We want the Funk

For our 1st assigned blog entry we are to tell you a little about are creative-selves and what inspires us.  My name is Chris Rush, I'm a student at Ohio University going for a media management, not necessarily a degree offering a lot of creative opportunities so I make time for them in other ways.  I'm a bass player in a band (& occasionally in another one too) making music one of my main outlets for creativity.  I love all types of music other than country really, but my personal favorites are reggae and funk.  Both contain styles and moods found only in their respective genres so I'll give the the lowdown on some of my more preferred bands.

Maggot Brain
George Clinton & Parliament/Funkadelic are considered to be the Godfathers of Funk, not an easy title to have bestowed on someone.  They frequently use Active and Didactic sounds throughout their pieces. Using my example of Maggot Brain George and the gang intro in with some enlightening words although disguised as some heavy thinking material. "Mother earth is pregnant for the 3rd time, ya'll knocked her up" is their way of saying we are mistreating our planet and fellow humans, shortly after they kick it to the active sectionof the song with a raging 8 minute guitar solo sure to keep any music fan entertained.

Easy Star All Stars - Time
The next artist I've selected is a somewhat newer band on the reggae scene, but they're making quite the name for themselves with their amazing covers. Easy Star All Stars are a modern reggae act with the classic roots sound taken to a whole new level. By covering entire albums such as Dark Side of theMoon, Sgt. Pepper, and Radiohead's self-titled album they present a contrast and affinity you rarely hear.  Their ability to take any genre of music and give it an island roots twist yet maintain the same integrity and overall feel of the song is incredible.

Rebelution - Bright Side of Life
My last choice of artist is another reggae oriented band, but they pack more of a rock/hype-up feel to them. Rebelution is another newer band to the scene but they have already carved out a nice niche for themselves as the new hard rockers of reggae.  Using amazing text and subtext in their lyrics they sing about problems facing modern society in one song and their way of taking care of it in the next, and best of all they throw in some amazing guitar work and rhythms that are aggressive when making you dance.

Enjoy.