-
1 of 10
-
2 of 10
-
3 of 10
-
4 of 10
-
5 of 10
-
6 of 10
-
7 of 10
-
8 of 10
-
9 of 10
-
10 of 10
Flowmotion shakes
Archive
Comments
Story
On Tuesday, Flowmotion stopped in Boise for the first time to
promote their new album, “knowbynow.” They played at
the Pi-Live downtown before heading north to Spokane on Wednesday
to continue their quick two-week tour.
I had the opportunity to go check them out and found that the Pi
was surprisingly crowded for a Tuesday night. A lot of tie-dye and
dreadlocks packed into the attractive little bar. Yes, Flowmotion
attracts a lot of the hippie scene, but that’s not all who
enjoyed the show. For the entire night, everyone was dancing and
having a great time as Flowmotion put their heart into the entire
performance. The lights were great, and the drummer even told me
that he felt like he entered a space ship when he got to check out
Pi.
These guys don’t want to be classified into a genre of
music (which is good, because I don’t know what it is), but
still I’ve got to give you a few adjectives. Flowmotion is
funky and super smooth
Flowmotion played three sets with only short breaks in between.
Most of their songs were woven together to make for a lot of great
music for dancing. I was amazed at their ability to play without
rest for 20 minutes or sometimes more. That was amazing, but it did
drag at some points and the crowd’s attention span waned for
a time in the middle of the show. This didn’t bother the
band, however. They finished their last set with a Beck cover and a
Bob Marley tune. Everybody was on their feet and moving.
Flowmotion took their longest break just before their last set.
Josh, guitarist and vocalist, and Bob, the percussionist, were cool
enough to step outside for a little interview.
First of all, these guys were super laid back. They get along
with each other and everyone around them, so doing the interview
went a lot like talking with old friends. Here are some of the
highlights:
TA: So how long have you guys been together?
Josh: The crew you are seeing right now has been together
for a year. Flowmotion as a band has been together for four years.
Me and Jesse [bassist] are the original players. The percussionist,
drummer and keyboardist, who isn’t here tonight, are as
recent as last year.
TA: So where is your keyboardist?
Josh: He teaches at the art institute. His class just
started, so he isn’t able to go on this leg of the tour, but
normally we are a five-piece band.
TA: So Bob, you seem to be a pretty unique part of the
band.
Bob: (Laughs)
Josh: Yeah, he’s a different style of
percussion…a different type of guy.
(Everyone laughs)
TA: So before Bob was in the band did you have someone
else doing the same thing?
Bob: Yeah, it is the same instrumentation as before. But
the keyboard player, the drummer and me were in another band called
B-craft. So we have played together quite a bit.
Josh: So it’s like a conglomeration of two
bands.
TA: Right on. So what is the first song you ever learned
to play?
Josh: Me? Well I have played piano since I was a little
kid. I didn’t start playing guitar until I was 15, so I guess
it would have to be Lynard Skynard, “Simple Man.”
Bob: My first song was “Mr. Frog is Full of
Hops” on the piano, so that’s why I’m so
crazy.
(Everyone laughs as Bob sings)
Mr. Frog is full of hops
Cause his jumping never stops
When he leaps he seldom flops
That’s because he’s full of hops
(More laughter)
TA: So who are some of your creative influences?
Josh: Chick Korea, Phish, Santana, Paul Simon, Bob
Marley…
Bob: And some late Miles Davis.
TA: Tell me about the song “Kuku.”
Josh: That is an African traditional drum piece by Mamady
Keita.
TA: Who’s that?
Josh: He has brought traditional African music to CD
format. Our last percussionist went and studied with him for a
while in Brussels and brought that style back to the band. That is
just one really short piece.
TA: I really got into that song when I listened to your
CD.Bob: We want to recreate that music but on some more
contemporary instruments to make it more American. You know, where
we come from, but mix it with that world beat.
Josh: We have found that African traditional music is
very intense, and you have to do it to the T. You don’t
slough off or go off on solos. But we want to break away from that
and be able to do our own thing with the style, but to do that we
need to do it on our own instruments, and then we can do whatever
we want.
TA: Is there anything else that you want Boise to
know?
Josh: We just want you to know that we are coming back in
March.
TA: Where will you play?
Josh: Hopefully at the Pi again. They have definitely
treated us well.
TA: Yeah, this place is great.
Josh: Yeah, this is our first time in Boise, and we are
really happy with the Pi.
Bob: Also, we are five piece chocolate cake!
Ask to hear Flowmotion’s song “Got’s
Mine” on any mix radio station like the River and Mix 106,
and look for their album “knowbynow” at record
stores.
Trever Alters
A & E Writer
The Arbiter
