We’re #30! Funkboy Newsletter, December, 2009

(Photo by Cynthia Boucher)


Greetings Funk Fans!

Oh, what a year it’s been (see below for the recap). And already 2010 is eagerly anticipated.

The latest news is that my CD “PIGS FEET and POTTED MEAT” has reached #30 on the Relix Magazine Jambands.com radio airplay chart (November 9, 2009 chart)
(http://www.jambands.com/radio-charts/2009/11/09/triumphant-joy).
This is awesome for us, as you can imagine. Do you have your copy yet? It makes a great funky holiday gift! Get it here:
(http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/ivanbodley3)

I’ve got some very cool gigs coming up!

Friday, January 29, at midnight, The “PIGS FEET” trio with James Dower and Joe Goretti makes its NYC debut at the world-famous Blue Note club. Mark your calendars now! Get ready for a funky late-night hang….

Saturday, December 12, 2009, I’ll be subbing on the Broad Way in “Rock of Ages” at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, 2pm and 8pm.

January 8, 2010, I’ll be playing acoustic bass behind three legendary songwriters at the APAP convention at the New York Hilton. Check these guys out:
BARRY MANN (wrote: “On Broadway,” “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling,” “Here You Come Again,” etc, etc.),
JIMMY WEBB (“Wichita Lineman,” “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “MacArthur Park,” etc, etc.), and
LAMONT DOZIER (“How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You,” “Reach Out I’ll Be There,” “Stop in the Name of Love,” etc, etc.). Oh, man! I can hardly stand it!

February 5, 2010, I’ll be music directing for RICHARD STREET of the TEMPTATIONS (1971-1995) in Miami, FL.

February 14, 2010, I’ll be performing in Bermuda with soul legend CHUCK JACKSON.

February 20, 2010, I’ll be performing with ALEXANDER MARKOV’S “ROCK CONCERTO” in Biloxi, MS.

March 10, 2010, I’ll be music directing for SAM MOORE at the Strawberry Festival in Plant City, FL.


2009 in review, the year that was.

January:
I rang in the New Year in Milwaukee with Richard Street of the Temptations singing a capella doo wop in the hotel bar.

Played on Stephen Lynch's new studio album "3 Balloons."

Music Director for Creative Coalition Inaugural Ball with Sam Moore, Elvis Costello & Sting. Show is filmed by Barry Levinson for an upcoming documentary, "Poliwood."

Daryl Glenn & Jo Lynn Burks' "Nashville" wins cabaret triple crown. It is the first show in history to win all 3 awards. Awards ceremony at Town Hall. I am Associate Conductor on this show.

February:
Appeared on the Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize honoring George Carlin on PBS. Cracked Ice is the house band. Ben E. King is featured musical guest.

Performed with Lou Christie at Queens College, NY.

April:
Music Director for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony after party with Sam Moore in Cleveland, OH. "Hello, Cleveland!"

My Trio CD released: "Pigs Feet & Potted Meat."

With Cracked Ice we back Barbara Harris of The Toys at the Metropolitan Room, NYC.

May:
Tribecca Film Festival screening of Barry Levinson's "Poliwood," filmed partly at the inauguration gig in January. We’re on screen with Sam Moore, Elvis Costello and Sting about 3 times in the film.

Performed Alex Markov's Rock Concerto with 150-member orchestra and chorus for 5,000 fans and on national television in Ankara, Turkey.

June:
Made my Broadway debut as a sub for the great Winston Roye in the 80s rock musical: "Rock of Ages." Continue to sub on “RoA” throughout the year averaging two performances per month.

July:
Music Director for The Crystals, New Castle, PA.

Music Director for Disco Divas show at Mohegan Sun Casino starring Maxine Nightingale and A Taste of Honey featuring Janice Marie.

Music Director for Sam Moore, Nakusp Music Festival, British Columbia, Canada.

September:
Music Director for The Crystals in Pittsburgh, PA.

Performed with Cracked Ice backing James Montgomery, Magic Dick & Jay Geils at Westport, CT BBQ fest.

October:
Played Carnegie Hall for the first time with comedian Stephen Lynch.

November:
Music Director for Sam Moore in Biloxi, MS.

"Pigs Feet & Potted Meat" gets airplay on 70 radio stations nationally, a great review in Bass Player magazine, goes to #1 on the local Brooklyn Reverb Nation jazz chart, and goes to #30 on the Relix Magazine Jambands.com airplay chart.

December:
Played the Borgata in Atlantic City with Stephen Lynch.

Thanks for all of the great memories in 2009. I look forward to seeing you all in 2010!


Your pal,
Ivan

New CD! http://cdbaby.com/cd/ivanbodley3
www.Funkboy.net
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www.MySpace.com/funkboynyc
FunkboyNYC.Blogspot.com
www.Reverbnation.com/ivanfunkboybodley

How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall?

Practice? Take the A train to 59th Street? There are many ways. Mine involved hitching my wagon to musician/comedian Stephen Lynch's star. His "3 Balloons" tour rolled into Carnegie October 24, 2009 and pulled me along for the ride.

I was introduced to Stephen about 10 years ago by his manager, my old college buddy, Eric Zohn. Eric told me about this up and coming artist he was representing and asked if I would be interested in working with him. I was.

In the last 10 years Stephen has done 2 Comedy Central Specials, has been nominated for a Tony for his starring role in "The Wedding Singer" on Broadway, and has released 4 albums (3 of which I've played on). Now he's headlined Carnegie Hall.

Stephen usually plays concerts solo on guitar and voice with help from one or two of his sidekick buddies, Rod, Jo Berg, and/or Teich. But once in a while when he has a gig in NYC and is doing something special like a live recording at Symphony Space ("The Craig Machine"), a gig at Town Hall, or Carnegie, Lynch calls us to put the band back together. It's always a blast when we get to do it. Rich-piano, Dean-drums, Jon-violin, David-cello and myself-acoustic bass plus all 3 sidekicks at once, with Lynch and his brother, Drew, gave us 10 people on stage. We're not quite as populated as the Berlin Philharmonic. But we made some noise all the same.


In spite of the photo of me warming up at sound check all alone in that revered theatre, it was actually a sold out show with a standing ovation at the end. It doesn't get much better than that.


Here are Stephen and I onstage in the Isaac Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall. Imagine that! It was more than a little surreal, definitely a career high moment.

Your pal,
Ivan

New CD! http://cdbaby.com/cd/ivanbodley3
www.Funkboy.net
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www.MySpace.com/funkboynyc
FunkboyNYC.Blogspot.com
www.Reverbnation.com/ivanfunkboybodley

69 Radio Stations are playing "Pigs Feet!"

As of October 14, 2009, SIXTY-NINE radio stations across this great nation and Canada are playing "Pigs Feet & Potted Meat" on their airwaves. 23 of those stations are playing it in Heavy or Medium rotation.

It's very hard not to want to crow loudly about a statistic like that. Every fibre of our being that still remembers 8th grade humor (the best humor!) is sweating like Roger Rabbit trying not to answer "shave and a haircut" when we see a number like that flash across our radar screen.

The good folks up at Powderfinger Promotions in Boston have done a bang-up job for us.

We're also still Top 10 for Brooklyn Jazz artists on Reverb Nation after spending a bunch of weeks at Number 1! We're #31 for Jazz artists globally this week. We're feeling pretty good about those numbers as well.

"Pigs Feet & Potted Meat!" Do you have your copy yet?

Your pal,
Ivan

New CD! http://cdbaby.com/cd/ivanbodley3
www.Funkboy.net
www.Facebook.com/funkboy
www.MySpace.com/funkboynyc
FunkboyNYC.Blogspot.com
www.Reverbnation.com/ivanfunkboybodley

"Pigs Feet" hits the Airwaves!

This photo is of myself and Jim Dower on the set of the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson a while back. In between jetting around the globe backing up our SOUL MUSIC heroes, Jim, drummer Joe Goretti (who is now on the road with MOBY!), and myself write and record each other's music. From these sessions comes my new CD "Pigs Feet & Potted Meat."

And now "Pigs Feet & Potted Meat" is hitting the airwaves. Two weeks into our promotion campaign to jazz and jam band radio, we have 39 stations now playing the CD nationally (US & Canada), 11 of these in heavy or medium rotation. The good folks up at Powderfinger Promotions in Boston are doing a bang-up job for us. We're very excited about the exposure. More airplay news to come in the following weeks.

Also, the nice folks at Reverb Nation tell us that we are their NUMBER ONE Jazz artist in Brooklyn, NY and #7 Global Jazz Artist (out of approximately 7,600 artists). I recognize that Reverb Nation isn't necessarily the same as the Billboard Hot 100. But it still feels pretty dang good to be Top 10 anywhere.

Do you have your copy of "Pigs Feet" yet?

Your pal,
Ivan

New CD! http://cdbaby.com/cd/ivanbodley3
www.Funkboy.net
www.Facebook.com/funkboy
www.MySpace.com/funkboynyc
FunkboyNYC.Blogspot.com
www.Reverbnation.com/ivanfunkboybodley

"Pigs Feet" review in Bass Player Magazine!

Do you have your copy of "Pigs Feet" yet? See links below to pick yours up.

Bass Player Magazine
September 2009

BP Recommends
Ivan "Funkboy" Bodley
Pigs Feet & Potted Meat
(www.funkboy.net)

Best known as one of New York’s top musical directors, bassist Ivan Bodley gathers his keyboardist and drummer, Jim Dower and Joe Goretti, for a goodtime romp through neo-preserved grooves that echo Motown, Memphis, P-Funk, ‘70s four-on-the-floor, and especially the Meters. “If Only,” “Long Hard Slog” and “Booty-licious” are among the salted, succulent spin-offs that really jell. (Chris Jisi)


Thanks, Chris! That's awfully nice of you to say! "Pigs Feet" just shipped out to Jazz and Jam Band radio stations this week. Listen for it on your favorite station.

Also, I can very occasionally be seen as a substitute bass player in the Broadway 80s rock musical "Rock of Ages," starring Constantine Maroulis. I can't tell you how much fun it is to ROCK Broadway! If you're in NYC, contact me for possible show dates....

Your pal,
Ivan

New CD! http://cdbaby.com/cd/ivanbodley3
www.Funkboy.net
www.Facebook.com/funkboy
www.MySpace.com/funkboynyc
FunkboyNYC.Blogspot.com
www.Reverbnation.com/ivanfunkboybodley

Soul Music in the Canadian Rockies

I just got back from music directing, playing bass, and singing backup for the great Sam Moore at the Nakusp Music Festival in Nakusp, British Columbia. Nakusp, population 1,800, is on the Arrow Lakes, nestled in the Canadian Rocky Mountains.

Have you heard of Nakusp? Well, I hadn't until this gig came in! It was time to break out the atlas and see where we were going. Friday we flew 4-1/2 hours from New York to Calgary, Alberta and spent the night there. For some inexplicable reason Joni Mitchell was also at our hotel that night, though we didn't actually see her.

Saturday morning at 8am we hopped a tour bus 511 km (318 miles) through the Rockies, across the Arrow Lake ferry (about a 3-mile crossing) and into beautiful downtown Nakusp. It was easily the most scenic drive we've ever taken. I fondly recalled riding a bicycle through these same mountains one summer when i was in high school.

The Music Festival is supposedly the largest in interior British Columbia. We had about 6,000 very nice celebrants helping us get our groove on. The audience size at over triple the population of the entire town told me that some folks besides us had traveled for this gig. Our performance slot was between the Yardbirds (sans Clapton, Beck or Page) and Blues Traveler.

At 8pm, still broad daylight and nearly 90 degrees outside, we got a quick line/monitor check. With the lake at our backs and high rocky peaks all around, we hit the stage burning at 8:25pm for 75 minutes. Sam was spectacular, as always, working the otherwise rock and blues festival attendees into a Soul Music frenzy as only he can.

He truly is the greatest living Soul singer on the planet bar none. By the time we hit "Soul Man" near the end of the show, the sun had set on a writhing mass of sanctified humanity. The show was too short for us and too short for the fans. But we followed the old show business adage and left them wanting more.

After the show we got straight back on the bus so we wouldn't miss the last ferry out of Nakusp. We did a midnight crossing of the lake in the deep darkness of zero civilization, the Milky Way exploding overhead in a light show that only the universe can provide.

We did the best we could in the bus bunks overnight on windy mountain roads. But I don't think anyone slept too much. Mostly we just hung out with Sam and listened to him telling stories of his decades on the road. There is a reason why he's a Soul Music legend. And we're constantly reminded of it when we get to listen to where he's been and what he's done.

Sunday morning we had a breakfast layover in a truck stop and then a 10am drop-off at the Calgary airport for a noon flight back to New York, arriving at Newark airport at 7pm EST Sunday evening. It was roughly a 20-hour journey from the stage to our home airport. We got back to NYC badly in need of a nap and a shower.

We often say that we do the gigs for free. What we get paid for is the schlep, the travel, humping the gear, and the logistics. This weekend was a clear example of this. I'm also personally in it for the tacky souvenir refrigerator magnets. I collect them from everywhere I go. They're small, portable, and geographically specific. Happily I was able to procure one from the thriving metropolis of Nakusp. Though curiously it depicts a cartoon picture of a horse's backside and contains the legend: "Nakusp, BC. Bite Me!" I'm not sure if this is designed to encourage or deter tourism.

Oddly enough, in all of my years of travel, this was my first sleeper bus trip. I fit in the bunk pretty well considering my stature. We traveled by planes, buses, vans, and ferries on this one, all in the service of Soul Music....

Your pal,
Ivan

New CD! http://cdbaby.com/cd/ivanbodley3
www.Funkboy.net
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FunkboyNYC.Blogspot.com
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A Disco Diva and True Bass Pioneer

I was asked to music direct and play bass on a show recently called "Disco Ladies," featuring Ms. Maxine Nightingale ("Right Back Where We Started") and A Taste of Honey featuring Ms. Janice Marie ("Boogie Oogie Oogie"). Ms. Maxine called me to do it since I've worked with her before. She's really great. And her big hit is the feel-good anthem of 1976. It's an instant dance-floor filler.

This was my first time meeting and playing with Ms. Janice Marie. She wrote, sang, and played BASS on the great Grammy-winning A Taste of Honey 1978 smash disco hit "Boogie Oogie Oogie." I don't need to tell you how few women there are rocking the bass at all, much less actually changing the world with their bass lines. Ms. Janice Marie is a true innovator and a great bass hero of mine. She was a very big influence on a young Funkboy. It was a genuine thrill to be able to tell her that after we played together.

On this show Ms. Janice played bass on the Taste of Honey dance hits. For those songs I conducted the band and sang backing vocals ("Get down, boogie oogie oogie!"). But mostly I just listened to her phat groove on the bass and TOOK NOTES! Clearly I've stolen so many of her licks over the years that I owe her money....

But for her other smash hit, the 1980 ballad "Sukiyaki," she put on a kimono and did a very elegant Japanese fan and ribbon dance. So I actually got to play BASS with A Taste of Honey. (See photo above.) It was truly one of the great moments of my career.

Special thanks to Ms. Maxine Nightigale for the call, and to the excellent band with me onstage that evening: Jim Dower and Ron Oswanski on keyboards, Mark Newman on blazing heavy metal guitar, Joe Goretti on drums, and Chrissi Poland and Naomi Margolin on backing vocals.

Your pal,
Ivan

www.Funkboy.net
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FunkboyNYC.Blogspot.com
www.Reverbnation.com/ivanfunkboybodley

www.Funkboy.net gets major FACE LIFT.....

Stop by and check out my NEW and IMPROVED website:

www.Funkboy.net

New content!
New links!
New photos!
New media!

Let me know what you think of it. Web design by www.CarolNissen.net.

Also check out and pick up your souvenir copy of my brand new CD:
"Pigs Feet & Potted Meat!"

Get it here:
CD Baby
iTunes
Amazon

Your pal,
Ivan

www.Funkboy.net
www.Facebook.com/funkboy
www.MySpace.com/funkboynyc
FunkboyNYC.Blogspot.com
www.Reverbnation.com/ivanfunkboybodley

Broadway ROCKS!

"These vagabond shoes, are longing to stray, right through the very heart of it...." The strains of Frank Sinatra were echoing through my head as I walked through Times Square today on my way to my first-ever Broadway performance. It impressed me as a particularly New York, New York experience upon which I was about to embark. And if I can make it here, I can make it anywhere; or so the legend goes....

The great bassist, Winston Roye, very kindly asked me if I would be interested in subbing for him on his Broadway show. His bass chair is in the 80s rock musical called "Rock of Ages," starring Constantine Maroulis of American Idol fame. It's a love story set in Los Angeles on the Sunset Strip in the mid 1980s using existing hard rock Top 40 radio hits from that era by: Journey, Whitesnake, Twisted Sister, Poison, REO Speedwagon, Joan Jett, Pat Benatar, Styx, and folks like that.

The main difference from playing on a typical Broadway show is that the band in "Rock of Ages" is in costume and makeup, rocking full-tilt on stage the entire show. As such the entire 2-1/2 hour musical score must be completely memorized. In service of the show's story, the music is a bit complex with copious medleys, surprising modulations, intricate connecting passages, rubato sections, short expository musical bursts, and the like. The memorization process took me 3 weeks to the day from when I received the materials and first saw the show until my matinee debut.

I arrived at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre 1-1/2 hours before curtain to check out my costume, makeup, and stage rig. Guitarist Tommy Kessler very kindly snapped the attached photo of me in costume and in position on stage. Note the "rock" stance and requisite "devil horns" hand signal so integral to the genre. The band is very much a part of the action in this show.

With the great conducting talent of Henry Aronson on keyboards, burning guitar playing of Tommy Kessler, and rock solid drumming of Jon Weber, the band did everything to make me feel immediately at home. Keep in mind that there is no rehearsal for a sub on The Great White Way. One just shows up, assures the conductor that the music is memorized...and curtain!

As much as I practiced the material at home, actually being on stage with in-ear monitors, lighting cues, 1,000 sold-out seats, and actors running back and forth just inches from the bass guitar took a minute to get used to. I had been warned that the doorway to my immediate left was used constantly, often at high velocity whilst carrying large props. The bandstand was just barely big enough for me to orient at just a certain angle to not catch one of the actors in the head with the neck of my bass as they run on stage.

There was one other slight distraction. Most of the women in the ensemble cast play strippers, excuse me, exotic dancers. Suffice to say that there is a great deal happening right in front of the bandstand to potentially distract from the musical task at hand.

Past the initial orientation process in the heat of battle, I thought the show went very well. And by the finale I was truly having a blast. We well and truly did ROCK....

I'm very grateful to the band, cast, and crew for running a tight ship, being at the very top of their craft, and making me immediately feel a part of the team. I can only hope that I'll get the opportunity to share their stage again, each time growing more comfortable in the bass chair and freeing up my right hand even more often for appropriate rock gestures....

Ivan Bodley
Brooklyn, NY

PS, Please check out my new CD, "Pigs Feet & Potted Meat" on iTunes, CDBaby, Amazon, etc.

www.funkboy.net
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Ivan “Funkboy” Bodley uses Warrior Basses, Hartke Amplification, DR Strings, and Digitech and Line 6 signal processors. Ivan eats only Little Debbie snack cakes.

It's Time for "Pigs Feet"

Are you ready for "Pigs Feet & Potted Meat?" Well, I certainly hope so. Because it's been a long hard slog. But it's finally HERE!

(also here: http://cdbaby.com/cd/ivanbodley3)

Preview the tracks. Purchase CDs or MP3s from iTunes or Amazon. If you're on Blogger with me right now, you're listening to a track from the CD as you read.

Here's more info about the album:

Ivan “Funkboy” Bodley

“Pigs Feet & Potted Meat”

Ivan “Funkboy” Bodley is bass player and musical director to the stars. He has performed with 24 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame™ inductees and counting. He is musical director for Sam Moore, Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, The Shirelles, The Crystals, The Tokens and has performed with: Sting, Elvis Costello, The Temptations, Solomon Burke, Ben E. King, Percy Sledge, Eddie Floyd, Rufus & Carla Thomas, Bo Diddley, Buster Poindexter, The Uptown Horns, Paul Rodgers, Wynonna Judd, and David Foster.

Appearances include: Creative Coalition Obama Inaugural Ball as featured in the Barry Levinson documentary “Poliwood,” Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, The Today Show, Emeril Live, Imus in the Morning, Charlie Rose Show, Live with Regis & Kelly, Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Istanbul State Symphony and Israel Symphony Orchestras.

Ivan is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of the Berklee College of Music. To date, he has traveled to 26 countries around the world and played to audiences of up to 30,000 people in performance settings ranging from jazz duos to 150-member symphony orchestras.

“Pigs Feet & Potted Meat” is Funkboy’s third recording as bandleader. It is feel-good funky music, unapologetically buoyant and fun. It ministers to the human condition, soothes the soul, and penetrates all shields, surfaces, and obstacles. It’s soul-jazz that even has jam-band crossover appeal.

With Jim Dower on keyboards and Joe Goretti on drums, Ivan & company travel the world together backing Sam Moore, The Temptations, Martha Reeves and other royalty of soul music. On days off back in New York City, the trio creates instrumental groove music that might result if The Meters joined Lou Donaldson and Ramsey Lewis for a jam session. There’s plenty of pithy jazz harmony and arranging for the intellectually minded. But there are NO prerequisites for enjoying this music. Everything is rooted firmly in the groove. The songs evolved very organically during the trio’s creative writing and recording sessions every week or so at Joey’s house.

“Pigs Feet & Potted Meat” is equally nutritious for the cerebrum and for the booty. It is a healthy part of a balanced diet. Use only as directed. Void where prohibited. Shake well. Apply liberally.

####

More information is available at: www.funkboy.net. Email: ivan@funkboy.net

Ivan “Funkboy” Bodley uses Warrior Basses, Hartke Amplification, DR Strings, and Digitech and Line 6 signal processors. Ivan eats only Little Debbie snack cakes.

Ivan Bodley
Brooklyn, NY

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Tribute to Grandfather

Morris aka "Bob" Stoller, 1914-2009

In tribute to my grandfather, Morris Stoller, I wrote and recorded this song: "Kaddish for Sabba." To listen click: HERE.

(or go here: http://www.reverbnation.com/tunepak/1522157) My special thanks to Jim Dower on keyboards and Joe Goretti on drums for helping me to record this tribute.

Kaddish is the prayer for the departed. Sabba means grandfather. He spent 95 years on this planet and was married to my Grandmother, Florence, for 69 of those years (from 1940-2009). They had three daughters, including my mother, 3 grandchildren, and 3 great-grandchildren.

He lived a long and full life with few regrets. He and my grandmother lived independently and took no medications at all. Grandmother, still a spry 90 years old, continues in this mode.

I'm well aware of the fact that I'm posting this tribute on the Internet about a man who was born at the dawn of the First World War. It's almost unimaginable the amount of change he saw in the world over the course of his life.

Ever curious, Mr. Stoller carried a valid NYU student ID in his wallet for most of his life, continuously attending lectures and auditing classes. He never completed any advanced degrees because I think that would have signaled an end to his education, which he never intended to do.

He had a ferocious work ethic, which he attempted to teach us all. He serviced jukeboxes in the 1950s on a route and worked as office manager for a big entertainment law firm for decades. He finally "retired" from that job so that he could continue coming into the same office every day, but on a volunteer basis. He held various volunteer positions until the very end of his life.

He also played trombone in the Brooklyn Navy Yard band during lunch hours as he served there in WWII. Though I never heard him play, somehow I think his musical legacy filtered down to me.

Ivan Bodley
Brooklyn, NY

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"Rock Concerto" In Ankara, Turkey

If you happen to be in Ankara, Turkey next week, drop by the University. We're performing Alexander Markov's "Rock Concerto" with the University Symphony and Chorus. Should be about 120 cats onstage!

The "Rock Concerto" is a piece for electric violin (Alexander Markov), drums (Gregg Gerson), vocals (Neal Coomer), and electric bass (that's me!), 66-piece symphony orchestra, and 50-voice chorus. I also have a bunch of pipe organ parts to cut as well. I've been playing bass for over 20 years. I've only been playing keyboards for just over 20 minutes. There's no pressure there!

This is our 5th trip to Turkey and will be our 8th time mounting the entire concerto. We've also hit in Cyprus, Israel, and Bridgeport, CT. I know it's strange routing. You'll have to speak to our travel agent about that....

Alex is one of the top tier classical concert violinists in the world. And for Pagannini stuff, he's probably the #1 dude on the planet. But he also loves Jimmy Page. So he built himself a 6-string electric violin that he plays through a Marshall guitar amp and wrote a full concerto around the instrument. Nobody can say that he isn't committed to his concept!

Needless to say, even though I'm playing the part of "Rock Bass Player" in the piece, we're all featured soloists with the symphonies we visit (electric violin, vocalist, drums, and bass). At the end of the show they give us flowers just like Miss America. It's a trip. And standing right in the middle of a full symphony is a real charge. What a sound!

Ivan Bodley
Brooklyn, NY

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Kazoozle at the Bamboozle!

9-year-old guitarist from Tokyo, Yuto Miyazawa rocked the Kazoozle stage at the Bamboozle Festival at the Meadowlands in New Jersey. The kid certainly knows how to draw a crowd!

In the photo above, myself along with Louis Appel on drums and Randy McStine on second guitar back up Yuto rocking his Randy Rhoades model Flying Vee guitar. And I have to say, even though he's cute with the guitar, which is almost bigger than he is, the kid ROCKS. We did songs like: "Crazy Train," "Highway Star," and "Freebird." Yuto plays the guitar parts and even the solos note-for-note.

Yuto and I go way back. I played with him on a visit to New York last year when he was only EIGHT. He's getting a little long in the tooth now. If he contiunes with his studies at the rate he's going and doesn't decide that it would be more fun to play soccer when he's 12 (which I would think would be great), he's really going to be someone to keep an eye on in coming years.

I get the distinct sense from Yuto that he dearly loves playing the guitar. There are no stage parents forcing him into the spotlight or anything like that. He's constantly trying to echo riffs I play at soundcheck, for instance, continuosly gathering musical information from every possible source, even the bass player. It's amazing to watch his talent develop.

And, heck, it's fun for me too. I get to play very loud and fast with him. It's interesting to have your check signed by a 9-year-old. I'm looking forward to more....

Ivan Bodley
Brooklyn, NY

Check out my website: www.funkboy.net
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Oh, Yeah, Like We Have a Choice....

I've been putting together my new CD in the past weeks. This will be my 3rd release. It'll be here soon. I'm looking forward to it. It'll be fun.

I can't help acknowledging, however, what I know to be true: the record business is a sucker's game! It always was in a way. Artists historically have never gotten rich from record companies. But now? Forget it! Even record companies aren't getting rich off of record companies!

So why do we do it? I've been surveying all of my artist friends with CDs out. It's an endless money pit: recording expenses, mixing, mastering, artwork, manufacturing, publicity, promotion, etc, etc, etc.

The consensus seems to be that apparently we do it because we don't have a choice. It's the same reason I basically became a musician in the first place. Being a musician is a sucker's game! You want to be rich? Be a (bailed out) banker. You want to be famous? Maybe being a serial killer is a quicker route to that. But if you feel, as I do, that you would rather play music in a smoky bar for tips than sit at a desk for one second longer, rent payments and light bills be damned, then by all means jump right in.

There are ways to be smart about it, pragmatic, practical; music school and things like that. But it's still a sucker's game. I can't recommend it as a lifestyle unless you have NO other choice. The amount of work and dedication it takes to get from the smoky bar to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is staggering.

Don't get me wrong. Playing the big stages is the greatest thing ever. But you don't walk straight from the music store buying your first instrument onto the concert stage. It's a long hard slog.

Putting out a CD is almost akin to buying a lottery ticket, albeit a very expensive one. The chances of me putting out a "hit" record are staggeringly against. One has a better chance of getting hit by lightning...twice...than winning the lottery. But instead of allowing this information to convince me against buying an occasional lottery ticket, I'm now afraid of lightning. Such is the tortured internal calculus of the artist's lifestyle.

My CD is coming out whether I like it or not. I may sell tens of copies. I may be heard by literally a dozen people on the radio. But I don't have a choice. I'm compelled to document my work. I'm forced to make my material available to the world. If the world chooses to ignore it, that's fine. I have to put it out there.

For me the journey is the reward, as it is in so many other aspects of life. I'm having a blast being a musician, touring the world, playing with talented and/or famous people, occasionally creating art or at least some unified purpose of spirit within a room of like-minded musicians and audience members. If my CD turns out to be little more than a musical photo album of some of my experiences, so be it. I'm a richer person for being able to look back at the keepsake of some work I've immensely proud of....

Ivan Bodley
Brooklyn, NY

Check out my website: www.funkboy.net
Visit me on MySpace: www.myspace.com/funkboynyc
Follow my blog at: http://funkboynyc.blogspot.com/

Spinal Tap: The Voice of a Generation

I was reminded as our band traveled to Ohio last week of the enduring legacy of the Christopher Guest masterpiece mockumentary: "This is Spinal Tap." Our entire trip we were constantly intoning "Hello, Cleveland!" in homage to Spinal Tap. This is the 25th anniversary of the release of the movie in 1984. And to this day I think I quote Tap almost daily, hourly.

Something about the film captured what it means to work in the music business so perfectly, with such nuance and accuracy, that it took a parody of the business to paint the real picture. You have to laugh to keep from crying sometimes. I've met all of the character types portrayed in the film in my travels. I've been lost trying to find my way to the stage in unfamiliar theatres too many times to count. I even worked for the lady that the character Bobbi Flekman was based upon. Fran Drescher had it closer than she knew.

To think that this quarter century old film still has such presence today is staggering.

I met Harry Shearer very briefly at a gig in Austin, TX a few years back. Despite his enormous body of professional work, all I could really say to him was: "I'm a huge Derek Smalls fan. I even have your action figure!" He replied: "Thank you for not calling it a doll." Yes, I own the set of three Spinal Tap action figures in testimony to my respect of their achievements.

I was thrilled in 2005 to see Tap perform their classic "Big Bottom" at the Live 8 concert before about a billion people. In a continuing show of their genius, they invited every bass player performing at the entire festival to join them onstage for the song. Brilliant. Even Derek Smalls' wig is now salt and pepper to reflect that he's a rock star of a certain age now (see photo above). If you didn't see the performance, here's a youtube link.

I recommend the deluxe edition DVD release of the movie too because it contains nearly another feature film's worth of deleted scenes, equally brilliant to the main cut of the movie. And there's and entire commentary track to the film done by the three principals in character! It's like having a third entire movie. Hysterical.

I'm not on Christopher Guest's payroll, nor Embassy Pictures. But what I am is a working class musician who appreciates the unique voice Spinal Tap gave to my profession. Turn it up to 11!

Ivan "Funkboy" Bodley
Brooklyn, NY

Check out my website: www.funkboy.net
Visit me on MySpace: www.myspace.com/funkboynyc
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Gigs That Do NOT Suck

There are gigs that suck. And then there are gigs that do NOT suck.

Last night we played the official VIP after party for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Cleveland, OH with Hall of Famer Sam Moore.

This is from Rolling Stone online:

"Drenched, drummer Lars Ulrich mugged for photographers and showed why he’s been a driving force in the band: After more than 25 years playing speed metal, he’s still got fast feet — and a quick wit. When a journalist asked where the after party was, Ulrich had an answer ready for the room: “Your mom’s house.”

"Soul man Sam Moore (of Hall of Fame duo Sam and Dave) played the official after party at House of Blues, turning in a set that included a nuanced rendition of the Police’s “Every Breath You Take.” Metallica bassist Rob Trujillo was at the bash, but our party reporter said the rest of

Metallica weren’t in sight. Maybe Lars wasn’t kidding."
The lovely and talented Will Lee and Sid McGuiness from the World's Most Dangerous Band joined us onstage for a couple of songs each. It was really nice of them to stop by after having played the ceremony.

A good time was had by all....

Ivan "Funkboy" Bodley
Brooklyn, NY

Check out my website: www.funkboy.net
Visit me on MySpace: www.myspace.com/funkboynyc
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Whether 'Tis Nobler in the Mind to Suffer...for One's Art?

I call this photo: "City Street, 2:01am." That's fairly descriptive, right? It doesn't really pertain to anything other than the fact that as a musician I'm usually up at 2:01am after just having gotten home from work. So I see this view of the city a lot.

So what is it, exactly, that we do as musicians? The darker view is that we entertain drunks and tourists in bars, pass the tip bucket, then go home with a stack of $1 bills feeling like strippers just off our shift at Billy's Topless. When we get hired to do a private function in a mansion or country club, I've often said that we're curios in the parlours of the rich and famous. There's no feeling quite like dressing in your finest James Bond shawl collar tuxedo, cuff links, studs and bow tie, only to be made to take the service elevator out by the dumpster scum in the alley because you're an (ugh!) musician. That's the seamy underbelly of what we do and how we're regarded by polite "society."

A brighter view of what we do was once put to me by a painter who said that even in bars full of drunks, we create a unity of spirit and energy, bringing people together in a common expression of joy with our meter and musical ruminations. I find this an incredibly bright spin put on an otherwise questionable profession in (formerly) smoky nightclubs where vice and alcoholism are practiced simultaneously with our unifying artistic expressions. But the painter had a point, especially as it pertains to concert stage performances, festivals, original music, etc. Occasionally we are part of some very powerful vortex of human energy, moving a massive crowd in perfect unison towards some realization of joy or pathos or catharsis or protest. These are the moments we cherish.

These are the moments we think about at 2am when getting home from another bar in the city. Even if two people in the bar have been entertained, transfixed, transported, soothed, or encouraged by what we do, there's some nobility left in what we're accomplishing. It's easy to lose sight of sometimes. It's also difficult to explain to the laity that playing a bar gig isn't a lowering of professional standards. Quite the opposite, it allows us to practice our craft, keep fluid on our instrument, and generally stay in touch with people, tastes and trends.

The challenge here is trying to find avenues to introduce new original material. This proves much more difficult. Drunks in bars want to be entertained by cover material, songs they know. This is understandable. After the economy has tanked, the pension fund is gone, the pink slip has been delivered, the last thing a late night reveler wants to hear is an experimental piece of music advancing the boundaries of jazz harmony and stretching concepts of previously accepted listenability. This is as it should be. People need and deserve to be entertained in a setting like that.

But if a musician is aspiring to be an artist rather that just an artisan, there needs to be some venue available to stretch the boundaries, to create anew. Fortnately for me I've found a couple of like-minded compatriots this year who have also decided that it's time to do something original. We've been meeting at the drummer's house every week or so to play and record each other's original material. The results have been enormously satisfying.

To whit, I'm about to release a CD of my original writings recorded with my friends Jim Dower on keys and Joe Goretti on drums. All of it is us playing live in the "studio" (ok, Joey's spare bedroom), all fun stuff. The music is something like Ramsey Lewis and Lou Donaldson having a jam session with The Meters. It's soul jazz. It's music you can simultaneously wrap your mind and your booty around. It's our expression of who we are, what we do, and why we play music at all. I'll keep you posted about the release date. I'm aiming for May 1. Stay tuned.

Meanwhile I'm off to play another long bar gig tonight, entertaining drunks and tourists in Times Square. It's not Madison Square Garden or Carnegie Hall. But I can't think of a nobler pursuit....

Ivan Bodley
Brooklyn, NY

Check out my website: www.funkboy.net
Visit me on MySpace: www.myspace.com/funkboynyc
Follow my blog at: http://funkboynyc.blogspot.com/

Road Rage

I call this photo "Road Rage." It's a self portrait, shot in traffic, that just happens to capture my old skull and crossbones rear view mirror air freshener.

Alas, the air freshener died finally. It took about a month for the smell to finally die out so I could just enjoy the artistic value of it. It's an old homage to one of my favorite movies of all time, Alex Cox's "Repo Man." The line is: "There's one in every car. You'll see..." I quote this movie every day of my life, just like i do "This Is Spinal Tap." But to be accurate, in "Repo Man" they're referring to a standard green pine tree air freshener, not the skull & crossbones. So there, I've really revealed something very personal to you about my life. Don't judge me.....

But that's not what I'm enraged about. I'm mad as hell. And I'm not going to take it any more! OK, I'm not really that mad. I just couldn't resist another movie quote. What I am concerned about, however, is road work, as in touring, as in life on the bus, as in "Hello, Cleveland!" (see above).

As I've mentioned, I have an upcoming, impending, imminent CD release coming down the pipeline. Any day now, really. It's all stuff I managed to get recorded in between other gigs and travels. It's a trio effort, myself, Jim Dower on keys, and Joe Goretti on drums. These are guys whom I consider my "road buddies."

We travel. We play. We back up soul legends like Sam Moore, The Temptations, and recent special guests of Sam's like Elvis Costello, Sting, Wynonna, Travis Tritt, etc, etc.

But here's my concern. And I'm not sure if this is just a semantic problem or not. We never ever get on a bus, each person to a bunk, and hit the highway. As much as we would like to, that's just not the reality of the music business these days. Every gig is a one-off. Every show is a weekend out and back. The day after we play with one of these lovely superstars, we're unemployed again.

There's no touring. Tours don't exist for us in the way that people perceive. I'm constantly asked: "so are you around town these days?" The answer is: "yes, I'm around!" Call me for your gig! I'm not on a plane to Bali. I'm in Brooklyn! Last year I spent 50 nights on the road. And by "on the road" I mean away from home. The longest kip was a week in Tokyo with Sam Moore. I assume that could be considered a "tour." But we played only one town, Tokyo. Out & back. No bus. No itinerary.

That means I spent 316 nights at home. (Last year was a leap year, wasn't it?) Don't get me wrong. I did 214 gigs last year. I was busy! Working! But "touring?" Not so much. I think there's a mis-perception about what we do and how we do it.

Even the big "touring" bands tend to go out for a month in the summer only. I've got one buddy who's currently on a superstar tour, as big as tours ever get. And he's home every week or so unless they're overseas. So while I'm happy to perpetuate the myth, the legend, the mystique of what it means to be a "Rock Star," I'm leery about letting the perception remain among people who actually know me and know what I do for a living.

I know another person who is actively trying to develop a "rock star" career. It's kind of funny to see what this person goes through and what this person is actually aspiring to. By that definition of "rock star," that's exactly what I am and what I do. And while Bill Wyman's solo 45 from 1981 was called "Je Suis Un Rock Star," I'm not sure that's what I really am.

So here's the topic of discussion: Do I perpetuate the mystique for the public? Do I save the real deal for clinics and classes? I'm not trashing hotel rooms, demanding only green M&M's, doing drugs or hanging out with groupies. I WORK for a living. But I do enjoy my work.

Your thoughts?

Ivan Bodley
Brooklyn, NY

Check out my website: www.funkboy.net
Visit me on MySpace: www.myspace.com/funkboynyc
Follow my blog at: http://funkboynyc.blogspot.com/

It's the Stupid Economy, Stupid!

So I keep having friends asking me how the "economy" is affecting my business. This is always an interesting question to me, not because I consider myself having any particular interest in matters financial, but because I'm a musician. By definition, until I have my 25th million-seller, I don't have any money. And I'll argue with you a long time about how rich most "rock stars" actually are. Yes, there are exceptions. But even Michael Jackson has run into "financial trouble."

So for all intents and purposes, I have no actual "money." My rent is paid. I'm fine. But "money" in the stock market? 401K? Real estate holdings? Not so much. I have a couple of basses. They have pink strings. Nice.

Furthermore, the people asking me these questions are invariably of a similar financial stratum as myself. None of us ain't got no money! Never did. So unless one of us gets laid off from our job at GM, the "economy" affects us how? The news media is all abuzz with the financial world going to hell in a hand basket. It certainly is. And we could well be on the brink of a major depression, certainly the worst recession in 30 or more years.

And?

So now what do we do?

We survived the "recession" of 2001 when NYC completely SHUT DOWN after 9/11. I was working in the Village for $15/night just to get myself out of the house. I was ready to flip burgers or lick envelopes, whatever I had to do, to keep my head above water. Fortunately I never had to. So unless this latest one turns into the dust bowl again, I think we'll survive it as well. What choice do we have?

I've seen some corporate clients cancel parties that bands I work for have had booked. I've seen wedding bands lose bookings because rich people are now afraid to spend $50,000 on a wedding by hiring a band. They trim their budgets to $40,000 to make themselves feel better. Mazel tov!

The bigger problem in NYC is not the latest economy. It's that the last two mayors have CRIMINALIZED sound. Any sound at all. If there's ONE crank on the block that calls the cops to complain, they're compelled by law now to show up and stop the noise. I don't know how familiar you are with sociology and demographics. But there's ALWAYS ONE crank on every block. So now that Manhattan has become a playground for millionaires, there is no support for arts, culture, or especially live MUSIC.

I've been yelled at for playing too loudly in night clubs in NYC for about the past 10 years. Lest you think I'm the reincarnation of John Entwistle (of The Who, Buiness Book world record holding loudest band. What? Too obscure of a reference?), the irony being that I get these reprimands before the band ever plays a NOTE. I.e, the clubs are getting hassled by the cops. And they're trying to head off the problems before they start. So needless to say clubs are closing at an alarming rate in New York.

The first ticket the cops give a club owner for a sound violation is $750. Keep in mind that a sound violation technically now can be for even ONE decibel of sound audible outside. That's right: ZERO sound. The second ticket for a sound violation is $1400. The third ticket is a padlock on your door. The city closes you down permanently. It's happened a couple of times already on Bleecker Street, home of music in New York, birthplace of the music scene that spawned Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Donny Hathaway, etc, etc.

So most of the gigs I do for money in the past 5-10 years are increasingly private parties, out-of-town gigs, weddings, funerals, and bar mitzvahs. I ain't mad. I'm happy to keep working. But that brings us back to the "economy." More of these type of functions are generated by corporations. And corporations are having a devil of a time with the "economy."

My "economy" hasn't changed. My rent bill, light bill, gas bill, and phone bill are all due the same time every month. So how is my business affected by the "economy?" I'll have to get back to you on that one. I'm a freelance musician. Everything I do is a one-off on a personal referral. The day after one plays at Carnegie Hall, one is once again unemployed. I'm unemployed a certain number of days on any given week. When I do my end-of-year roundup for 2009, I'll let you know....

Ivan Bodley
Brooklyn, NY

Check out my website: www.funkboy.net
Visit me on MySpace: www.myspace.com/funkboynyc
Follow my blog at: http://funkboynyc.blogspot.com/

Digital Distribution?

Does anyone have any good experience with digital distribution and/or physical cd fulfillment? I'm gearing up for a new release. The title of my new release, you ask? Why, I'm glad you asked! The "album" (do we have albums any more?) will be called:

"Pigs Feet and Potted Meat."

There's a sneak preview of the CD cover. You're the FIRST person on your block to see that. Feels pretty special, doesn't it? Trust me, the CD is even more fun than it sounds! But more about that later.

What I'm interested in is hearing about anyone's experience with digital distribution, positive or negative. Do you actually find yourself getting PAID for downloads? Does your digital distributor take a bigger bite of your life than they should? Stuff like that.

For instance, I'm getting checks from one digital distributor one of my CDs is with, but not the other. Hmm...

Ivan Bodley
Brooklyn, NY

Check out my website: www.funkboy.net
Visit me on MySpace: www.myspace.com/funkboynyc
Follow my blog at: http://funkboynyc.blogspot.com/

To Blog or Not to Blog?

That is the question! In this day and age, with SO much information available on the web, what would necessarily make one blog more interesting or readable than another? What could possibly make me think that I either have anything to say that anyone else cares to read or foolishly make me believe that even if I had something unbelievably PROFOUND to offer the universe that it would ever be discovered in a random blog posting? But I've been encouraged by knowledgeable voices from several quarters that blogging is the wave of the future. It's the way to keep in touch with an increasingly wired in populace. And, let's face it, with a new CD that I'm about to release, a blog is one of the best ways to get the word out about what I'm doing. So much more information about that will follow: the recording process, my influences in composing the music, stories about our weekday afternoons in the studio creating something from nothing in the face of so many unemployed hours in the winters.

So for now, I simply say to you: Blog we must! I've decided to embark upon an exciting new chapter in online communications. I only hope that you're mildly entertained by any of it or moved to contemplate, act, or respond....

Ivan Bodley
Brooklyn, NY

Check out my website: www.funkboy.net
Visit me on MySpace: www.myspace.com/funkboynyc
Follow my blog at: http://funkboynyc.blogspot.com/