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THE TIMES-PICAYUNE LAGNIAPPE
FIRE-BREATHING FUNK
Afroskull hits the ground running with 'monster' new CD
When the members of local funk-rock colective Afroskull were tracking songs for their debut CD, the recording began to take on a life of its own, nearly overwhelming its creators. Hence the title of the finished product - "Monster For the Masses" - and the photo on the back of the CD depicting Godzilla laying waste to downtown New Orleans.
"Everything on there just kinda grew - it just happened," recalled guitarist and trombonist Joe Scatassa. "We didn't sit down and plan anything out, really. It just started to become this ridiculous monstrosity. Like the 10-peice horn section."
That horn section punches up "Kill Whitey, " Afroskull's signature song, a seven minute, over-the-top funk-rock opus that sets the tone for much of the record. "It's epic in a way, and kind of risky," Scatassa said of the project. "This is our first CD, and there's only one vocal. It's like, 'Here it is, our big, monster funk.'"
That monster was first conceived in the suburban New York basement where Scatassa, bassist Bill Richards and drummer Jason Isaac convened to bash away on Led Zeppelin and progressive rock covers. Other influences gradually seeped in. After Richards enrolled at Tulane, Scatassa decided to transfer to Loyola and switch his allegiance to trombone. They shares stages in the Flavor Kings, and resolved to continue their collaboration following the world-beat funk band's demise.
After Isaac graduated from a New York college, he opted for the life of a musician, and joined his old friends in New Orleans, completing the Afroskull core. Keyboardist Matt Barone is the newest permanent member. Percussionist Chuk Barber is a regular collaborator, and various horn players are used on gigs.
"Monster For the Masses" sums up the first three years of the band's growth. Most tracks evolved from riffs dreamt up by Scatassa and Richards. SOme, likehte riff-based "It," have remained unchanged; others, like "Kill Whitey," barely resemble the original idea, appropriate for a band that places a high premium on onstage improvisation.
Afroskull is based in New Orleans, but is not necessarily of New Orleans. "The music down here hasn't really affected us from a theoretical standpoint, but the experiences of playing live, where people really love music - just being in this environment is what opens musicians up more that the actual music," Scatassa said. "There's no second-line stuff on our CD."
In June, Afroskull staged a tribute to Black Sabbath, one of Scatassa's early favorites. The masters of heavy metal left their mark on Afroskull's funk, though discrety. "It's hidden - we're not going to say, 'This is our Black Sabbath song,'" Scatassa said. "Some of the riffs behind the organ solos in 'Theme From Afroskull' remind me of that Sabbath attitude, the heavier, solid, single-note riffs. And there are some new songs that we're working on that lean a little more that way.
"That's what we're here for - turn around and you get the fire-breathing funk band, when you least expect it."
Afroskull celebrates the release of "Monster For the Masses" on Thursday at the Uptown Tipitina's.
-Keith Spera, Music Writer