The Fabulous Boogienauts Breaking Into Film Score, Headlining Herman’s
by Jessica Moffett
If you listen to The Fabulous Boogienauts’ 12 Inches Fully Funktional CD, it’s no accident that it’ll remind you of the sweet seductive tales of Curtis Mayfield’s Superfly or even the orgasmic chemistry of Cerrone’s Love In C Minor albums. In the 1970s, most of the Fabulous Boogienauts members were children limited to 3 TV stations, 8-track cassettes, and AM radio. For weekend fun, “American Bandstand” and “Soul Train” exposed them to talented acts and flamboyant outfits not seen in the small towns of Colorado.
Twenty years later, a homeless 19-year-old street kid called Rocky had played his share of punk rock gigs as a bassist in Denver. Upon meeting the late Sharon Rawles, a Denver music promoter and manager, Rocky changed for the better. He credits Rawles as not just a mentor, but also for being like a mother to him. Between her inspiration and his vision, he formed The Fabulous Boogienauts. “I had this idea of putting a huge band – literally – together. I would steal as many musicians as I could from other people’s auditions. Think of it – it’s funny – to add as many musicians as possible onto the stage while everyone is dressed (all) crazy,” he laughs.
Over the last 15 years, The Fabulous Boogienauts experienced over sixty members come and go while some key musicians remained on board. Singer Jennifer has been in the band most of the time. Within a couple years of joining, she met her husband and trumpet player Kentucky.
Both Kentucky and Jennifer, who share the same passion for funk music, have added volumes to the band’s catalog. Some couples become “power houses” when their friendships evolve into romantic relationships, therefore the relationships become a galaxy of creative ideas and projects. Their repercussions foster a sense of legacy. “It’s very cool to be married to the person who’s also one of the band’s main singers. I will help Jen with the vocals and she will help me with the horn parts,” shares Kentucky.
Today, there are ten members who take to the stage – all with unique talents. “Each member will suggest an idea – and next, we’re experimenting with lyrics and bass lines. We all have fun. These are not just my band members, but we are also family,“ Jennifer adds.
How is it possible to get ten musicians together as one band? According to Kentucky, “You’ll hear about bands with four or five members who can’t find the time to get together. And they have families just like all of us. Yet the real answer is we genuinely love playing together. We all look forward to coming together for rehearsal. We try to book shows in advance – especially because many of us have kids.”
Outside of gigs, there are band projects. The Fabulous Boogienauts joined the cast and music soundtrack for filmmaker M. Van Michaels’ latest movie Hot Lead, Hard Fury due out in Summer 2015. As independent film making is exploding in popularity due to today’s digital technology, crowd funding, and social media, filmmakers like Michaels are connecting local musicians, models, and artists together outside of the venues and social media.
Hot Lead, Hard Fury, a 1976ish era film about cars, bad guys, police, and hot babes, was something Kentucky had considered as a music project for his band. Through a mutual friend, the band met Michaels, who ironically considered their participation. Although Michaels primarily wrote the lyrics to his movie’s theme song, the band came up with the funky disco score – perfect for his car chasing, macho fight scenes. “We thought of what kind of dissertation we wanted to start the song with. The theme. The speed. The style. The song is not fully finished, but the song will piece together when we go into to the studio in late April or early May.”
Michael’s film scenes inspired The Fabulous Boogienauts to reconsider their own impact as a band devoted to the 1970s funky sci-fi music era. “Michaels came down with the trailer to his film. He showed us a little segment of one of our songs being played in a scene on 8-track in the Dodge Challenger car scene. It was very surreal and cool to see the Boogienauts on a ‘8-track’ for this 1970’s film. Something we never really envisioned considering the kind of music we play.”
In the meantime, The Fabulous Boogienauts welcome you to their next headlining show at Herman’s Hideaway on Saturday, April 11, 2015. The late Sharon Rawles, who managed Herman’s Hideaway for many years, own spirit will be there to greet you. Today the band’s founder and bassist 41-year-old Rocky carries her delicate ashes in his bass case wherever he goes.
Online: facebook.com/thefabulousboogienauts
Category: Buzzworthy
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