Band
Profile: Natural Afrodisiac mixes music
genres, styles, cultures for new sound creatively
all their own
By
Paul DeCarlo
On-line
Forty-Niner
In
the search for the all-inclusive sound consider
this recipe: one part soul, two parts funk,
one part jazz and a healthy dash of blues,
rock and Latin rhythms. Natural Afrodisiac
is melding traditional forms into a throbbing
pulse of energy, originality and diversity.
With
rich ethnic backgrounds in Spanish, Japanese,
Philippine, Samoan and American, this eight-man
band is rewriting the rules and finding
time to enjoy the ride. Sporting a brand
new album entitled "The One is the Three,"
Natural Afrodisiac's strong point is live
performance.
Although
the praise for the recorded album may be
satisfying, drummer Randy Nicolas knows
the score.
"I
still say you gotta come see a live show,"
Nicolas says.
The
band was nominated recently for Best Live
Group at the 2003 Orange County Music Awards
and ended up taking home the prize for Best
R&B Group.
"We
try to put it out and get it back," percussionist
Anthony Gonzales says of the group's onstage
energy. "We're not trying to prove that
we can play our stuff that we record, we're
just trying to record the stuff that we
play live."
Of
course, being compared to such funk legends
as War cannot hurt. Neither does playing
with talent like Maceo Parker, Ozomatli
and Herbie Hancock, but who's counting?
Back
in 1998, with only three years of experience,
Natural Afrodisiac was feeling the pinch
and losing the motivation, money and morale.
For
two-and-a-half years the band focused intensely
on the Los Angeles market. The weekday commute
to promote their music, and weekend gigs
playing, left them exhausted.
"We
didn't really know what to do," remembers
Gonzales, who also sings backup vocals.
"Orange County wasn't really receptive.
We weren't LA enough for LA, and we were
too LA for Orange County."
Then
came the horns. With the addition of a saxophone
and a trumpet, the six-piece ensemble became
eight, and brought a new sound along with
it. Natural Afrodisiac soon returned to
Orange County with newly acquired confidence
and ambition.
Front
man Jaime Allensworth adds his throaty and
melodic voice to compliment songs of life's
better moments, along with slower ballads
revealing lyrics of lost love. Allensworth,
Gonzales and Nicolas founded the band in
1995, playing in the garage of Gonzales'
home in Stanton. Now the band practices
at a professional studio in Orange.
"We're
not a radio-friendly band," Gonzales says
of the band's eclectic vibe. "Maybe a lot
of people are influenced by what's supposed
to be good," Nicolas adds. "We just kind
of stuck to what we thought was good."
What:
Natural Afrodisiac
When:
9 p.m. Thur., Sept. 18
Where:
Detroit Bar 843 W. 19 th St. Costa Mesa
$5,
21+
(949)
642-0600
|
