Rubber Skunk

Rubber Skunk is an NYC-based funk-rock crew with Delaware roots. Their debut album definitely puts the “fun” in funk on tracks like “Love in Blue and Yellow” and single “The New Instafunk”. They also experiment with some spacey textures on “I Am I Think” and let the jams run wild on “Emergency Dancer.” The album release party is January 14th at the Arden Buzzware Village Center and you’ll definitely want to be there to see the band raise the biggest stink around! – Mike Nigro - Rainbow Music

http://www.hypedsound.com/blogs/index.php?action=detail&id=127 - Hypedsound

Irrepressible, and yet capable of holding down a variety of genres.

Describe the music of Rubber Skunk in less than three words (not rubber or skunk).
Massive. Lesbian. Orgy.

Tell us about the forthcoming album.
Rubber Skunk’s debut album is a collection of 12 songs written over the past three years that are designed to pleasantly agitate your molecular self. After repeated listening, the waves will realign your configuration to a funkier state of being. The Skunks recorded at Rough Magic Studios in Brooklyn (MGMT, Vampire Weekend, Black Star, Soulive), where guests such as Nigel Hall and Maurice Brown dropped in to lay down tasty features on several of the tracks.

We banged out the skeletons to 12 tracks in two days, in one incredible weekend, and then overdubbed and mixed the entire album ourselves. This album is truly the product of the band and only the band through and through. Rubber Skunk will be released Jan. 14, 2012, but you will be able to pre-order and have a copy of the first pressing of the album mailed to you before the release through the Rubber Skunk website. We have also released two singles, and will release two more by the time the record becomes available to the public. The tracks are called “The New Instafunk” and “Wolfwoman.” Look for “Faug Tossers” coming late this week!

Listeners of our album can expect a wide range of songs, intended to be experienced in the chronological arc in which the album presents them. Every sonic detail has been meticulously pored over, and our goal is to deliver you some awesome grooves and compositions, while challenging your ears and perception at the same time. The album is a pretty even split between comedy and drama.

*Pat Dougherty has been recording the album creation process for a Rubber Skunk documentary. Watch the teaser here.

Not many young musicians are making funk music these days, do you think that adds to or takes from your appeal as a band? Furthermore, why have you chosen this genre?
We started out cruising on ’22s down the 24-carat, technicolor road of funk, and will always have that element infused in what we do. However, we have developed into more of an experimental rock band over the past year.

Some songs on the album are completely devoid of any funk elements, opting for explorations in texture or an adventurous foray into a completely different style of music. One of the tracks “Tico” is based on afro-cuban rhythms, with lyrics in Spanish. The first track on the album, “I am I think” is a dreamy reggae beat with progressive rock elements. As for the latter part of your question, I don’t think genre dictates your level of success no matter what it is. The unique appeal and star power of individual performers, the entertainment value of shows, and proper promotion have more to do with a group’s potential mass appeal than genre, as far as I’m concerned. Unless you’re a mathcore band or something, that shit sucks.

Where do you draw inspiration from?
We are all different in our process and draw inspiration from different places, but we all share a love of hitting and then riding on a nice groove, pushing the limits of the aural experience through calculated and chaotic experimentation, playing loudly, and of course funk rhythms.

Who would be someone you’d like to work or tour with, old or new?
We would be great with big festival bands or jam bands like The Allman Brothers, Phish, Ween, Medeski Martin & Wood, Umphrey’s McGee, and could even play with bands like the Mars Volta or Primus. More locally and realistically in the next couple years: Soulive, Lettuce, The Roots.

Where do you hope to be, as a band, five years from now? Are you in this for the long haul?
Moving the lens ahead five years will probably see each of us on different continents. My angle goes like this (Jordan): I’m traveling around Asia headlining “D” grade venues, scavenging the few remaining scraps of east Asiatic public interest leftover from Rubber Skunk’s one-hit single.

Four years prior, that single propelled the band to superstardom, almost immediately after which initiating an equally steep decline both in the band’s musical career and personally. When the dust settled, I found myself holding bets at an unlicensed kickboxing circuit in Thailand, which barely supported my opium addiction, and wondering where it all went wrong in the crazed blackout that was the year following our hit single.

I will tell hollow, but glorious still, stories about playing Madison Square Garden with Jay-Z and being at the party where Lindsay Lohan OD’d in Beverly Hills during the summer of ‘13 to wide-eyed, third-world, wannabe westerners, a small group of whom will idolize me zealously. Most of the community shuns me in disgust. As far as any people are concerned that were part of my “old life,” I died a long time ago. That kind of scenario is, I think, really what we’re in the game for.

Give people, who have never listened your music and do not like rubber or skunks, one good reason why they should listen to your music.
Good people, this is FREE ENTERTAINMENT! Become part of the community! We are constantly sharing the latest and greatest morsels the sonic world has to offer, come share some of yours with us! Help feed the collective consciousness and let us grow together into a grand and unexpected form.

Also, for a limited time, if you don’t like any Rubber Skunk content you find online, we will refund the time you spent watching it! Simply drop us a letter detailing why you didn’t enjoy yourself, and we will send you our one-of-a-kind, time-space manipulation module with one-time use disposable gravity drive, just calibrate for your specific recuperation needs (some restrictions apply, see store for details)! We want to entertain you!

Is there anything else you want people to know about your band/music?
Be the first to tell your friends about Rubber Skunk. Send us an email telling us what you think of us, and we’ll send you a free sticker and/or download! Don’t miss out on what’s going on here, we’re in this together!

- The Spec Blog

The funky, jazz-rockers of Rubber Skunk are releasing their first full length album on February, 10 in New York City at The Bitter End. With comparisons ranging from Jamiroqui to Led Zeppelin; Rubber Skunk is an intensely original group that captivates audiences with deep funk grooves, catchy and unique hooks, virtuosic improvisation, and Zappa-esque satire. Unafraid of risk taking, Rubber Skunk surprises show goers with spontaneous instrument switching, unique cover songs, and other stage antics, often in full Skunkadelic costume.

The Bitter End is located at 147 Bleecker Street in New York City. Admission is $10.00. Showtime is at 8pm. Rubber Shunk will perform at 11pm. Also scheduled to perform are Wiser Time, 61 North and BAM! For more information and photos, please go to: http://www.rubberskunk.com

Rubber Skunk recorded their self-titled debut album at Rough Magic Studios (MGMT, Blackstar, Vampire Weekend, Soulive). At these sessions they were graced with many special guest artists, including rising star Nigel Hall and young legend Maurice Brown. Funded almost entirely by fan support, this CD has 12 original songs ranging from 70's funk (The New Instafunk, Faug Tossers) to Experimental Rock (Wolfwoman, Love In Blue and Yellow) with plenty of surprises thrown in.

Equally satisfying at a dance party as on your earbuds in a crowded subway car, this record is extremely diverse and represents the “shuffle” generation of music listeners who appreciate many genres. Amidst the mustached droll of twentysomethings bearing low grade synthesizers and 3 chord melodramas, Rubber Skunk rings through with their balls to the wall live performances and intricately realized compositions.

Rubber Skunk was founded in 2008 at the University of Delaware by like minded musicians frustrated and bored with local music scene. After building a strong fan base in DE, and repeat performances at the largest music festivals in the area, Rubber Skunk decided to move to the big city and take their craft to the next level. The band consists of Jordan Vincent on Keys/Vox, Grant Fisher on Guitar/Vox, Bob DiGiacomo on Bass, Tommy Mintel on Drums, and often a full horn section, back up singers, and percussion.

The Skunks are all accomplished players with international touring experience and recording/performance credits with artists such as Saxophonist Chris Potter, Grammy winning bassist John Benitez, and virtuoso guitarist Hernan Romero. You may have already seen Rubber Skunk in NYC at venues such Sullivan Hall, Crash Mansion, The Blue Note, The Bitter End, The Shrine, and National Underground.
- Nashville Music News