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<\/p>\nA long-running funk group based in Western North Carolina, Citizen Mojo serves up fresh and inventive readings of classic tunes, steeped in American musical forms like blues, soul and jazz. Built upon the rhythm section of bassist Tim Clement and drummer Scott Stinson, Citizen Mojo also features organist Brad Curtioff and band leader\/guitarist Stephen Blanton. Blanton \u2013 also a radio host at WNCW \u2013 explains how his group cooks up its soulful musical stew.<\/p>\n
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You’ve been nominated twice for the W.C. Handy \u201cKeeping the Blues Alive\u201d Award for your work hosting Saturday Night House Party<\/i> on WNCW. How does traditional blues inform the music that you make with Citizen Mojo?<\/b><\/p>\n
Suffice it to say that my gig at WNCW has informed my music making, and my music making has informed my work in radio. The music I encounter via that medium \u2013 new and old \u2013 exposes me to things I might not otherwise encounter. There\u2019s always the element of improvisation in both pursuits. It\u2019s a risk\/reward thing in simple terms, but at its most fulfilling essence it\u2019s a bit more complicated than that.<\/p>\n
You describe the band’s sound as \u201cSouthern fried funk.\u201d What does that mean to you?<\/b><\/p>\n
My friend, the late Robin Tolleson, laid that moniker on the band, and it works. Up until that point we\u2019d always been challenged to succinctly describe what the band does musically. We cover a lot of influences: blues, funk, soul, jazz\u2026there\u2019s a bit of a rock \u2018n\u2019 roll sensibility there, too. The band members’ formative music experiences allowed us to find our way to artists who influenced what we were listening to back in the early to mid 70\u2019s. The essence of what we do is of southern extraction.<\/p>\n
The band’s approach owes a debt to the Meters and Booker T & the MGs. What’s special about each of those groups?<\/b><\/p>\n
We have the very same instrumentation as those two venerable bands but I\u2019m not sure that makes anything \u201cspecial.\u201d There sure is a lot one can do with those four instruments, however. I think that both those groups have tremendous strength in melody, arrangement and stone cold grooves; it\u2019s always<\/i> about the groove! With those elements in thoughtful combination, any band would be wise to follow that formula.<\/p>\n
When the band launches into a song, does everyone onstage know exactly where it’s going to go?<\/b><\/p>\n
Some tunes have an arrangement that remains relatively predictable from performance to performance. Others, while not remotely willy-nilly, are platforms for exploration and improvisation. The circumstances under which they are performed inform that decision. Lots of folks on the dance floor? Stretch it out. Feeling it? Play on! Nine years of playing together gives us a certain confidence that we can do as situations tend to dictate. I like that we\u2019ve reached the point that we just do things without so much as a wink and a nod.<\/p>\n
What inspires the band’s original compositions?<\/b><\/p>\n
Our individual tastes, experiences. and personalities are the bases of the original compositions. Someone has an idea and everyone makes a contribution to its ultimate formulation and impact. We think our material is well-suited to the other material we play. Our covers can be a bit esoteric on occasion, but it\u2019s okay to be on a \u201cmission\u201d to expose, inform, educate, and entertain all in one fell swoop.<\/p>\n
What’s been the most unusual gig the group has ever played?<\/b><\/p>\n
Nothing stands out as unusual, really. Every gig has its particulars. But the ones that really tend to stick with you are the ones where you know you played really well and the audience knew it, too. They let you know in their responses and reactions. I think all musicians live for those moments where, without having to say a word about it to each other, everyone knows you’re killing it in that moment. Have it happen once, and you can spend a lifetime chasing it!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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