The Thang

Whether on stage or behind the music, Brooklyn-based band The Thang brims with energy.

On stage, vocalist Paul Maddison engages the audience with magnetic appeal, a coy smile and a wink you’re sure you saw, even if it was covered by his retro sunglasses.

It seems natural as the band follows Maddison’s lead with smiles and head-nodding.

But, the real magic starts off stage, where making music becomes a craft, a business and a means of fueling the group’s passion.

“The number one musical focus of what we do as a band is priding ourselves in being very careful and very respectful of the writing process,” said drummer Kenny Shaw, who will perform with the band Saturday, April 11, at the Electric Company. “It’s very detail-oriented. Someone comes in with a song idea, and we dot every ‘i’ and cross every ‘t.’”

Still, that stage energy spills over into the song-writing process.

“Someone has an idea, and they’ll get four different opinions, and then we’ll record and think about it, and in a week’s time go back and make changes,” Shaw said. “Now the song is totally different from where it started. It’s a constant refinement.”

Living in New York, where the music scene thrives, encourages the band to take a polished approach to its music.

“We go see music every night, and you know, when you’re out here and you see these bands making really incredible music, you know you have to step it up in rehearsal,” Shaw said.

In some ways, their efforts coincide with the demands of an ever-changing music industry and increasingly fickle audience.

“One of the lucky things is, we are in the center of where it is — it’s impossible to miss that here,” Shaw said. “We talk a lot about the changing industry and grooving with it — trying to get music out there in a more efficient way.”

Performing in Utica is a deliberate part of getting the music out there, they said. Plus, the show’s a return to roots for some members; guitarist Dave Freedman and bassist Rob Pawlings grew up in New Hartford and Maddison in Morrisville.

Their connection to the area isn’t the driving force behind their frequent stops, however. Geographically, Utica is a perfect stop while touring. Musically, the support from Utica is almost unmatched.

“Utica has a great sense of community and people love live music,” Pawlings said. “I think there’s just a lot of fun in Utica. We get a lot of good feedback from the crowd.”

See a video of the band’s ”Lipstick on My Booty,” at www.myspace.com/thethangband. - Observer Dispatch, April 9, 2009

Let's Do This

No, this is not your grandmother's friend or that old lady down the street that mumbles to herself and her 40 cats. This is also NOT your grandmother's band. Well, maybe --if your grandmother is really fucking awesome and enjoys loud rock/funk bands. Oh and Slingers. To hang with The Thang, you have to like Slingers. At 3am. At your local decrepit Eat Rite. Kevin, the short order... ...err, cook (yes, I will go with cook) will be more than happy to hand you your toast --just don't watch him do it, he thumbs the bread so hard, he leaves a little indent. Just hand it to the bass player sitting next to you, like I did. They get no respect, sorry Rob.

All geriatric and health code violating musings aside, The Thang came to St. Louis to play the Live Feed benefit concert put on by local entertainment attorney, Andrew Scavotto, at The Bluebird. I was lucky enough to get an invite and to play photographer for the event. These guys don't just rock the party, they ARE the party. And, most important of all, they rock the party right.

To not find yourself grooving and rocking out whilst this band of five is on stage can only mean one thing. You're a poser. Oh, and you have no taste in music.....

Both the shows at The Bluebird and ' Route 66 (St. Louis County) were composed of only the most rare and masterfully crafted awesome coated with a shit your pants absolutely fucking sick musical style. And, it's hard to make anything outside the city cool. The county is where your coolness goes to die. Unless The Thang is playing, then your coolness will remain intact, if not elevated a few levels.

I ain't scared.

And, neither are the band mates of The Thang. Paul Maddison is nothing short of a motherfucking badass, Dave Freedman will BLOW YOUR MIND on guitar, Rob Pawlings is the resident bass-master and talented freestyler extraodinaire --at least at 3:45am, and Kenny Shaw stays cool, collected, and mysterious while rocking the drums.

Now, go forth and as a drunken retired shuffle board player would say standing outside an Eat Rite at 4 am hollering at drunken girls, "Learn about it."

You won't regret that decision.
- stlcgc.blogspot.com

By CASSAUNDRA BABER

Observer-Dispatch
Posted Apr 22, 2010 @ 07:00 AM

Funk/rock band The Thang, whose new CD is titled “Bonafide,” is coming to the Electric Company on Varick Street, Friday, April 23. Show starts at 10 p.m. Cover is $5.
Via e-mail Dave Freedman, guitar player for The Thang, answered some of our questions:

This is album Number … ?
This is album number 2.

What’s new, different, the same about this album than the previous?
This album is a lot different than the first because we actually wrote it and produced it as a whole together, as a band, rather than the first album, which was more a compilation of songs.
During the year and a half before we recorded this album, we spent a ton of time together, in cars and vans, rehearsals, parties, dinners, gigs, dance floors, bars, clubs, shopping malls, Linens n’ Things, movie theaters, strip clubs, churches, synagogues, etc. ...
We tried to take that collective experience and come up with something that epitomizes what we enjoy about each other (many times that includes trying to make ourselves laugh), then we tried to mix in the incredible flavor of Utica Club – and we have “Bonafide.”

Will we still get to hear “Lipstick on my Booty?”
Always. We love lipstick on our booties, and we want you to have lipstick on your booties. Better answer: Does a one-legged duck swim in circles? Of course.
What keeps you coming back to Utica?
Zee (Donaldson, owner of the Electric Company) is the man and is always a party; the Electric Company rocks; chicken riggies, tomato pie, Karam’s hummus, and we need to restock on Utica Club every few months.

Talk a little about what’s on the horizon, and can we expect to see you at this year’s Utica Music and Arts Fest?
Everything is on the horizon. We’ve already written another record. We’re going to keep entertaining with new songs, videos, stage antics, dance moves, and new vocabulary (we are addicted to Urban Dictionary; seriously, we spend hours ... going through that site trying to come up with our own new words). Our new website (coming soon) will have a Thang version of Urban Dictionary. We’re also going to keep rolling around in a van playing shows, because we love it.
As for the Utica Music Fest, we’d love to play. It’s such a great thing for the city and given that a couple of us grew up in Utica, it’s great to see an event like that taking hold so nicely. We played the first year, and had to miss last year, but we’re talking to them about coming back this year.

Online: www.thethangband.com - The Observer Dispatch