From venue mix-ups and setting up gigs around town to recording a demo, Funk. Soul. Family. has a lot under their belt for a band less than six months old.
 
Funk. Soul. Family. is a seven piece band with members that hail from both Loyola and Tulane universities. The band is made up of jazz studies sophomore Leland Baker and music education freshmen Sean Gray-Julian, Michael Franco and Ray Micarelli. The band also includes Tulane students Thomas Eschew, Rachel Brotman, and Mike Brun.

What began as a random selection of band mates, has become a young musical group that is making its presence known in New Orleans. Tulane alumnus Jonny Salud started the band to play his music in October 2008 through mutual friendships with musicians from both Tulane and Loyola.

“Johnny Salud was trying to put a band together, he arranged the band to play his music…and then he found out he got accepted into Columbia for grad school, so he left us. But we decided to keep going,” said Franco and Brotman.

Band members Brun, Eschew, and Franco described Funk. Soul. Family.’s musical style:

“Some R&B, soul, sometimes it gets kinda funky…there is also a lot of family in there too. It’s happy music. Our goal is to make you happy!” said Brun, Eschew and Franco.

With influences from D’Angelo, Stevie Wonder, and their own former member Salud, Funk. Soul. Family. has created its own jazzy vibe, one that, according to the band, is perfect for chilling out in the dorm room, sipping some CC’s coffee or head-bopping and hip-swaying at one of their block parties, held each month at a band member’s house.

Their music complements their creative band name. In an effort to get their name into a local venue with pressing deadline, Salud said the words, “Funk. Soul. Family.”

“When we heard it at first, we were like, ‘What?’ But it grew on us, we feel like it represents us very well,” said Franco.

For a young band, they have also had their share of embarrassing mishaps.

“For our first gig we were supposed to play at Banks Street Bar, but then they wouldn’t let us in because half of the band is under the age of 21,” Franco said. “All because they had video poker.”

Rachel Brotman, vocalist and pianist, mentioned stealing Baker’s solo by accident. The band also had to stop in the middle of one of their songs at the last block party because of neighborhood complaints.

“The police shut us down for being too funky,” Franco said.

Although the band is fairly new to the performance stage, band members said that their nerves dissolve once they get into the swing of feeling the funk.

“We fall into it in the middle of the first song,” Eschew said.

Franco agrees.

“I get really nervous before going on stage, but then I’m chilling because I’m just playing my guitar,” Franco said.

Funk. Soul. Family. has been working on their first demo, the band said. The demo will feature four studio tracks; with two to four additional live performances. They perform next at Tiptina’s on March 6 and during Tulane’s CrawFest on April 4. 

Band members said they wouldn’t have come this far without listener support.

“Thanks for supporting us, and showing up at our shows,” Franco said. “If people hadn’t come out, then (venues) wouldn’t book us…and the best is yet to come.”

Angie Hernandez can be reached at [email protected]