A Damn Good Time
They describe it as "Rage Against The Clashing Peppers," but that doesn’t even begin to encapsulate the (barely) controlled chaos that is the sound of the Funkyjahpunkys. Their shows are manic outbursts of energy, their tunes are boundless and they always seem to be having the time of their lives. Read on as the band lets us in on the fun.
What do the Funkyjahpunkys sound like?
"We sound like a ‘damn good time’ as once described by a drunken redneck man. It’s hard to say how punk, rock, reggae, funk and anything else we’re into when we’re writing is described as one sound. Other bands you’ve heard of, that use this level of diversity, are the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, the Clash, Oingo Boingo, but they did it throughout whole careers. We try it on every album."
You guys list the immortal David Hasselhoff as an influence. What life lessons have you learned from The Hoff?
"Since we all help raise (frontman) Giant J’s daughter, we would have to say the best lesson we’ve learned from The Hoff is don’t get belligerently wasted and let your kid video you making an ass out of yourself for a YouTube premiere. He’s one hell of a marketing wizard, too."
You toured Central America in D.I.Y. fashion, which is quite a feat for a self-sustained band such as yourselves. What kind of experience was that?
"We also list ourselves as being partly from Costa Rica, which sits in the middle of Central America. For us, it’s a home away from home and J’s daughter is a Tico (person from Costa), so it’s cool.
"As for the other parts, things can get weird to say the least. The moment that stands out best would have to be the Cultural Center show in downtown San Jose. It’s the old facility where they used to make the national liquor, guaro. There were bike jumps and skate ramps set up all around the stage (in a fashion that would make a U.S. insurance company poop themselves). And the riders used it all while we played. The news camera, crazy children and overall controlled mayhem made that show quite memorable. We even changed ‘Let’s Go’ to ‘Vamonos’ for the Spanish folk."
’08 is almost over, any New Year’s resolutions for ’09?
"To keep going! We have built our own label (Pacific Coast Pirates), gotten national distribution, we successfully tour the Pacific Coast at will and are poised to build a true company that can help these places we live in. We’re ready for an investor at PcP Inc., so if some grubby lil’ rich dude is reading this … bankroll us."
Contact reporter Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0476.
