The Drought is Over
June 25, 2014
Kingfish makes appeal to the masses
June 25, 2014
Defining themselves as hard workers Monday through Friday who are ready to hang out and have fun with their audiences on the weekends, Clustafunk delivers a wide variety of party that has taken off with success within the last year.
Back in the day, Clustafunk’s members all played in different bands, but at some point in time, most of the musicians crossed paths and worked together on various gigs.
Mixing their music interests and styles, this group of five guys – Kenny Comardelle, Scott Theriot, Rocky Kiffe, James Adams and Gerald Georges – have combined a mixture of ages and genres to get any audience on the dance floor.
Creating a cluster of musicians varying in ages from 29 to 46 years old, the group provides a cluster of song choices ranging from artists such as Journey, Bruno Mars, Wayne Toups and Jason Derulo.
“Our name hints to our personalities, we’re just five guys looking to get on stage and have fun,” Comardelle said, who is the band’s vocalist and unofficial comedian.
“I had been sitting on the Clustafunk name for a while because I always wanted to start a band that played a mixture of music. I didn’t tell anybody about it until I was in the right project,” he added.
Playing their first show together at L’esprit in Larose in February 2013, the group agreed it was a “weird experience” not knowing what to expect.
“We had never played as a group before, but everyone was waiting for us to start,” Comardelle said of their first gig. “It was kind of a test for us, and it was also about seeing the reaction of the crowd to know if we were going in the right direction.”
The dynamic worked and Clustafunk has gone on to perform across south Louisiana anywhere from Slidell to Morgan City and Hammond to Metairie, with each city having their “home” stage.
Theriot said it is getting to the point when the band announces they are performing in Houma, everyone knows to find them at the Piazza Bar, and likewise for other cities and locations.
Unbeknownst to the group, word of their dynamic spread and they were asked to play at the Cut Off Youth Center’s Hurricane Festival in September – a gig they did not expect so soon in their career.
Going out to one of Clustank’s performances, it is easy to realize the band wants their audience to get to know them. Between songs, they joke with each other as if there was no audience, and it was just a group of friends hanging around.
“People go watch bands play, but we have fun on stage,” Comardelle said. “They’re dancing and partying with us. We’re not perfect as a band, we’re here to have fun.”
There was a strong consensus between Clustafunk’s musicians that their success lies in the hands of their growing number of fans.
“That’s what’s good about this group,” Theriot said. “We understand we need to play music that’s going to cater to the crowd and not necessarily what we want to hear.”
Each member has a unique story and diverse background to add to the group, but for Adams, who plays the guitar, he is sometimes out of his element since his roots are in rock and heavy metal. At each show, he tries his best to incorporate his rock style while playing a pop hit or rap song.
“I went from playing Sevendust to Bruno Mars and Justin Timberlake,” Adams said. “Some songs you hear on the radio makes you cringe, but you play it (with the band) and the dance floor is packed.”
By pushing their musical limits, the band’s members are building on their skills as self-taught musicians.
“Because of our backgrounds and what we’re doing right now, pretty much none of our backgrounds are that,” said Kiffe, the band’s drummer. “It’s made us better musicians because we’re pushing our personal envelopes a little bit.”
Attending their performance, the group’s combined years of experience are shown on stage, but when there is a mess up, they are quick to react as their “own best critics.”
“We can all take criticism from each other and nobody gets upset,” Theriot said, “All of our personalities are meshing and our vision as band and what we’re looking to do comes together.”
Getting five musicians together who all have different jobs and families, well, that’s no easy task. The group admits they do not practice to be perfect, but they do practice when they decide to add new songs to their playlist – a method where each of the five members picks one new song to learn.
Learning new songs is not the only way Clustafunk keep their performances original, but they always work to impress with their “signature look” and distinctive neon green and orange ties, usually against black shirts and pants.
“We have to keep a little class to it,” Comardelle said of their matching attire.
Clustafunk’s list of performance dates continues to grow, and the group works to meet the demand for some of their favorite venues where they get the best audience reaction.
“You can have 2,000 people, but if they’re all just looking at you, you can’t gauge your performance,” said Georges, the lead guitar player. “With a crowd of 100, you know who’s having a good time.”
And if you make it to the end of one of their dynamic performances, the band agrees you will sleep well that night since “You’ve officially been Clustafunk’d.”
Clustafunk are comprised of James Adams, Kenny Comardelle, Gerald Georges, Rocky Kiffe and Scott Theriot. They are known for infusing their own personality into musical hits from today as well as the past and for playing their sets from beginning to end without break. Clustafunk play the Piazza Bar July 5.
