There are moments when music transcends the realm of sound and becomes an act of sexuality. It conjures something primal inside us that is screaming to be expressed, an energy passed from one body to another. Since they were born from the red hot magma of Planet Funk nearly three years ago, that’s been the goal of the Puscie Jones Revue. The eight piece ensemble blends funk, and old school R&B into a combination that can be both explosive and smouldering from one minute to the next.
Tonight, the LA based band returns to the Wayfarer for the third time, continuing a campaign to convert unsuspecting OC fans. Lead singer Puscie Jones—the band’s shirtless Id sporting an afro, sweaty six pack and tight pants—welcomes the challenge of freeing you of your inhibitions and reminding you what your hips are for.
“When you come to my show I give you permission to let all that shit go and enjoy live music the way you wanna enjoy it,” Jones says. “I’m up there half naked with tight pants going to the extreme so you can take two steps.”
Formed out of a collage of local musicians, Jones and his tribe of fellow musicians got together via their guitar player Jason Taylor who saw Jones perform with his previous band NY77 and gradually built an outfit of players around his electric energy. The result is a party on stage that spills out into the audience.
Coming to LA from Seattle by way of Oklahoma, Jones’ journey to fronting one of the most exciting funk bands on the LA scene came almost by accident. Like plenty of transplants, Jones came out here aspiring to be an actor and a comedian. But migrating into the role of musician has allowed him to hone his stagecraft while developing his voice, a masculine howl with the verve and command of a young Teddy Pendergrass. But actually it was punk rock that inspires a good portion of what he and his band do on stage.
“At the time I was living in Seattle, I was into the punk rock scene and I loved the shows and how crazy high energy they were all the time,” Jones says. “So I tried to recreate that with a different genre, it’s funk music but it’s like you’re at a punk rock show.”
Melding those worlds together is always a powerful combination—just ask George Clinton. Much like the Godfather of Funk, Jones says the band’s music allows people to free their mind so their ass will follow. In that regard, the name PUSCIE—Pursuit of the Uninhibited and Stimulated Core Inside of Everyone—is an acronym that easily rolls off the tongue.
“The whole reason we’re alive is to fulfill what satisfies us, this is a place for people to explore things they’ve never explored physically, musically, it’s just freedom,” Jones says.
The Puscie Jones Revue performs at The Wayfarer tonight. 9 p.m. $5. For details, click here.
