Turkuaz Invades South Florida With An Army Of Funk!

Posted 14 Nov 2014 in General News, News, Performance

It’s been a great couple of weeks for the music scene in South Florida.  There has been a flood of top notch bands making their way through the sunshine state as they head towards the Bear Creek Music Festival this weekend.  Wednesday gave Guitar News Daily an opportunity to see some extremely funky music from Turkuaz.

Turkuaz funks up the Funky Biscuit.  Photo by Dave Abrams

Turkuaz funks up the Funky Biscuit. Photo by Dave Abrams

The Bear Creek Music festival kicks off today.  As the bands made their way to Florida in advance of the festival South Florida was the lucky beneficiary and got to see warm up shows from many of the bands playing this weekend in Live Oak, Fl.  We got to see The Fritz, TAUK, The Nth Power and Turkuaz.

If you don’t know about Turkuaz they are described on their official website as:

…a funk army of multi-instrumentals and singers that is part freight train and part tyrannosaurus rex, who—even on an off night—can blow away a room on the basis of sheer physics alone.

That description is definitely accurate.  It’s a sight to see and they certainly are an army of funk!  The sound is huge but aside from the power they play with they are very tight and polished…and did I mention funky?

Considering it was a Wednesday night when they hit the stage at The Funky Biscuit in Boca Raton there was a decent sized crowd.  No doubt many of the attendees were already familiar with Turkuaz but those who were seeing them for the first time absolutely got their money’s worth and were given a glimpse into how this band is beginning to explode on the national music scene.

Turkuaz

Photo by Dave Abrams

The rhythm section lays down an awesome foundation for each song.  The drums and bass grow to a thundering driving force which allows the horns, keys, vocals and guitars to weave their sound around these tight grooves.  From a technical aspect each musician in the band is incredibly skilled at their instrument with a few of the guys in the band playing multiple instruments during each song.

Turkuaz

Photo by Dave Abrams

Technicality aside Turkuaz makes their funk sound easy and effortless.  The hooks in each song almost force you to dance.  You can try to deny the funk but in the end everyone in the room gives in and ends up dancing the night away.  But it’s not only the audience that seems to be grooving.  The band can’t seem to sit still either and everyone on stage looks to be having just as much fun as those in the crowd.

The first set of the night was great.  The band started heating up as the late arriving South Florida crowd began to fill in.  By the end of the first set it was clear that the band was going to funkify the crowd even more during the second set.  Turkuaz closed out the first set and headed off stage and the crowd headed outside to cool off.

Turkuaz

Photo by Dave Abrams

Between sets I had a few minutes to talk with Craig Brodhead (guitars/synths) and drummer/percussionist Michelangelo Carubba (I’m a drummer so it was a thrill to talk to him because he kills it on those drums).  Let me tell you, these guys were super cool and had the time to talk with anyone who wanted to say hello.  They mentioned a few upcoming shows and also made a point to say that they had a ‘beach day’ while in South Florida.  I sometimes forget that while we are enjoying 80 degree weather the rest of the country is freezing their asses off.

The second set started out on fire and didn’t slow down for a second.

Turkuaz is playing on Friday at Bear Creek so make sure you catch their set.  But only if you want to dance your ass off.  If you don’t feel funky then you should stay away…

Hopefully Turkuaz will head back to South Florida soon because we’ve always got room for the funk down here!  Be sure to check their official website for their upcoming tour dates.

 

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Dave has been eating, living, and breathing music since before he could talk. This makes Dave perfect for his role here at Guitar News Daily.



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