Music
Press
The band: Justin Huppmann, guitar; James Chalifoux, bass; Brian Mahne, keyboard; Josh Santamaria, drums; Dave Decker, percussion
Hometown: Richmond
Web site: www.southsidejazz.com
CD: coming soon
Check them out if you like: Soulive, John Scofield, Herbie Hancock
Playing next: Every Wednesday at Emilio's
What's up: If you hear the tippy-tap-tap of bongos and the bubba-bum-bum of the bass, then it can only mean one thing: The Southside Future Squad has landed and is spreading its funky jazz fusion to the kind folks of Richmond.
The quintet is more than bongos and bass at its standing Wednesday gig at Emilio's. Each week, the group brings a little jazz, a bit of samba, a speck of funk and a lot of uninhibited musical fun to act as the evening's soundtrack.
Band members said this regular gig has provided an opportunity to expand and improve their musicianship while building a regular following.
Huppmann said the band is happy to share the stage with some of the area's finest musicians and be a part of the eclectic, growing music scene in Richmond.
"There's a lot of stuff going on in the punk and hardcore scene," he said, "and there's also a lot of solid jazz groups coming out like Modern Groove Syndicate and the D.J. Williams Projekt."
How does the audience typically act at your shows?
"It's cool because you can get up front and groove with the music and get down," Huppmann said, "or you can go in the back and carry a conversation because I'm not yelling in the mic."
Is it difficult to translate your live sound to a recording?
"It's rough because there are so many ideas going though our heads," Chalifoux said, "like I want to do this there and that there, but you have to pick and choose." Santamaria said recording a band with a strong focus on improvisation can be difficult, but it can be done. "We do the drums first and then add the coloring with guitar"
-- Angie Castlebury
- Richmond Times Dispatch, Richmond, Virginia
Discography
(Southside Funk Brothers): Groovin' in the RIC (2002)
Southside Future Squad: Live (2005)
Southside Future Squad: Ultramodern Paradigm (2007)
*Select tracks from both albums are in regular rotation on WRIR 97.3FM (Richmond, VA).
Photos
Bio
The Southside Future Squad was created in 2000 by guitarist, Justin Huppmann and has been a staple of the Richmond, Virginia music scene for nearly six years. During this time the group has extended their musical influence throughout Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland, and West Virginia. In all, the project has performed nearly a thousand shows and it is imminent that the Future Squad will continue in this sonic expedition to contribute to the culture of this planet.
The Southside Future Squad’s music can be described as an eclectic organization that creates a unique and innovative sound by blending jazz theories and influences with countless music styles of the world. These persuasions include American jazz, funk, hip-hop and R&B; electronic music such as trance, house and drum and bass techniques; Latin music such as samba, mambo and meringue; and Afro-Cuban musical approaches. Together, this blend creates a matchless, progressive style that is engaging and fascinating.
These four inventive musicians create an exceptional and fresh sound that is intriguing and entertaining to all that have the opportunity to hear. Even non-fans of jazz music can appreciate the commitment to instrumental excellence that all of the group's members have actively pursued since childhood. The Southside Future Squad is fully dedicated to the quest for a cutting-edge sound that will wow and awe everybody they encounter and their primary goal above all else is to share their adoration of music with the world.
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