Music
Press
The name of the band says it all | Funka-nima combines the word "funk" with the word "anima," meaning "to liven up."
While his peers may idle away their days at the beach, "livening up the funk" is precisely what Andover native Steven Brickman plans on doing this summer. The saxophone player, who graduated from Andover High School in 2006, will spend Friday evenings fronting his band, Funkanima, at Glory Restaurant, 19 Essex St.
The band also calls itself The Steve Brickman Quartet. Bandmates Sheldon Thwaites, Jake Sherman and Kyle Miles hail from the Boston area.
While Brickman plays soprano, alto and tenor saxophone, his bandmates add drums, electric bass, electric guitar and clarinet to the mix.
"Music is really the main aspect," said Brickman, who described himself as "an up-and-coming saxophonist looking to break boundaries of all musical styles."
Home for the summer, the University of Miami soon-to-be sophomore knew he couldn't let the warm days dwindle by without playing with his band, which only gets together during school vacation.
Brickman began piano lessons in the second grade, followed by violin lessons. But he realized early on that playing the saxophone was his true calling. "I wanted to play sax really badly, but couldn't start until fourth grade," he said.
By eighth grade, he was spending Saturdays at the New England Conservatory in Boston. "That was the best for me. It got me to play with a lot of people, to work on my writing," Brickman said.
At Andover High, he also took up jazz piano. "I picked it up quickly," he said.
Brickman first learned about the Glory gig while surfing the Internet, where the eatery had posted an ad. Once the restaurant heard the grooves of Funka-nima, it soon booked the quartet as its standing Friday night entertainers this summer.
"What makes the band so interesting is its unique style and classic formation," Brickman said.
Studying media writing and music production, Brickman said he enjoys composing music and is considering a career in composing specifically for the big screen.
To the question of whether he has other hobbies, Brickman replied, "Mainly, it's just music all around."
by Brian Messenger, May 23, 2007
- The Andover Townsman
Discography
Studio Tracks:
-Looking into Outer Space
-Don't Drop the Beat
-The Final Line
-Blind Creation (feat. Gracie Jackson)
-The Funka-nima Theme Song
-The Stereo Monster
-Pop Goes the Funk
-Reversing Delay
-Kelly
Live Cuts:
-The Stereo Monster
-Reggae Toast
Radio Spots:
-Don't Drop the Funk
The band's latest CD, "Don't Drop the Beat," will be available this winter.
Check out www.myspace.com/funkanima for additional information.
Photos
Bio
"The group is all about original tunes and arrangements that make audiences want to move," -www.thedesertclub.com
"An ebullient style that comes with a touch of Rio," -The Sun Chronicle
Funka-nima is an up-and-coming funk/groove group that is tearing up the music scene in and around Boston. Founded by Steve Brickman, a saxophonist with a truly stupendous skill for conjuring untried and moving compositions, Funka-nima is an assembly of like-minded instrumentalists whose sole orientation is the groove. As musicians, they have mastered the art of providing intellectual stimulation for even the most avid jazz listener. However, they always keep the common man in mind and move the crowd to dance well into the morning.
The band has matured through favorable press reviews (with a feature article in 'The Andover Townsman') and regular appearances in some of Boston's most entertaining night spots (including an appointment as the house band at Glory's Restaurant). During the year, the band members study in the country's most prestigious programs: Berklee College of Music and the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami.
The name Funka-nima is a portmanteau of the group's main drive -the Funk- and the Portuguese word "anima," which means, "it livens up." The combination gives the mission and purpose of the band: Livening up the Funk! The band's tight grooves and kinetic stage presence are kept close company by a growing following as more and more people experience the thrill of the music.
"One of the most appealing young bands around," - Rick Foster, Grassroots Jazz
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