Clamp It Down by The Brothers Groove

James had worked with Kalamazoo native Michael Caskey (drums) and insisted he would be an ideal fit. He was.

The thee jelled immediately as friends, as well as a musical unit, and in August of 1999 The Brothers Groove were born. The band made a conscious decision to be a "guitarless" trio. Chris Codish noted, "I've had the pleasure of working with several world class guitarists, such as Lucky Peterson, Larry McCray and Johnnie Bassett.

I just wanted to explore a musical context that was centered on a somewhat different tonality, without utilizing the guitar." Due to its instrumental lineup some might compare the band to Ben Folds Five or Medeski, Martin and Wood, but such a comparison would be superficial at best.

The Brothers Groove's influences are enormously diversified.

Imagine the outrageous humor of Frank Zappa, combined with the funk of James Brown or the Meters, suddenly mutating into a jazzy, no-holds-barred jam, and you will get some idea of a live performance.

The subtle communication between band members borders on the telepathic as each musician contributes a dynamic ingredient to the evening's "soul food stew." Their ravenous audiences never go home hungry.

Chris Codish handles keyboards and lead vocals. He has paid considerable dues performing with national and local blues, jazz and rock artists. His unique voice is sly and bluesy, and his lyrics are laced with wit and sardonic humor. His keyboard approach is melodic, funky, soulful and improvisational.

James Simonson brings a muscular attack to the bass guitar. He counts Bootsy Collins, Flea and Motown's James Jamerson as significant influences on his road to funkdom. James lays down a solid bass backbone to support and enhance each song, but he's got chops and firepower to burn when it's time to solo.

Michael Caskey lives in his own world of rhythm. Years of study with Miles Davis drummer Billy Hart have enabled him to provide a dead-on multi-beat assault to any set of skins and cymbals. His joy in playing is evidenced by his uninhibited physical involvement on stage, much to the delight of the audience. The Brothers Groove know their way around a recording studio.

They engineered ten of the eleven tracks on their new CD "Clamp It Down." They also have a web site (www.thebrothersgroove.com) that routinely features newly recorded material.

Their main interest, though, is playing before a live audience and taking creative chances on the spur of the moment.

If you haven't heard "Pressure Cooker," "Fat Daddy," or All We Care About" you're in for a treat and a surprise.

The Brothers Groove don't sound like anybody else...and that's the way they like it.

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