Your name:
Jason
Holcomb.
Where are you from?
I’m from The United States, but I reside in Newcastle and the band is based
here as well.
Name of band:
King Bee.
Who is in your band?
We are an 8 piece outfit:
Dave Wilde: Saxophone, Flute, vocals
Chris Jelly: Vibraphone, vocals
Dan Brady: Bass, vocals
Stephen Glendinning: Guitar, vocals
Jason Holcomb: Trombone, vocals
Mark Hand: Rhodes, Moog, vocals
Martin Douglas: Drums
Richard Burns: Trumpet, vocals
How would you describe
yourselves?
It’s
difficult with a group as eclectic as King Bee to describe, but I think we have
to say that funk with a nod to jazz is a good place to start. Additionally we pull elements from many other genres; soul, Motown, rock,
R&B, hip hop, blues, and others.
Who are your main influences
musically?
Again, because
there are so many members in the band and we all contribute to the songwriting,
it’s hard to pick out specific influences. Generally speaking, all of the
iconic funk players, musicians and bands like Herbie Hancock, Roy Ayers,
Corduroy. But each of us individually has many important influences
specific to our instruments.
What do you hope to achieve
in music?
I really think
our goal as a band is to just produce and perform the best music we can, and if
we can help spread the word to an audience that has yet to discover funk then
that’s even better.
What has been the highlight
of your career so far, and why?
We
had the very cool privilege of performing for a crowd between 10,000 and 15,000
strong on New Year’s Eve in our home town of Newcastle, it was a pretty
poignant moment for us.
And what’s the moment you
want to forget?
In
all honesty, I’d rather remember it all…like any group we’ve had our ups and
downs but I feel like that’s what gives us our identity. Having said that
I think we all would agree that there have been a few post-show late night
mishaps that should probably be left forgotten.
If you had to pick just one
of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?
Off of our new album, I’d say that Three Bee
is, for me, one of our more quintessential tunes. It features quite a few
members of the band and none more than Chris on vibes which is something that
really gives us a distinctive sound. It also relies on a very funky
groove foundation which is something that is at the core of King Bee.
Where can we listen to
it?
https://itunes.apple.com/
Where can we find out more
about your music?
