2008 Best Funk/R&B Performer
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37.37% Freak Brothers*
Others with Votes (more than one):
Best Funk Performer
Best R&B Performer
* On the ballot |
The Freak Brothers got their wish on Whammy night. They wanted to win a Whammy for Best Funk/R&B Performer. Check. And they were hoping that their almost ridiculous streak of taking home three awards three years in a row would come to an end, allowing other local bands to get a share of the glory. Check. "It's been really great being recognized like we have been, but there are so many amazing new acts out there, and it's good to see them getting some recognition," said drummer Adam Rudolph. The Freak Brothers have been treating the Fort to old-school funk and R&B for nearly as many years as there are band members. The Brothers are Adam Martin, Brandon Rentfrow, Rudolph, Matt Cashdollar, Dan Cappelli, Marcus Farr and Kris Miller, with frequent guests Aaron King and Todd Roth. They have bagged more Whammys than they can remember (15). "When they were announcing the award and they said this year's winner had won the award seven years in a row, I was sure that couldn't be us," said Renfro. "I didn't even know we'd been together that long." The band's history, like its set list, is a many splendored thing. A few members played together in the North Side High School band. Others came from Always in the Fridge and Strut Train. What they have in common, according to Martin, is a love of funk and a penchant for having a blast when they're together. The Freak Brothers only rehearse about once a year and can be seen at Columbia Street West once a month, with their next performance coming up on April 3. Martin said he's not really sure what they'll play that night - probably an eclectic set of Earth, Wind, and Fire, The Roots, Old Dirty Bastard and the band's fave, Rick James. "Even if we have clear ideas of what we're going to do once we get up on stage, we usually ditch them and just go with the flow," Martin said. "We grew up together and we're like brothers, so when we see each other it's a little hard to concentrate on work. Actually we get the work out of the way as soon as possible so we can start having fun." While the Brothers always have plans to release more original material, they currently only have about four downloadable singles on their MySpace page. Martin said the Brothers like to take their time when approaching new material, including their most recent single, "Mr. Fantastic," a song Martin describes as simple "a fun dance tune." "What you see is what you get with us. We're not trying to be deep. It's a pretty shallow well," he said. (Deborah Kennedy) |
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