God Made Me Funky made me funky

Saturday, 26 February 2011

God Made Me Funky gig at the 4th annual Nufunk Festival w/ support Saidah Baba Talibah

Opera House, 722 Queen St East, Toronto, Canada, 12am

Funk me!  A Canadian flag cape, golf gloves, a nerd-esque saxophonist and a kee-tar playah actually means s-e-x-y, thanks to Toronto-based funk band, God Made Me Funky.

"Why was my father talking to a man in a cape?"

Their 2 hour set [originally scheduled for 90 minutes] had the crowd [including me in my secluded corner] pumped up and dancing. I love seeing random live gigs, and this stellar show did not disappoint.

My friend, Ian, and his crew made it just before their midnight set, meaning I left my apartment at 11.45pm. Now, I can dance in a dark corner by myself with a few randoms who love to smash their beer on the floor and have it seep into my handbag and heels after the people I’ve known longer than 64 mins leave the gig to another venue yet I stay because I love this new sound, but I didn’t fancy going early to watch the support, Saidah Baba Talibah, by myself at the bar before the gig. And judging from the wailing from the frontwoman wearing a goth tutu leotard that was missing the front fanny bit when I arrived 5 mins towards the end of their set, I’m happy to own this decision.

Stage presence. GMMF has it, and a lot of it. I fell in love with vocalist Melissa O’Neill in her gold tutu [that's how you wear it!] and Danny Argyle on the kee-tar [1987 DG-20 Casio Electric Keyboard Guitar set to Mandolin. Yeah, drop the drums - BOOOM!]. They were great as a group though you couldn’t help but look at them all individually and appreciate what they brought singually to the band as a whole.

Argyle on his Kee-Tar - quite sexy. Vest, glasses, and cap all work together. Funk fusion as it may.

O'Neill in her gold tutu.

An enigmatic melting pot of funk, soul, R&B, and hip-hop, it’s no wonder this band was thrown a few Canadian indie awards. Their instrumental and vocal fusion of experimental genres is a sound I immediately liked. Hilariously, Ian’s friend, described as being “somewhat out of his comfort zone”, was overheard telling his friend he was out to see a “rock band”. He’s not far off, though. This is what got my funk junk going – they had a drummer! [Alan Witz, who Ian knew.] Funk drumming is awesome, and something I am going to get into. It’s heavier, more syncopated and dominant than rock and R&B drumming. Love it when the drums are at the forefront.

They played their own beats of Revolution and Bringin’ it Back, and their funked up covers of JT’s Sexy Back, MJ’s Rock With You and Thriller, RJ’s Superfreak, House of Pain’s Jump, Rhianna’s Please Don’t Stop the Music, Hammer’s Can’t Touch This et al got the crowd going just as much. One downfall of a big group is the temptation for synchronised dancing. Leave the choreography out of it. Please. Especially if it involves two step swaying. Which is synchronised. Diving is sexy for a reason. Synchronised swimming is not. Also for a reason.

[But their synchronised dancing was to the beat of the drums, so I'll give them 1/8 points for that.]

But GMMF is sexy. And for a good reason. They are damn good. Recommend to catch them live. If you’re not funked up, you’ll be sexed out. Guaranteed.