5 Bass Players That Have Inspired Funk Collective T H U M P
A collective of musicians who have played with some of the funkiest local cats Australia has to offer (Band Of Frequencies, Resin Dogs, Afro Dizzi Act), not to mention John Butler and The Whitlams or newcomer Jaguar Jonze, T H U M P are a Sunshine Coast-based group on the verge of releasing their debut album.
T H U M P are a funk collective from Sunshine Coast.
'A Better Way' will be available digitally as well as 12" vinyl from Sunday (27 June) and features four juicy, luscious cuts: 'A Better Way', 'Shake It', 'The Change' and 'Love Train'.
The band morphs between a six-piece and ten-piece ensemble led by bassist and band leader Oj 'The Juice' Newcomb; he's joined by Clint Francis on lead vocals, Oscar Richardson on lead vocals and guitar, Brodie 'Nooch' Graham on guitar, Mark 'Macca' Moroney on guitar, Andrew 'Mouse' Szumowski on keys, Jacob Mann on drums and Dyon Tahana on alto sax.
T H U M P also features the legendary horn section of Nick Aggs on tenor, Clint Allen on trumpet, Mark Spencer on alto and Ben Young on trombone.
The band's name comes from a term coined by the originator of slap 'thump' bass and the father of funk, Larry Graham (Graham Central Station) - a heavyweight in the funk music genre and an inspiration to many including the one and only Prince.
All members of T H U M P have a collective love for the New Orleans funk and bring this approach to their original music.
Ahead of the Sunshine Coast launch show for 'A Better Way' on Sunday, Oj sits down to share five bassists that have inspired himself and the band in general.
1: Louis 'Thunder Thumbs' Johnson (Brothers Johnson)
After hearing the song 'Stomp' by Brother Johnson as a teenager I lost it with how funky this guy was. Louis has such energy, power and style when he plays the bass. It's super infectious.
His early collaborations with Quincy Jones are also super inspiring. There is a great feature of him in the latest Quincy film on Netflix. Absolute gold!
2: Larry Graham (Sly & The Family Stone, Graham Central Station)
The originator of the slap 'THUMP' bass playing. Larry doesn't need a band. His bass playing is so fat and solid he could play solo in a stadium and the show would be complete.
When you hear the songs that gave Sly Stone his rise to fame, it was Larry laying down the funk and doing what bass players do best. Support the band and make it fat!
3: Bootsy Collins (James Brown, George Clinton, P Funk)
Bootsy is the ultimate showman. Bootsy, George Clinton, Parliament, and James Brown brought the larger than life funk experience to the stage. Galactic sound travel!
One of my favourite things about Bootsy with the George Clinton crew, and a huge influence which you will hear in our track 'The Change', is the use of the BIG 1.
That funk-groove cycle that you can't stop moving too. As Bootsy would say: "The power of the one baby!"
4: ThunderCat (Erykah Badu, Kendrick Lamar, Mac Miller)
The new-school pioneer of the bass and the guy giving a depth to groove that no one else is at the moment. I love how he connects with a wider audience with his playing: jazz, pop, funk, soul, rock, punk.
There are people that play the bass in the background doing their thing, but you never hear of them; and there is Thundercat putting it all out there and not caring what anyone thinks.
Bold, intricate, innovative and has pockets bigger than Jeff Bezos.
5: Pino Palladino (D'Angelo)
Pino is a bass player that is the ultimate support musician. He knows what you want before you ask it of him. There is a subtlety to his playing that just can't be matched. That nuance in the groove, the basslines that draw you in and his collaborations speak for themselves.
D'Angelo changed the world when his album 'Brown Sugar' dropped in 1995 and Pino with Questlove were right there in the groove to help launch that sound.
Pino's playing still influences many bass players even today with the nu soul, nu jazz scene.
T H U M P launch their debut album 'A Better Way' at Solbar (Sunshine Coast) 27 June.
