AUGUST 13-19 , 2015 THE FREAK BROTHERS, STACI STORK • PAGE 2 Freak Brothers: Best R&B Performer Freaks Staying on Top of Their Game They’re not freaks and they’re not brothers, but drums, Brandon Rentfrow on guitar, Dan Capelli on don’t tell them that. For the past 16 years the Freak baritone sax, Matt Cashdollar on alto sax and flute, Brothers have been funking it up all over town, blast- Todd Roth on trumpet and guitar and Ed Renz on ten- ing out their brand of R&B and booty-shaking funk to or and baritone sax. Renz is the new kid on the block. a seemingly limitless supply of fans. And they’ve re- It’s an impressive lineup. Anytime you get that warded for their efforts with more than 20 Whammys many people on stage playing people tend to notice. during that time. Those of you doing the math realize Toss in the fact that they’re all multi-instrumentalists that for several years and the effect can be the Freak Brothers disconcerting. You took home multiple wander off for a drink Whammys. and when you come This year, howev- back it’s a suddenly er, the talented septet different band. received just one, for It’s never been Best R&B Performer. easy to sit still at a It’s the eighth time Freak Brothers show. in the last 10 years But lately fans of the they’ve topped the category. And to bass player Adam band have had to sit and wait a little longer to see the Martin, each one of the band’s Whammys is some- Freak Brothers in person – not because the band is thing to be proud of. playing less, but because they are playing more at pri- $5 “It means a lot to us,” Martin said. “Any kind of vate events. This is good for the band but not neces- Saturday, August pm General recognition like that means we’re headed in the right sarily the Freak Brothers fanatics. It used to be you Admission direction. We know how it feels to us every time we could see them play half a dozen times in a month. play. It’s nice to know other people share in that.” And people did. Not anymore. Foellinger Theatre, 3411 Sherman Blvd. Sixteen is a long time for any band to stay to- “Seventy-five percent of our gigs are private par- www.foellingertheatre.org (260) 427-6000 gether. But the members of the Freak Brothers have a ties, corporate gigs,” Martin said. “It’s a captive audi- special bond. Audiences pick up on things like that. ence. We have a sold-out show every night.” “We all grew up together,” Martin said. “The Still, Martin said they miss the old days of pack- band’s got good chemistry. So if a band’s got good ing bars every night. But they play at least one bar gig chemistry on stage, people tend to enjoy it.” a month. Going to see the Freak Brothers was always The core of the Freak Brothers has not changed something special. Now it’s just a little bit more so. over the years. Joining Martin are Adam Rudolph on (Mark Hunter) Staci Stork: Best Local CD Release, Non-Rock A Whole Lotta Rock for ‘Non-Rock’ One listen to Staci Stork’s debut CD, Bad History, song to our band, and they will tear it apart if need be. and it’s easy to see why she claimed the Whammy for It’s a very open discussion with the whole band. I can- Best CD Release (non-rock). Her voice is as strong as not take full credit for this. ” her songs, and with her seasoned band there’s no tell- Stork started her music career with the band Shilo ing what the future holds. after winning an Idol-like competition. She had never But there is one thing that isn’t so clear: the played in a live band. Soon she found herself writing non-rock label. Bad History has plenty of rock to go songs. Her first attempts were just for fun, but she re- around. alized songwriting could be cathar- “A lot of people tell me, ‘You’re tic. a rock band, you’re not a country “I started writing just out of band,’” Stork says. emotion,” she says. “Bad History Whatever box her music gets came from a bad breakup. Very Tay- Saturday, August 15 • 6-10pm shoved into is unimportant to Stork. lor Swift. Other ideas came from Brian Lemert, the Black Door, What she cares about most is being friends. I would come home and honest in her writing and perfor- just start writing. The best songs Susan Mae & the New Yesterday, mance. A songwriter for a mere five I’ve written came in 20 minutes or years, Stork learned quickly to fol- less.” Fort Wayne Funk Orchestra low her heart when putting pen to Stork, Grant and Teeple spent a paper, but to listen to her bandmates few years playing with Hubie Ash- Saturday, August 22 • 6-10pm when giving life to her composi- craft. For Stork, the time with Ash- tions. Her band comprises Andrew craft was one of intense learning. Walkin Papers, RumJones Teeple on bass, Mike Grant on drums, Andrew Plass- She was in Ashcraft’s band when she recorded Bad Jafunkae, Wayward Son man on guitar, with support from guitarists Charlie History, but it soon became apparent that if she was Davis and John Ptak. going to give Bad History the exposure it deserved, “They helped me turn these songs into something she would have to strike out on her own. BEERS MALLERS good,” Stork says. “When I started, I had no idea what Stork says she has about 100 half written songs BACKS & SALIN, LLP I was doing. These guys all had degrees from col- and enough finished ones to begin work on a new EP. lege in music in some shape or form, everything that If the songs are comparable to the ones on Bad His- I did not have. They took these songs that I wrote and tory, Stork and her band face a good future. (Mark turned them into great songs. I will bring an original Hunter) 2 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- www.whatzup.com -------------------------------------------------------------August 13, 2015 whatzup Volume 20, Number 2 ummer vacation may be over, but there’s plenty of fun stuff on the horizon – both under the sun and out of it. For one thing, the Foellinger Theatre’s sum- mer concert series will still be going strong all the way into late September, Sand it’s Happy Together Tour is this week’s cover (Michele DeVinney’s feature is on page 4). If you occasionally find yourself humming “Happy Together,” or “Kind of a Drag,” or “Cherish,” or just about any late 60s pop hit you can think of, this Saturday, Nov. 21 • 8pm • $25-$40 show is not to be missed. So break out that old tie-dyed T-shirt or dress, find some flowers for your hair and bring your singing voice. GREAT WHITE Speaking of fun shows, Buckwheat Zydeco is becoming something of a Fort Wayne mainstay – ever since we helped bring him to the Botanical Conservatory for our ACOUSTIC SHOW tenth anniversary. He’s back once again as part of the conservatory’s Botanical Roots series, and it’s a low-dough show that shouldn’t be missed. Pack up the kids and some lawn chairs, and be sure to take along your dancing shoes. Given the two stories cited above, it only makes sense that we feature Al Moll, the man who heads up the Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation Dept., as part of our “movers and shakers” series. And we also feature the U.S. Navy Cruisers ensemble who are playing not one, but two area shows next weekend. Those are just the feature stories – there’s lots more inside the issue. All you’ve gotta 2015-2016 SEASON do is look for it. So start turning pages and making plans to enjoy what’s left of summer and beyond. The Best Season Ticket Deal Just Got Better! 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Buy a pair and save even more* inside the issue Adult Senior(60+) Student • readers poll winners OUT & ABOUT ................................ 11 First $45 $36 $30 Catch a Ride to AC/DC’s Detroit Show Second $40 $30 $25 THE FREAK BROTHERS ............................. 2 ROAD NOTEZ ................................. 16 Best R&B Performer FLIX ................................................ 19 *Mix and match Adult, Senior or Student STACI STORK .................................................. 2 Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation tickets to make a pair Best Local CD Release, Non-Rock SCREEN TIME ...............................19 Getting from There to Into Space Discount good through August 31 • features ON BOOKS .....................................20 The Jesus Cow Call 260.745.4364 to order your season tickets or HAPPY TOGETHER TOUR .........................4 Sixties Stars and Songs CURTAIN CALL ...............................22 Visit all for One online at www.allforonefw.org Bat Boy: The Musical BUCKWHEAT ZYDECO ..............................7 Let-Your-Hair-Down Music • calendars AL MOLL.......................................................8 The Man in Charge of Fun LIVE MUSIC & COMEDY ................11 U.S. NAVY CRUISERS ...............................9 Performances at the PPG ArtsLab MUSIC/ON THE ROAD ...................16 300 E. Main Street, Fort Wayne Battleships & Batons ROAD TRIPZ ..................................18 • columns & reviews THINGS TO DO ..............................21 ART & ARTIFACTS .........................22 SPINS ...........................................