Monday, June 28, 2010

Funkboy - Blue Note NYC - Friday 7/2 - 12:30am - No Excuses!




Ivan "Funkboy" Bodley
Blue Note, NYC
131 W. 3rd St, NYC 10012, 212-475-8592
Friday, July 2, 2010, 12:30am
Only $10!

more info:
http://www.bluenote.net/newyork/schedule/moreinfo.cgi?id=8229

Come get your "Pigs Feet" on! The funk is guaranteed to satisfy...

James Dower on the nasty B3. Joe Goretti on the stanky tubs. We're
throwing down immediately after our pals, Fourplay, appearing earlier
that same evening. The Blue Note is world-famous for good reason.
It's a great room in which to hear music.

You can SMELL the funk here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whZ2dU3t0uI


Top excuses for missing our Blue Note show DEBUNKED:

>> It's too hot!

The fabulous Blue Note Club in NYC is climate controlled year-round
for your listening comfort.

>> The Blue Note is too expensive!

While this may occasionally be true for world-famous jazz superstars,
our performance carries a modest cover charge of only $10, affordable
even in an economic downturn.

>> The Blue Note has a quiet policy. I won't be able to express myself.

They do have a quiet policy. That's true. It's out of respect to the
musicians as they craft their masterful jazz solos. But we're not
playing any sleepy jazz. Quite the opposite. We REQUIRE your active
participation in our shows. Not only will you be asked to clap your
hands (hopefully in time) and stomp your feet, but you will be
required to shout at the top of your lungs such stalwart anthems as:
"PIGS FEET.....& POTTED MEAT!" Don't worry. I'll remind you of the
lyrics as the songs begin. There will not be a test. You're under no
pressure. We also encourage dancing in the aisles, the shaking of the
groove thang, and copious voicings of approval at musical acrobatics.
Feel free to vocalize during the keyboard solo: "Yeah, man! Go 'head
on with your bad self!"

>> The show is too late at night.

Ah, don't be silly! It's Friday night! School's out! It's the start
of your Independence Day weekend. Start declaring your Independence!
What time do you really have to be up on Saturday morning. Really?

>> Dude, I've got a gig that night. I can't make it.

What time is your gig? Are you done before 12:30am? We'll be rocking
on, on, & on 'til the break of dawn, baby! Come by for a nightcap
after your gig. You know you're going to be frustrated from having to
deal with Bridezilla and Maitre d'spicable. Come sit at the bar, have
a cold one, loosen up that bow tie, and get your STANK on....

>> Ah, you'll be back at the Blue Note again. I'll catch you another time.

Will we? WILL WE? Admittedly this is our 2nd time at the mighty
Note. But we were only invited back because so many of our lovely
friends turned up for the first one. Make no mistake about it. The
Blue Note is a highly-coveted and prestigious gig. It's a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us that has somehow morphed into an
even rarer twice-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Our appearances there
will be rare indeed.

>> But I have a double I have to do on Broadway on Saturday.

Admittedly this is getting into the realm of valid excuses. However,
I'll just add this. Last January when we played the Blue Note, our
good friend, Maisey, from the hit Broadway musical "Rock of Ages" very
kindly came out to our show with that same dilemma facing her.
Apparently the funk was so effective that she sang her heart out that
next day (as she does every day)....

>> I'm going out of town for the holiday weekend.

Where? Where are you going? Where do you need to be so badly that
you can't leave 12 hours later? The holiday traffic leaving NYC on
the Fridays of holiday weekends is BRUTAL, as you know. You would be
much smarter to take a nap after work on Friday, get up to see our
show at the Blue Note, and leave town directly from our show. There
will be NO traffic at that hour. Our show will SAVE you time spent in
the car and make your holiday weekend just that much more enjoyable.

>> I don't live in NYC.

Wah, wah, wah. I get this one a lot. Don't be a crybaby! This is
the greatest city in the world. You KNOW you all want to at lease
visit NYC and catch a show, see the museums, etc. This weekend is
going to be very mild, weather-wise, for July. What better time to
visit? Heck, don't just come for our show. Come for the world's
largest fireworks display on Sunday. Just get here a couple of days
early so you can start out the weekend right by getting your "Pigs
Feet" on.


We'll see you at the Blue Note, NYC this Friday, you dig?

Your pal,
Ivan

www.Funkboy.net

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

The Return of "Pigs Feet!" Bitter End, NYC, Mon. 5/17, 9:30pm



The Return of "Pigs Feet!" Bitter End, NYC, Mon. 5/17, 9:30pm

Don't miss the triumphant return of the "Pigs Feet" trio at the Bitter
End (147 Bleecker St, NYC) this Monday, May 17, one set at 9:30pm
(sharp!). Those who caught us at the Blue Note in January know what a
funky good time it will be. If you missed the Blue Note, now's your
chance. The trio:

Ivan "Funkboy" Bodley - bass
Jim "Just Married" Dower - keyboards
Joe "Just Got Back from a Moby World Tour" Goretti - drums.

What? Not enough good news for you? Well, how about this? The cover
charge is only FIVE dollars! That's right! You heard me! FIVE
dollars! Where else can you get this much entertainment for that
little money? Don't miss it! And don't be even fashionably late.
Because we're only doing one set of our biggest powerhouse hits. You
can preview the music here: www.funkboy.net.

After the "Pigs Feet" trio on Monday, if you have any gas left in the
tank, stick around the Bitter End for the great and powerful Oz Noy
trio (featuring the beautiful and talented Will Lee [as seen on tv!] &
Rocky Bryant) following us, and the Richie Cannata Monday Night Jam
following Oz. It's an embarrassment of riches, I tell you!

So what else have I been up to since I last wrote? Well, I'm glad you axed....

We're excited to announce that Cracked Ice, our originals band led by
sax-man Crispin Cioe has just been included in a new compilation CD
from Putumayo Records called, aptly, "Rhythm & Blues." We're in the
mix with such luminaries as Sam Moore, Irma Thomas, The Emotions,
Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, Catherine Russell, & others. It's
available everywhere and previewable here:
http://www.putumayo.com/en/catalog_item.php?album_id=1003

The Rock Concerto, the brainchild of violinist phenom Alex Markov,
will be appearing at the prestigious Carnegie Hall, Saturday, October
9, 2010, at 8pm. I'm a featured soloist with this piece along with
Gregg Gerson on drums and Neal Coomer on vocals. Oh, and a full
symphony orchestra and a full chorus. Should be about 100 cats on
stage! We've performed this piece all over the world. This will be
the NYC debut. Pre-sale tickets are available now at:
www.rockconcerto.com

I upped my tally of Rock and Roll Hall of Famers with whom I've played
to 30 last month by getting to perform for the first time with Little
Anthony & the Imperials. What a lovely group of people to work with
and what a powerful show they do. I thought I was going out of my
head!

Last January I did a showcase for three songwriters who are putting
together a show called "The Soundtrack of Our Lives." Tour dates are
coming in the fall TBA. Who are the songwriters, you axe? None other
than:

Barry Mann (You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling)
Jimmy Webb (By the Time I Get to Phoenix)
Lamont Dozier (How Sweet It Is to Be Loved By You)

Of course, they all have dozens of other huge hits to their credit,
far too numerous to mention here. For instance, Mr. Dozier has penned
54 #1 songs. Try and wrap your head around that! It's an enormous
honor to be able to perform with these fine gentlemen.

I was very fortunate to play with Apollo legend Chuck "Any Day Now"
Jackson for the first time last February in Bermuda. Mr. Jackson is
the epitome of elegance and class with a voice so powerful that
patrons in the front row have to hold onto their wigs & keys during
the performance....

I'm continuing to travel occasionally with the great Sam Moore, the
original "Soul Man." We played the after party for the Grammys in LA
in January, the Highline Ballroom in NYC in February, and the
Strawberry Festival in Plant City, FL in March. No one who sees a Sam
show leaves the joint unchanged....

I'm also continuing to be on call to stand in for my pal, Winston
Roye, as the bass player in "Rock of Ages" on the Broad Way. This
weekend (Sunday 5/16, matinee and evening) will be my 30th and 31st
performances in RoA. This has been a fantastically fun gig for me.
The show is a blast. It's a full-blown rock concert for 1,000 people
per night. The band is onstage, in costume & makeup, and ROCKING.
I'm really digging it. Insert computer keyboard symbol for devil
horns hand signal here: \m/

And that's the latest. We continue to record new material with the
"Pigs Feet" trio. Look for a new CD of all-new funky funky jams
hopefully by the end of the year.

If you don't have a copy of our CD yet, "Pigs Feet & Potted Meat,"
what's keeping you? www.funkboy.net

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

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Webb-Mann-Dozier, "The Soundtrack of Our Lives"

Lamont Dozier

Jimmy Webb

Barry Mann

Here's the set list from my gig on Friday, January 8, 2010:

"W-M-D" aka Jimmy Webb/Barry Mann/Lamont Dozier

Barry Mann
On Broadway
Don't Know Much
Here You Come Again
Somewhere Out There

Jimmy Webb
Galveston
Wichita Lineman
MacArthur Park

Lamont Dozier
Supremes Medley: Where Did Our Love Go, You Can't Hurry Love, Stop in the Name of Love
Baby I Need Your Loving
I Can't Help Myself

Webb/Mann/Dozier
By the Time I Get to Phoenix (Webb)
How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You (Dozier)
You've Lost That Loving Feeling (Mann)

This was a showcase gig for the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP) convention at the NY Hilton. The show is called "The Soundtrack of Our Lives" and is a semi-unplugged format, hence why I was playing upright bass.

Here are just a few stats for you: All of the songs in this set were penned by the performers. Jimmy Webb is a multiple Grammy winner, the only artist in history to receive Grammys for Music, Lyrics, and Orchestration. "Phoenix" is the #3 most played song of the past 50 years according to BMI.

Barry Mann's "You've Lost that Lovin' Feeling" is certified by BMI as the #1 most performed song of the 20th century (16 million plays). He is being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2010.

Lamont Dozier wrote 25 #1 hits while at Motown for the Four Tops, Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Martha & the Vandellas, etc. He is credited with 54 #1 hits total and is an inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

This gig ups my tally of Rock Hall inductees I've performed with to 27. I'm still trying to absorb the enormity of what just happened on stage. When luminaries like Paul Shaffer and mega producer Danny Kortchmar show up as audience members, you know something heavy is about to go down.

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