Alumni Bulletin - Winter 2009 - (Page 12)

music • bookshelf ARTS & CULTURE music J. WOK AND THE PEDESTRIANS The student-and-alumni funk band revels in blaring horns and clashing duds. Even under the dim glow of neon Christmas lights, J. Wok and the Pedestrians’ unique style was apparent. Students and community members milled into the hallwaysized venue to hear 10 curiously dressed Lehigh students and alumni perform. Josh Brown ’08 wore an orange suit with a matching hat, tie, and suspenders. Guitarist Sean Kelly ’10 topped his outfit off with a Musketeer’s feathered hat, and other members donned equally eclectic outﬁts. Six of the performers carried accessories rarely seen in college bands—horns. In a time when brass instruments have been relegated to marching bands, jazz, and the occasional ska band, members of this funk band, J. Wok and the Pedestrians, revel in loud horns as much as their chaotic clothing choices. Their show featured blues, gospel, and funk-inspired music by James Brown, the Parliament Funkadelic, Maceo Parker, and Stevie Wonder, as well as their original composition. J. Wok and the Pedestrians dance, clap, and call out to their audience, and their exuberant showmanship has earned them a small following. The outrageous outfits and antics cannot disguise their serious musicianship, says Bill Warﬁeld, associate professor of music and director of Lehigh’s jazz ensemble. The performers are skilled, rhythmically sound, and they’re having fun. “These guys are entertaining—mostly because they are entertaining themselves,” he says. Brown formed his “funk armada” from friends on his hall and in the LU jazz ensemble in 2004, but the band seldom played until 12 lehigh alumni bulletin PUT THE FUN IN FUNK Brown decided to enter the 2007 Battle of the Bands. The band had prepared an all instrumental show for the contest until Gabe Young ’08, the auxiliary percussionist, volunteered to sing the day before the contest. Brown, a drummer and trombone player, had frequently played with Young in jam sessions that never included vocals. “I was confused,” Brown recalls. “I had no idea he could sing.” gusto and skill. As the last song, Young sang Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered.” “Gabe sang it and it was fantastic,” Brown says. J. Wok and the Pedestrians won the 2007 and 2008 Battle of the Bands. For their reward, they opened for the Wailers in 2008 and Hellogoodbye in 2007 at the university’s spring music festival, Sundaze. They have played at venues around campus, a festival in New York, and recently landed a monthly gig at a bar on Fourth Street. “There’s something about this music that is infectious and joyful,” says Bill Warfield, who occasionally plays with the band as a substitute trumpet player. Other performers include: Andrew Bredholt ’05, Matt Schelosky ’08, Andrew Rakowski ’05, Mike Oehman ’11, Graham Cornwell ’09, and While singing “Signed, Sealed, Delivered,” Gabe Young (left) realized that the band would play at more venues than just the 2007 Battle of the Bands. But Young had sung for his family’s Christian rock band for years, and it showed during an impromptu practice Brown called. “When we showed up at the Battle of the Bands, we had no anticipation of doing well,” says Young, who currently works as a software development engineer for Microsoft. Despite their nerves, the band played with Dan Glasel ’08, ’09G. The only non-Lehigh afﬁliated player is Mark Brown, Josh’s brother and a professional keyboardist. Josh Brown works as a part-time mechanical engineer for Air Products while completing his second degree in jazz studies. But even when school’s done, Brown hopes to keep the funky band grooving.—Becky Straw

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Lehigh Bulletin - Winter 2009 Contents From the President's Desk Mailbox On Campus Research Arts & Culture Sports Teaming Up to Tackle Global Challenges Positively 4th Street A Sweet Job From the Publisher's Desk Alumni News

Alumni Bulletin - Winter 2009

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