Tuesday, March 20, 2007

2007: The Year of The Funk, Black Soap Palace

The Year of The Funk is Upon U.S.! We announce the birth of Black Soap Palace and our collaboration with Skip of KUVO 89.3 FM's "A Funk Above the Rest," who is hosting the 1st School of Funk, to make the Mile High City a major funkin' hub!

Here's the press release with more info:

—2007: THE YEAR OF THE FUNK IS UPON US—

DENVER, COLO., March 20, 2007—U.S. Pipe & the Balls Johnson Dance Machine front man and lead guitarist, Chris "Citrus" Sauthoff, and KUVO 89.3 FM's "A Funk Above the Rest" host, Skip Reeves, are working to prove that The Funk is alive and evolving in the Mile High City. If you find your weekend was devoid of Funk, Monday and Tuesday nights are sure to deliver the big pill you need.

Every Monday night beginning April 2, you can head over to The Cricket on the Hill, where Citrus will be hosting the "Black Soap Palace," a funk jam session open to anyone and everyone of all musical levels to express their need to funk. The signups will begin at 7 p.m. with the jam session starting by 8.

Named for the barbershop back in Plainsfield, N.J., where George Clinton met his fellow Parliaments and styled hair while harmonizing, the Black Soap Palace sessions are an homage to the roots of Funk. It was from these humble hairdressing beginnings that a brand of Funk emerged that would endure for more than fifty years in the music business and give birth to Hip Hop. Fellow P-Funk icons like Garry "Starchild" Shider, Bernie Worrell and Boogie Mosson would go to the Black Soap Palace as school kids to hang out and, sometimes, get in trouble. "While we won't be doing waves and processes, we will be getting together and making music for the best reason of all: for the Funk of it," Citrus says.

On every other Tuesday of the month, Skip is hosting his "1st School of Funk" nights at Jazz @ Jack's, where up-and-coming funk bands will perform. As Denver's Funktologist, Skip hosts his "A Funk Above the Rest" show on KUVO 89.3 FM every Saturday night from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. With the School of Funk, Skip is continuing his mission to further The Funk in our beloved town, and he is committed to recruiting all the funkateers to being an active part of the movement.

The first session of the 1st School of Funk was held on March 13 with the bands Phat Daddy and Soul School, who got the crowd grooving to such classics as "September" and "Love Rollercoaster." The next school session will be March 27 with bands Soul School and Fantastic Black.

With the collaboration of these two camps, it's sure to be a funky good year in Denver.

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