Comb Down + Freekbass & The Bump Assembly ft. Sammi Garett bring a funky Halloween party to Deep Dive!
Freekbass
Freekbass, to the core, is an accomplished bass player with a particular passion for Funk. Yet beyond the instrument,he is also a producer, a songwriter, a teacher, a host, a superhero-geek and a showman. His unique musical style, a blend of 70's funkadelic, 80's synth, electronic dance and some old school James Brown flavor, has become a vehicle for Freekbass to spread positivity, while also embracing his funk roots. Growing up in Cincinnati, OH, he was influenced by the regional funk artists early on: The Ohio Players, Zapp, Midnight Star, and Bootsy Collins, to name a few. He first took to the drums, but while working at a music store at age twelve, the bass called to him. He went on to graduate from Cincinnati's School for Creative and Performing Arts, and basically, hit the road.
During that time, Freekbass met his longtime friend and mentor, funk legend, Bootsy Collins. Mudbone Cooper (George Clinton/Parliament) had invited the emerging young bassist to a recording session, to play on a Jimi Hendrix tribute album for a Japanese release, which Collins was producing. By the end of the session, Collins had given Freekbass the nickname, which would in turn become his stage name, and a long series of projects were created between them, including three Freekbass albums. Collins dubbed Freekbass, “The New Spiritual Warrior for the Funk”.
Comb Down
The Comb Down was brought together by the one and only Brian “Gourd” Mlodzinski. Gourd aka DJ Gourd has been spinning funky vinyl for over two decades and has a reputation for bringing his listeners and dancers into an atmosphere that is hard to forget and easy to crave. Gourd is well known for his collection of raw 70’s funk, 80’s boogie/synth funk, Afrobeat, Disco, 80’s/90’s Hip-Hop and straight up dance classics. With his love of the music, guitar, showmanship and having a grand time, a band like this was inevitable.
It eventually came time to dust off the old Hammond b3 and her sister Leslie Speaker, add a few horns to the mix whilst incorporating the tough and very necessary foundational element of drums and bass; voila, The Comb Down was born. Focusing specifically on the musical styles of 1960’s-1970’s funk, paying proper homage to the historic nuances, attire and instrumentation is something that the band doesn’t take lightly.
Aside from playing with The Comb Down, members of the band travel musically through many different genres and styles. The musicians in this group have been seen with acts such as, John Brown’s Body, Dispatch, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, Big Mean Sound Machine, Mutron Warriors, Nahko and Medicine for the People, Road Man, The Nth Power, Sophistafunk, Guster, Funky Dawgz Brass Band, Thunder Body, Don Most from Happy Days, Double Tiger, Black Castle and The Crucials, in naming a few.
Tickets: $15 ADV/$20 DOS