Socialibrium
Bernie Worrell
(P-Funk Musical Director 1968 – 1980, Talking Heads)
In many circles, Bernie Worrell needs no introduction. From his work as a founding member and Musical Director of Parliament-Funkadelic to his contributions to the Talking Heads, Worrell has been twice inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Indeed, songs such as “Burning Down the House” and “Flashlight” wouldn’t have been the same without him, and Worrell’s keyboard prowess has only grown since those classic recordings. As one of the most sampled musicians in history, Worrell’s funky licks have graced hit songs by Dr. Dre, Snoop Dog, Ice Cube, En Vogue and more. “One generation needs to segue to the next generation. So now I work with the sons and daughters, and we coincide.”
Worrell’s early years were spent studying at the New England Conservatory of Music and the Julliard School of Music, giving him a structural foundation on which to base his stratospheric playing. He cites his classical training as a big reason why Parliament-Funkadelic sounded so different from other funk bands of the day. When asked about influences, Worrell lists musical giants such as Ray Charles, Herbie Hancock, Jimmy Smith, Oscar Peterson, and Thelonious Monk as making a strong impression on him as a budding performer. And now it is Worrell who is cited as an influence by many of today’s generation of players.
Worrell is in high demand as a performer with acts such as Bootsy’s New Rubber Band, Jack Bruce & The Cuicoland Express (featuring Vernon Reid) and rapper Mos Def’s rock band Black Jack Johnson. He’s collaborated in the past with seminal artists such as The Rolling Stones, Bill Laswell, The Pretenders, Soul Asylum, and Jody Watley, and has also been involved in scoring a few movies, most notably Ice Cube’s “Friday.”
When asked about the state of music today, Worrell laments record companies that have lost their artist development in exchange for accountants and lawyers. Worrell also misses true songs and players, and doesn’t like all the machines involved in newer music. “Music is versatile, hands on, nurturing, touching. It can’t be all about the dollar.” When it comes to Bernie Worrell, you can be sure it’s all about the music.
Blackbyrd McKnight
(P-Funk Musical Director 1980 – 2008, Herbie Hancock)
Blackbyrd Mcknight, the well known guitarist and songwriter, continues striking your soul with his axes. You do not need more than a few seconds to be shocked. Once you are struck, you will never forget the wild but precise, eccentric but intelligent, elaborate but straightforward sounds of guitar created by Blackbyrd.
Blackbyrd was grooved in the cradle by his father’s broad collection of jazz recordings as an infant, brainwashed by Jimi Hendrix in his teens, entered a University of Funk in his twenties, has never stopped evolving and rocking people. In the early stages of his career, Blackbyrd mainly worked with Jazz musicians, such as Charles Lloyd, Sonny Rollins, Herbie Hancock & the Headhunters, and more. He then directed his path towards funk when he joined P-Funk Camp in 1978. He is currently the musical director and guitarist of George Clinton and Parliament/Funkadelic. Other than working with P-Funk artists such as George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, and Bernie Worrell, Blackbyrd has also worked with Miles Davis, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ron Wood & Bernard Fowler of the Rolling Stones, Bill Laswell, HR of Bad Brains, Macy Gray, Fishbone and Wyzard of Mothers Finest to name but a few.
Brain
(Primus, Guns N’ Roses)
Drummer Brian “Brain" Mantia has played with some of rock’s more cult/fringe artists (Praxis, Primus, Tom Waits, Buckethead, Godflesh), as well as more mainstream/renown ones (Guns N’ Roses). Raised in the South Bay city of Cupertino, CA, Mantia became interested in such ‘groove heavy’ artists as James Brown, Led Zeppelin, and Jimi Hendrix early on, but it wasn’t until he was 16 years old that Mantia began playing drums. Shortly thereafter, Mantia acquired the nickname “Brain" while playing in a high school concert band, due to his obsession with the complex Anthony Cirone book, “Portraits in Rhythm.” Mantia continued to perfect his drumming skills, by studying at such music schools as the Percussion Institute of Technology in Hollywood. The mid ‘80s saw Mantia join the Bay Area funk-rock band, the Limbomaniacs, who broke up later in the decade, but reformed to issue a lone full-length in 1990, Stinky Grooves.
From there, Mantia played with a variety of other outfits, including M.I.R.V. (Cosmodrome, Feeding Time on Monkey Island), MCM and the Monster (Collective Emotional Problems), and Tom Waits (Bone Machine), before co-forming the funk/experimental supergroup, Praxis. Included in the group were Parliament-Funkadelic veterans Bootsy Collins (bass) and Bernie Worrell (keyboards), as well as masked guitarist Buckethead and producer Bill Laswell — resulting in countless releases throughout the ‘90s (including such standouts as Transmutation (Mutatis Mutandis, Transmutation Live, and Warzsawa, among countless others). Mantia continued to work with Buckethead even outside of Praxis — playing on such solo Buckethead albums as Giant Robot and Monsters and Robots.
The late ‘90s saw Mantia appear on releases by Godflesh (Songs of Love and Hate, Love and Hate in Dub), and longtime friends, Primus (whom Mantia was briefly a member of in 1989, before a broken foot led to his exit). His second go-around with Primus proved more fruitful, as Mantia toured extensively with the trio and played on such albums as The Brown Album, Rhinoplasty, and Anti-Pop. Already boasting quite an impressive musical resume, it was about to get even greater, as Axl Rose invited Mantia to join his overhauled version of Guns N’ Roses (at the insistence of Buckethead, who was brought onboard as Slash’s replacement). Mantia appeared with the group throughout sporadic live dates in 2001 (the Rock in Rio II Festival) and 2002 (the MTV Video Music Awards), while continuing to lay down tracks for the oft-delayed new Guns N’ Roses studio release, Chinese Democracy.
TM Stevens
(Pretenders, Miles Davis)
TM Steven’s skill and proficiency globally as a bassist and vocalist is legendary. A luminous figure amongst today’s bassists, he has unbelievable energy, stunning stage presence and knows how to win a crowd over within minutes. His ferocious, yet melodic, style of bass is as unique as his larger than life persona. Never losing sight of his own special blend of signature roots music Heavy Metal Funk with his band Shocka Zooloo, TM’s versatility and heavyweight skills as producer, songwriter, singer and instrumentalist are obvious on his now six solo albums with a seventh due in summer of 2006. (See Discography, Concert, Video and TV-Show list.)
He successfully presents himself on these as both songwriter and producer and still enjoys working with other artists when his schedule allows. With at least two European Shocka Zooloo tours each year he also toured in 2004 with Jean Paul Bourelly and drummer John Blackwell (Prince). In Autumn 2005 he completed his Asian tour with Neil Zaza going directly into a lengthy European tour with Shocka Zooloo, finished 2005 with the collaboration of TM, Carl Palmer (ELP) and Andrea Brado in Italy and Russia and even squeezed in another European ELP tour in February of 2006.
TM’s rich, hefty, trademark vocals came about through James Brown’s insistence that he not only play bass but sing on “Living In America” and Mr Brown’s album “Gravity”. This was TM’s in-road to many years of sessions and productions with some of the world’s finest artists.
His extravagance, combined with tenderness and complimented by a whole lot of ‘Funkiness’, is enriched through years of recording with award-winning stars like Steve Vai, Cindy Lauper, Little Steven, Tina Turner and Billy Joel. A former member of The Pretenders, TM recorded on the platinum album “Get Close” and also produced and arranged, amongst others, the album “Tribute to Deep Purple According to New York” on which artists like Yngwie Malamsteen, members of Living Color and Bernie Worrell (P-Funk) all participated. It was TM who contributed the compelling groove with his unmistakable style on Joe Cocker’s mainstream classic “Unchain my Heart.” Together with Narada Michael Walden he penned the billboard hit “I Should Have Loved Ya.”
His early jazz years brought him to play with the man hinmself, Miles Davis, and fans speak almost religously of TM’s performance at Montreaux Jazz Festival so many years ago with One Truth, Mahavishu and John Mc Laughin.
With the songs on TM’s CD’s leaning more on the heavy metal funk side, combining Afro percussive blends and Reggae roots with funk and strong melodies peppered with his impressive ballads, we note: “The important thing is that all of the songs came from my heart, guts and roots.”
From the early days of Delta Blues with artists such as Blind Lemon and Lead Belly, to the very beginnings of modern day Rock’n’Roll , which was carved and invented by the likes of Chuck Berry and Little Richard, these forerunners are indeed part of his roots.
“As an artist, to draw from what these pioneers had started and then be able to add my own ideas to make a sound that’s unique to me, is not only a privilege but also an honor… I find that contrary to the marketing strategies of separating the various music into different categories, new music is created by combining the elements of many styles. We are all the sum total of our ancestors (roots) through our past to the present. Hence by playing, without ‘over thinking’ what I naturally feel, the sound will be more original and real.”
