2) getting paid for something they couldn’t do. That sounded very pretentious, but I only meant it to be slightly pretentious. MN: Remember, we had bathroom graffiti posted about the band on the 1st floor in Cogswell. DM: AGREE WITH ALL. PLUS WHEN WE STARTED GETTING MORE RESPECT THAN HATE AROUND COGSWELL, EVEN FACULTY. ANOTHER IS WHEN THAT GUY FROM THE FEMMES CAME IN TO THE DRESSING ROOM AND ASKED US TO PLAY WITH THEM. JG - Any of the shows at that weird place in Wilkinsburg, what was that place called?? The Hollywood Showbar. So sleazy. BWM: ditto. Everything was rad. I loved the feeling just before the shows in Indiana or at Nick’s in Pittsburgh. Carson Street Deli FTW. SM: Hollywood Show Bar was in East Pittsburgh. That show was awesome. How about the show we played somewhere in Ohio, I think - I think there might have actually been NOBODY there. Oh wait - the outside show on the Allegheny College campus, in Meadville. I was standing next to Drew and he got flashed by some girl in the audience. It paid to stand next to Drew. Oh also I liked our Sunday Morning Movie tradition. RO: No one is mentioning the prestigious gig we played for the marathon runners. I also loved the night that we made bell bottoms at Drew’s apartment. I also recall a gig where we had our set at a frat interrupted by the police. We then relocated to another frat house and started up mid-song, right where we were when the cops busted us up at the other party. DPH: We were the first to plaster our name on the sidewalks to come and see us play. Now the was advertising JIG: I remember way too many moments...but for me the best was walking home from some party at 3 am...a little...well...hydrated let's say, and saw some random person with a Disco Bitch and the Funk Machine shirt. Also...the day after we chalked the grove for our first HBC show. Walking around and seeing everyone read how we were the only college band without any STD’s. That was epic. MN: I forgot all about chalking the grove. What a way to build up a cult following and I still have every issue of the DBFM t-shirt series. DM: YEAH ALWAYS GREAT TIMES IN THE EARLY DAYS, GETTING READY AND PARADING TO THE BAR- WE EVEN HAD BODY GLITTER HAHA! I REMEMBER A FUN SUNDAY WE ALL AWOKE AT KLONDYKE TO SOME GUY GIVING US A KEG OF IC LIGHT OR SOMETHING. RYAN PLAYING IMPROV TRUMPET AND BLOWING BUBBLES IN MY GARDEN.
MM: saddest? MN: When it ended. Honestly, I cried... It was literally like a piece of my life was taken away. I loved those years. I still talk about them and I have people that I have met here in Florida, where I live now, that have heard of the band. RO: Leaving the band for sure. One of the most difficult choices I made at IUP. JG - when the keyboard died and I couldn’t play at the Rich Engler house show and had to sit around and drink beer all night in the pool.... oh wait, no, that was the best. MN: and then Carl jumped in the pool in nothing but his tight whities.... BWM: When that douche at The Coney offered us cocaine as payment for playing. That was sad. Oh, you mean, like sad sad? The fun coming to an end in ‘99. Oh, the Engler show was a bit embarrassing too. JIG: The Coney, ... I remember that night vividly. Honestly, I was a little naive about how bars worked. It was eye opening to say the least, but at 19 I walked out with a free six pack. Winning! RR: The day I realized what i left. DM: YEAH CALLING IT QUITS WAS TOUGH. PROBABLY THE ONLY SAD PART I CAN RECALL.
MM: What was better playing in front of your rabid fans @H.B. Culpeppers or playing in Pittsburgh’s South Side @ Nick’s Fat City? MN: We were in such a weird time during our shows at Nick’s... Dave had just left the band, we didn’t really have a front man for a while and we were all taking turns singing the songs. It was cool, but I think the home shows at HB were the best! There were times when you look out at the place and everyone was dancing, jumping up and down... just freaking rockin!!! RO: Culpeppers. The home crowds made us feel great. JG: I’ve never been able to get a band to harness that insane abandon that we were able to channel (especially at Culpepper’s). BWM: Culpepper’s, all the way. Don’t get me wrong, Nick’s was fun, but like the other guys have said, the home crowd was best. SM: Culpeppers, hands down. Nick’s Fat City was good only for comic value, imho. JIG: HBC....I worked as a cook there....also drank there for years before I should have. I can honestly say that the management loved having us there. DM: DEF CULPEPPERS. SO MUCH FUN AND WE WALKED HOME TO ALL NIGHT HOT DOGS ON THE CROOKED PORCH! PLUS I PUT MY HAND IN SOMETHING REALLY SICK ONE TIME AT NICKS.
MM: Favorite venue to catch a show? MN: The Coney??? haha! NOT! RO: Ha! Matt, you’re killing me. The fucking Coney! MN: Yeah - “um, guys we are a little short tonight, would you mind if we paid you in cocaine?” Um... yes I would you freaking crazy man! What was that guy’s name? Although you gotta give it to them, they actually put our CD in their music box... RO: R#*&&y. His name was fucking R*$##. BWM: ...and he was creeeeeeeeeeeeeepy... DM: HEH. RODNEY. WAS THERE A PLACE CALLED THE BROWN HOTEL THAT SERVED MURPHYS STOUT? THAT PLACE WAS COOL, WE DIDN'T PLAY THERE THOUGH.
MM: biggest influence for your playing style in Disco Bitch and the Funk Machine? MN: I have always said that my style was a cross between Flea and Jaco... Just not as good as either of them... ha! RO: I tried to play somewhere between the horn player for Chicago and the horn player for the Squirrel Nut Zippers. Fairly conservative, I know. JG - Nick Rhodes from Duran Duran, he barely made it through the songs, just like me! RO: Unlike Rhodes, Jeff had to actually play the arpeggios. Nick just had someone program an algorithm for his keyboard parts. BWM: ??? Fred Wesley? I don’t know. SM: Clarence Clemons. JIG: HAHAHA...Steve Moore...10 points for best answer. For a funk band...My influences were John Bonham and the guy from Pearl Jam. Oer at least that is what I have been told. DPH: I found inspiration from Tom Waits, David Byrne and the funk that Matt and Bert shared with me. Thanks to Ryan we found Chase. RR: Whatever ya’ll were listening to. I got the best music education and appreciation from you. Ryan, do you remember f*cked up music night? DM: AS A GROUP, I THINK A HUGE COLLECTION OF EVERYTHING WE ALL LISTENED TO, WHICH IS A FANTASTICALLY HUGE AND ECLECTIC COLLECTION.
MM: you had a Yeungling sponsorship, right? Do you also get beverages from venues as well? MN: It was actually Penn Pilsner... please reference the above mentioned $2k bar tab at HB’s....ha! RO: Holy crap, I forgot about Penn Pilsner. Where did they go? If I recall, Matt and I had far more free beverages from the Coventry Inn playing combo jazz gigs. Like...$500 worth of white Russians. MN: Oh yeah - we are talking top shelf too! If there is one thing that we were as a band was a bunch of professional drinkers.... Occasionally that brought on the band Disco Bitch and the Drunk Machine... which was entertaining at times as well. JG - We actually used to get one free case of beer a week, and a free keg once a month, we used to have Klondyke parties and charge for cups. I don’t remember what happened to the “profit” BWM: Mmmm. Beer. DM: I THINK WE GOT TO A POINT THAT PLAYING WITHOUT DRINKS BECAME A REAL PROBLEM.
MM: anything else cool on your rider? MN: Rider???? I didn’t even know her.... ha! (BWM: *groan*) Really - we had a rider??? RO: Yeh, what does that mean? JG - our rider was pretty much “open the bar tab and make sure it’s gone at the end of the night” BWM: Yeah, no rider for us. Just a handshake and a (shady) smile! DM: YES. HOT DOG EATING POSSUMS.
MM: Is there anything you never got to say to your fans that you would like to now? MN: Why didn’t you buy more merchandise?!?!?!??! Nah - our fans rocked! Especially the IUP crowd.... RO: I am very glad that anyone took interest in an 8 piece horn and rock set up. What are the odds of that? BWM: I think that we said everything that was necessary when we were on stage, like “Get the f**k up and dance!” or “Buy some sh*t!” Seriously, we had some awesome fans (except for the drunk douchecanoe who stepped on Andy’s horn). SM: I was NOT actually snorting cocaine. JIG: Thanks....and please stop humping my mom. DM: THANKS FOR SO MANY GOOD TIMES! DID THAT GUY EVER PAY FOR THE TRUMPET FIX? WE CAUGHT IT ON TAPE!!
MM: Did any other bootlegs ever surface, outside of Original Shirt, the digital copy of the Jake’s Blues and Violent Femme’s shows? MN: Adam “Uuad Wapa” Dann still has every tape of all of our HB Culpeppers shows - as do I... Except for the ones that I sent to Bert to make digital copies of... by the way Bert... how you doin' on that project??? You do realize that those are the only tapes of the band I have left right??? RO: Seriously Bert. Get off your ass. BWM: Dammit. I never completely finished that, but I’ll get those back to you Matt. *gets off ass* MN: It will give me an excuse now to go out and buy a tape deck... ha! JIG: I was moving from PA to Indiana and found an old cassette tape of the board mix from the second album. MN: Jim - can you make a copy and send it to me? I would love to hear it.
MN: I am adding my own question.... WHEN IS THE FREAKING REUNION SHOW???? Or party.... I will settle for a party... Of course, I can’t bring my son to either one.... I would be afraid of what he would see... RO: I’m for that. I started practicing my trumpet again just this month...after a 1.5 year hiatus! Honestly, the piano has been more useful in teaching theory. Can you imagine teaching harmony with a trumpet!!! So then Matt, are you hosting? MN: If everyone is down with traveling to Florida - I have enough people around that could house a few band mates. Plus we all lived in one house for a few months at one time... I am sure we could all do it again now that we are well in to our 30s.... ha! RO: Just give me a long yellow couch and a cardboard box! BWM: Eeeeew, that yellow couch! I’m in -- tell me when... MN: I will make sure there is plenty of Dinty Moore Beef Stew!!! SM: You guys should come up to Nyack, the little town where I live. It’s like Indiana PA for grownups. There are a ton of bar bands doing what we did, some of them a lot better. But they can’t do it the way we did it. They’re trying too hard. We could make a fortune here. JIG: I'm in for any reunion... DPH: I have friends and family that say a reunion needs to be in Pittsburgh.
RR: I’m here ya’ll. Live in Tennessee, sitting here reading all the good memories! For the first time on here I’ll keep it short. I have been thinking about getting together with you f*ckers for years!!! ain’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about jamming. Still have my t shirts and some tapes from shows. My wife has taken the Disco Bitch and the Funk Machine cd to work and played it for people and so have I. People still dig it DM: I'M IN. AND I CAN BRING THE ST IDES.
RR: I have a question. Has anyone heard a song and thought Disco Bitch and the Funk Machine could stomp the hell out this?
other links
Jeff Gretz @ http://www.jeffgretz.com/html/About.html
Ryan Oldham @ http://www.ryanoldham.com/
Steve Moore @ http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13046-spirit-animal/
his brand new video @ http://pitchfork.com/tv/#/music-videos/1628-miracle/2580-the-visitor/
Bert McBrayer - new band The N'oreaster Band:
or his awesome political blog http://thepajamapundit.com/
The perfect amount of politics written by someone on our level!
Enjoy!
Comments
Post a Comment