Keeping the groove alive

If you are looking to get funked up tonight, head over to Cowboy Monkey to see local band Brother Embassy. The band blends elements of funk, R&B, hip-hop, rock and a whole lot of stage presence to create some real feel-good music that is uniquely theirs.
The band itself is somewhat of a hybrid. Members John Vasquez, Erik Peterson and Mike Meek played together in the metal group Geartooth before getting together with vocalist Nate Jones, former member of local band Jaded Kayne. In 2003, they melded their talents together in a collaboration focused on making music people can have fun listening and grooving to.
Though they have been playing together for years, Brother Embassy has hardly fallen into a groove. The band released their second album, Music Knows No Color But Love, in May 2007. The album is available at their shows and is a follow-up to their first EP, Whodafunkit? Brother Embassy has also been working on their next album, tentatively titled Rainbow of Soul, to be released sometime in 2009.
Since forming in 2003, Brother Embassy has played at most of the venues in CU and has taken their tour on the road to southern Illinois and St. Louis. The band also played their first Great Cover-Up this year as the heavy metal band White Zombie.
Brother Embassy is influenced by musicians from all stretches of the funk world and shows glimpses of acts like Red Hot Chili Peppers bubbling out from their album Music Knows No Color But Love. Jones’ smooth and powerful voice distinctively channels Stevie Wonder and blends effortlessly with the jazz-inspired percussion backbone pounded out by Meek. This all ties together into one easy sonic package, an example of which can be heard on the Myspace track “Music Knows No Color But Love” from their last album. Jones sings, “What you feel is what you show,” and if they live the lyrics they write, they must be feeling pretty darn good. Catch the grooves of Brother Embassy at 10 p.m. tonight at the Cowboy Monkey.

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