BUSTY AND THE BASS: The Soundtrack To Your Premature Summer
Due to the current corona-circumstances we may not be getting the 2020 Summer we were all eagerly anticipating, however the Sun God has blessed us with some premature rays to ease the notion of self-isolation, so it seems only fitting that we provide you with the tunes to accompany this.
Busty & The Bass are a Montreal-based funk octet (yep, octet) who have a beautifully unique funky-soul sound to them which incorporates two vocalists, a strong horn section, and a huge range of varied musical genres. They first came onto my radar a couple of years ago after releasing their second album, 'Uncommon Good'. The eighth track on the album, 'Common Ground' was and is one of my all-time-favourite-blissfully-happy-go-to songs, so the thought of getting to chat to them and find out more about the band was extremely exciting (on an uncool, eager fan level).
Since that release they've been working and touring hard, whilst producing more and more singles and recently released a few tracks, including 'Baggy Eyed Dopeman' which features the OG & founder of iconic group Parliament-Funkadelic, George Clinton. To quote the band, 'Without this man's leadership and musical influence, there would be no Busty and the Bass'
We discussed this new track with bassist, Milo who also advised us on how to stay creative during quarantine and shared some of his favourite music right now.
LB: How are you? Hope that you're keeping well amidst all of this. How are you managing to stay creative/productive?
M: We are doing alright all things considered! We all got back safe into Canada from our tour in the US, with a few close calls given all the border closures. Very grateful to be housed and healthy given everything that is going on.
I am trying to think more about being creative than productive in this time. I think that quarantine combined with a desire for “productivity” (especially artistic productivity) is a recipe for cabin fever! I’m taking this time to really dive into the aspects of my artistic and personal development to which I would not normally dedicate the proper time or energy. I am writing and producing a lot of new music that has allowed me to work different creative muscles. I am also cooking a lot of new styles of food, set to attempt my first pie from scratch this week (apparently vodka in the pie crust is a secret…)
Where are you all quarantining? If N. America, how is it up there?
Seven of us are quarantined in Canada, and one in the US. It is quite eerie to be out in a city and have it be almost completely deserted. We are all grateful to be in Canada, and have access to the Canadian government’s economic response plan to the impacts of the virus and stay home orders.
Can you explain how you all came together at McGill?
We all met in the jazz performance program at university in Montreal. The first week of school, our guitar player invited us to play at a house party that he and his building were throwing, and many of us jammed for the first time that evening. That led to more house parties, which ultimately led to venue performances and tours. Nine years later we are still at it!
Baggy Eyed Dope Man is epic. Tell us about this collaboration with George Clinton & how it came around.
Thanks! George has been an idol of mine since about age 12, when I first picked up “One Nation Under a Groove” at a used CD and record store. His ability to organize and inspire large diverse groups of musicians is an absolute inspiration, and has provided so much for the band.
When we were in the studio working on Baggy Eyed Dopeman, our producer Neal (Pogue) mentioned that he thought that George would be a great feature on the track, and we actually produced many parts of the song with him in mind (the doo-wap vocal backing on the bridge). We never thought that the collaboration would actually happen!
How does it work with so many of you in the band? You must be pretty like-minded to agree on ideas, otherwise it would take a very long time to come up with anything I imagine.
Working with eight people is definitely a challenge, but one that is the main creative force behind the group. I would say that we all think and process extremely differently, but we have collectively built up a language and creative trust over the years. We follow a philosophy of collective leadership, (there is no one leader of the group) that requires balance and patience. Each person must be able to lead and support, while being sensitive to the reality that each person’s leadership will require a different type of collective and individual support. The different creative worlds that we can access this way are immensely rewarding.
Where did your distinctive sound come from? Did you all have pretty similar musical influences growing up?
The sound definitely comes from the fact that we all have such diverse musical influences. We have built the band into a vehicle that is able to combine these influences into a larger context that is significantly bigger than the sum of its parts... We all have a few pillars of shared musical influence that have affected us all as a group (Earth Wind and Fire, P-Funk, Thelonious Monk, Kendrick Lamar, James Blake). Because we have a shared musical language as a group, it allows us to bring in diverse influences and incorporate them in a way that still feels authentic to the band.
What's your favourite track/artist to cover?
I particularly enjoyed our cover of “Latch” by Disclosure. It has been a few years since we’ve played it but that one was always one of my favorites.
Who are you listening to at the moment ? Any quarantine musical recommendations?
Here is the record rotation from the last few days:
Ray Charles - Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music
Erykah Badu - Worldwide Underground
Sarah Vaughn - Vaughn and Violins
Stevie Wonder - Talking Book
What do you listen to on your Last Bus home?
The RH Factor - Hardgroove
Gene Ammons - Makes It Happen
Johnny Hodges - Creamy
There you have it. The inner workings behind the genius that is Busty and the Bass.
Find their recent singles here and follow their Instagram to stay up to date with all-things-Busty.
We'll leave you with their beautiful recent live performance of ‘Summer’:
