INTERVIEW: Kung Fu to bring funky post-Phish party to Cutting Room
Kung Fu, proponents of the new funk sound, will play The Cutting Room in Midtown Manhattan Thursday, Dec. 29 at 11:55 p.m. The gig is being billed as a “post-Phish” after-party (those other rockers are playing up the street at Madison Square Garden).
The quintet includes Tim Palmieri (guitar and vocals), Robert Somerville (tenor sax and vocals), Beau Sasser (keyboards and vocals), Chris DeAngelis (bass guitar and vocals) and Adrian Tramontano (drums/percussion). Their sound is a combination of funky influences and catchy, danceable tunes. They are self-described adherents to the electro-fusion sound, and they’ve been going strong for several years.
Recently, Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Palmieri about the upcoming concert and the future for Kung Fu. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
What can your fans expect at the Phish after-party this week at the Cutting Room?
High energy funk fusion to keep their musical buzz going all night. It’s fun planning the energy for a crowd that has seen and heard three-plus hours of music already. They are very warmed up.
How did Kung Fu form?
Our original bassist Dave Livolsi put together a band for a Monday night residency in New Haven, [Connecticut]. Our goals were to learn some fun stuff in the 70s jazz rock genre we always wanted to play and make some extra bread. With streaming our shows live, we hit a national audience, and soon the ball started rolling. Seven-and-a-half years and a few member changes, we are still bringing the funk in all its fusion fury.
What are some of your funk influences?
As a band there are so many, but to name a few, we anywhere in between Herbie Hancock to Thundercat, Jeff Beck to John Scofield, Miles Davis to Sly Stone, Jimi Hendrix to Steely Dan, and Frank Zappa to Jimmy Smith.
Have you been playing the guitar your entire life? Was that always the instrument of choice?
I’ve been playing since I was 4, so that’s most of my life. That was the first instrument of choice, and although I play many other instruments, that is where I’m the most connected and expressive.
Is the band collaborative when choosing set lists, deciding when to record and where to tour? Is it like a big family?
It’s definitely a family meets business-like operation. We all have families, so it’s balancing touring with the home life. Touring, practicing, recording plus all our jobs at home keeps us pretty busy. Set lists and the day-to-day we pass around some responsibilities. We have a great team, and we all do what’s necessary to get the show on the road.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Kung Fu will play The Cutting Room in Midtown Manhattan Thursday, Dec. 29 at 11:55 p.m. Click here for more information and tickets.
