Music Notes: Papa Grows Funk
by Kathryn Kennedy • Go Triad • October 20, 2005
Hometown: New Orleans
Members: John Gros (Hammond B3/vocals), June Yamagishi (guitar), Jason Mingledorff (saxophone), Marc Pero (bass), Jeffrey "Jellybean" Alexander (drums)
Web site: www.papagrowsfunk.com
Notable quote: "After only four years together, pianist/vocalist/bandleader John Gros has made Papa Grows Funk the tightest funk band in New Orleans. At this point, I guess we'll give the 'best' title to the Funky Meters, but after only two albums, the band is on their way to redefining New Orleans funk for the city and outsiders." — www.liveneworleans.com
Member in quotes: John Gros
Behind the music: "Five and a half years ago, I called the guys for a jam session on Monday night. People showed up, so we kept doing it. We started getting calls to play around the country, started writing music and produced a CD. Now we've been to Japan, France and up and down both coasts and everywhere in between. We're working on our third disc. It's turned into something big."
What's in a name? "It was one of those late nights drinking. After a Monday night session, I had to have a name in the paper the next morning, so we were all sitting around trying to come up with something. One of the guys suggested it (Papa Grows Funk) and the other three liked it, and I hated it. So that was it. I would prefer it to be something else still, but I've come to accept it, and it's too late now."
Gros' desert-island discs: Dr. John's "Gumbo," The Meters' "Rejuvenation," Randy Newman's "Good Old Boys," Miles Davis' "Round About Midnight."
What's in Gros' CD player? "I've been listening to Allison Krauss' live CD, Annie Lennox's 'Medusa.'"
Favorite lyric: "There's a Randy Newman song called 'Louisiana 1927': 'Louisiana, Louisiana/They're tryin to wash us away/They're tryin to wash us away.' That whole record's been a big influence, and it's one of my all-time favorite songs, but especially now it's important. To have that happen, you know, 70 or 80 years ago and now again today."
New Orleans now: "Parts of the city are getting on their feet but others are just being discovered. Others look like nuclear waste."
Future of funk: "People like it because it's just fun. It's great party music. I hope to take the element of New Orleans to the elements of great songwriters. Funk's got a lot of grooves and hooks but no great songwriting, really. I look at Stevie Wonder, Sly and the Family Stone, and they had it. So I really try to make an effort to find a concept for a song and a concept for the group ... To put a story to a groove beat is really hard — at least for me."