Skip to content

Funk rockers release their latest single

The track, Funk You, was officially released yesterday
web1_170324_KCN_floyd-meets-brown
Kelowna psychedelic funk band Floyd Meets Brown recently released their latest single, Funk You. - Image Credit: Photo Contributed

The track is called Funk You, and it’s meant to pick you up after a tiring work day.

The Kelowna psychedelic funk band Floyd Meets Brown officially released the single Friday morning before hitting the road to Vancouver.

They’ll be back to Kelowna however, for a show on May 27.

The song is meant to be “sassy with the intention of loosening up, unwinding from the everyday, coming home from work” said guitarist Josh Loewen.

Funk You is a mix of smooth guitar licks, groovy bass and encourages dance with lyrics “be free, clear your mind and your body will follow”sung by “The Captian” Ryan Daknar and Loewen.

Floyd Meets Brown consists of four members, each offering different nuances. Daknar sings, plays trumpet and percussion, Rhys Boardman performs with his funky bass, Dustin King takes drums and Loewen plays guitar, percussion as well as sings.

The band collaborates while creating songs, but when Loewen writes the instruments come before the lyrics.

“I’m drawn to instruments in tracks rather than lyrics,” he said. “I listen to notes and melodies and rhythms and that’s poetic to me.”

Performance wise, the funk band faces challenges standing out in a world full of social media. Loewen says it’s about showing your passion and being creative with the venue.

“I try to encompass not just a musical performance, but a show. What I mean by that is, you’re so into it, that it’s real. We keep it very passionate about the music and we always try to have something that’s visual, that’s different with the venue,” said Loewen, adding when he feels like it, he’ll rent rack lighting and a LED controller to add to the funk. “We’re more focused on the whole show, making it an act.”

For Loewen, performances are about creating energy for the crowd, listing Buddy Guy as someone who has that stage control. Daknar also dons a pirate outfit for the performances.

“When you have that moment when you look around and you know that everyone’s paying attention, and you hit a change or do a little bridge and come back into the main riff and everybody goes nuts, the rush from that I can’t even describe,” he said. “It’s not about the attention, it’s the energy that’s created and knowing you’re the vessel guiding this energy.”

The band’s EP Earth to Orbit, released in 2015, was recorded live off the floor with Kelowna’s Music City Studios. Funk You is a little different with less of a raw sound.

The musicians came together in 2013, after attending the Salmon Arm Roots and Blues festival together. They decided they had a musical connection as they jammed after the show.

Loewen said Jimi Hendrix is one of his main influences for guitar when he picked it up in 2006, but he goes through phases which influence the band.

Throughout the summer, Floyd Meets Brown will be releasing eight new tracks, which can be downloaded from bandcamp free of charge or found on iTunes, Spotify and more.

Before the band’s performance in Kelowna, they’ll perform at the Nakusp Arts Festival on May 6.