Expect the unexpected with ‘Groove Juice
■ Local funk band “The Groove Juice Special” will rock
the WOW Hall tomorrow night
By Joe Walsh
Oregon Daily Emerald
There’s something funky in the
aif this weekend, and it has noth
ing to do with old socks or moldy
Burrito Boy leftovers.
No, it’s The Groove Juice Spe
cial, Eugene’s very own masters of
funk, who are playing tomorrow
night at the WOW Hall.
Fresh off their first tour, the
eight-piece funk band members
said they should be primed to heat
up the WOW Hall.
“We’ll take our audience back to
the roots of funk and soul,” said
lead singer Ben Thomas in a press
release. “Our live shows are a fire
pit of funky grooves, crazy outfits,
original tunes and covers with
tongue placed firmly planted in
cheek.”
When The Groove Juice Special
comes to town, expect the unex
pected.
“There’s no telling what kind of
craziness is gonna happen and
what kind of theme we’re gonna
have,” said guitarist Brandon
Beebe in a phone interview, “but
we always have something going
on.”
The Groove Juice Special fuses
unadulterated funk with elements
of soul, disco, blues, reggae and
salsa. The result is an infectious
sound and enticing aura that often
lures the audience right up to the
stage to groove and shake with the
carefree musicians.
It’s this energetic, free-spirited
atmosphere that keeps fans com
ing back for more.
“I saw them three times in the
last year, and they’re fun,” said
Groove Juice Special fan Trina
Gomez, a junior education major.
“They’re fun and funky, and
everybody always has a good time
and dances, and they always play
a really, really long show. I'll go
see them whenever I can. ”
Another draw of the band is that
it is not like most modem music.
“We're kind of disenchanted
with a lot of modem music, so
that's why we bring in a lot of in
fluences from the old days,” Beebe
said. “Our music is very roots ori
ented. It drives on the dance mu
sic of the past... on reggae, salsa
and mostly funk rythms, and we
combine them with our own mod
em day twist. It’s a hodge-podge.
You can’t really define it.”
Although The Groove Juice Spe
cial performs often in Eugene, to
morrow night will be only their sec
ond time playing at the WOW Hall.
The all-ages show is something the
band is not accustomed to.
According to Molly Hollister,
the band’s booking agent, they are
trying to reach a different audi
ence by playing in different ven
ues and touring the West Coast,
but it hasn’t been easy.
“They went down for just a
four-date tour, just kind of a mini
tour on spring break,” Hollister
said. “This is the first time we ever
really got [a tour] together, and it’s
hard because there’s seven people
in the band, so it’s really, really
hard to get them all on the same
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page as tar as going anywhere
much further than Portland.”
The main problem is that seven
of the eight members of the band
are seniors at the University. But
with most of them graduating in
June, there will soon be more time
for their band.
“They’ll be playing a few dates in
April in the Seattle area,” Hollister
said, “so we’ll start getting them to
take four or five days straight.”
The Groove Juice Special
played in three venues in Califor
nia during spring break, including
an HIV fundraiser in Mount Shas
ta. They finished their tour at Ash
land Creek Bar and Grill in Ash
land last Friday before returning
to Eugene.
Special guests The McKenzie
Project, also from Eugene, will com
plement The Groove Juice Special
with its similar dance-inducing,
70s-inspired, funky sounds.
“We are now a funk-soul band,”
said bassist Justin Siewert. “We
play Stevie Wonder covers, Parlia
ment Funkadelic covers, Maceo
Parker and James Brown ... that
kind of stuff... the mid-70s soul
Genin'Funky
What: The Groove Juice Special
and The McKenzie Project, two Eu
gene-based funk-soul bands
Where: The WOW Hall, located at
291W. 8th St in Eugene
When: Friday night; doors open at
9 pm., showtime at 9:30 pm.
Admission: $7 at the door, all-ages
show
Information: Call the WOW Hall at
687-2746
funk stuff.”
The McKenzie Project formed in
Eugene while attending the Uni
versity and have been together for
about five years. Most of the band’s
eight members have either gradu
ated or still attend the University.
Concert-goers can expect “some
good dancing — the booty-shak
ing stuff... and just a good time,”
Siewert said.
Admission for Friday night’s
all-ages show is $7 at the door.
Doors open at 9 p.m. and show
time is at 9:30 p.m.
' ' ' 'I
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