AltWeeklies Wire » Music » Profiles & Interviews

New Funk Traditionalists

By T. Ballard Lesemann
Charleston City Paper | March 8, 2006
How would one define Entropy’s groove-based sound and style of funk, as compared to modern and classic funk acts? Well, that’s a tough one…

“Someone once described us as the sexiest blend of old and new school funk happening in the South today,” offers drummer and founding member Rob Robinson.

Since forming in Athens, Ga., in 2000, Entropy have fiddled around with their rhythmic formula and instrumentation but consistently aimed for the same goals. This year, armed with a pile of tunes, instrumentals, and jams from two studio albums, lead vocalist and keyboardist Rod Williams, guitarist Bryan “Slappy” Goodman, bassist Scott Jones, drummer Rob Robinson, and sax players Jailan Jagne and Myron “Hawk” Harvey hope to reach out far beyond their home base.

“When we started six years ago, we were an instrumental trio playing parties and small rooms,” Robinson says. “When Rod joined, he added the vocal element and put the focus on songwriting while keeping the music funky enough to light up the dance floor. We really found our sound in 2004, before our first album came out. Now, we’ve been travelling as a six piece with two saxes for over a year now, and the show is tighter and funkier than ever.”

In late ’04, Entropy released a debut studio album with a tight sound titled Live.Rebel.Funk.Love. The 14-song collection was recorded in Athens at Elixir Studios and featured a guest performance from woodwind player Kofi Burbridge (of the Derek Trucks Band). Fans and critics in the Southeast picked up on the spacious grooves and funky progressions as the group made their way through the region on one tour after another — a success they hope to trump with their forthcoming studio album, Crawl.
Tags: Atlanta, Crawl, entropy

Charleston City Paper

Founded in 1997, the locally owned and operated City Paper is Charleston's only weekly alternative newspaper and the second-largest publication in the metro Charleston area. Reaching a strong mix of active, affluent locals and tourists, the City Paper has thrived...
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