Harking back to old-school funk, Columbus-based band MoJoFlo will return to Athens for a night of dance and soulful vocals.
The band just completed a music video shoot for its newest song “MMIA” (Music Makes It Alright) and plans to showcase a number of new songs Saturday at Jackie O’s Pub & Brewery, 24 W. Union St. The songs will be released on a brand new EP at the start of 2014.
“It’s going to be an old-school EP, kind of a throwback to Aretha Franklin, Motown and Al Green,” said Jake Levy, drummer and emcee for the band. “We draw a lot from the old-school stuff and we also draw from the new-school hip-hop. This is our tribute to the old-school flavor sound.”
The music video for the new song “MMIA” plays off the idea of a throwback dance party.
“It’s basically a citywide dance party,” said Walter Kolhoff, saxophonist for the group. “We got a classic Ford ’65 Galaxie, and we got this vintage boom box, and went around the city and had people to dance to our song.”
He said they went all over Columbus from news studios to the mayor’s office to get people on their feet to dance and have a good time.
Lead singer Amber Knicole knows a few things about dancing. Sporting revealing outfits, including fishnet stockings and corsets, she fronts the band with an energetic stage presence that she said has become her character.
“I just want to be on stage the woman that I like. … I create a character that is probably the person that I would most like to be,” Knicole said. “I’m more of a focal point because I’m the chick singer, so I just try and bring the estrogen and the femininity to MoJoFlo.”
The group lost its keys player earlier this year, Knicole said, which left the group’s sound emptier than before. But George Barrie, guitarist for MoJoFlo, said they have been able to fill that sound.
He added that the new songs have simpler background guitar parts because that’s the way old-school funk used to play. But when they play live, the sound opens up and the group takes more solos.
“Sometimes you have to leave room for the vocals to really shine, especially on the ballads we have,” Barrie said. “Once we get to the live setting, we try to get loose and let the parts open up and then everyone gets a little chance to shine, especially in Athens because we’re really jamming out down there.”
wh092010@ohiou.edu
@Wilbur_Hoffman
