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Freaks down the Street
By Geof Wollerman
gwollerm@mscd.edu

For more information on Freak Street Project, visit http://www.freakstreetproject.net

The lunch crowd at the Tivoli Student Union had no choice. From the basement to the third floor everyone was forced to get their freak on.

Freak Street Project set up their sound in the atrium Sept. 21, and without lyrics or a vocalist its focus was singular: uninhibited, end-of-the week funk.

The only downside to the band’s Thursday performance was that the Tivoli acoustics left much to be desired. Though Freak Street’s tunes were irresistible for some, the high-pitched horns and conflagration of sound were a distraction for others. Nobody, however, was seen lodging a complaint.

In 2002 bassist Tenzing Shrestha joined guitarist Imkong Yaden to form Freak Street. Conga player Kaivon Tolooee, a Metro student, joined in 2003. The band has since gone through several incarnations looking for the right sound.

“We went through like three drummers in one week,” Tolooee said.

All that searching seems to have paid off. Good funk is tight and these days Freak Street – nominated in Westword for 2006 Best Funk/Soul Band in Denver – has its hatches battened down. Tolooee said he considers the current line-up the best yet.

The Tivoli appearance was the latest among several they have played on campus. But though there were many onlookers at the Tivoli, Tolooee said Freak Street is looking for more audience participation at its shows. They have been busy playing Denver-area venues four or five times a month, including a second show after their Tivoli appearance at 1515 Restaurant. They are planning to take a break in October to regroup, write new songs and fine-tune their energetic sound.

Tolooee said Freak Street members listen to a lot of different stuff, but that Ozomatli, Miles Davis and John Scofield were big on the list.

Horns, keyboards, guitars, bass and percussion come together to create the Freak Street sound. Though rooted firmly in funk, the band’s penchant for other styles is obvious. Keyboard solos are reminiscent of Jimmy Smith. Guitar riffs maintain the signature imperative pace of funk but occasionally recall a Southern rock solo, like Dickey Betts letting loose on a hot rendition of “Melissa.” The horns – obviously influenced by legend Maceo Parker – echo the free-form sounds of Charlie Parker. The drumming is high-energy and on point.

“We all come from a different background,” Tolooee said, pointing out that his own influence is Iranian because his family is from Iran.

With so many influences, Freak Street’s sound remains a question: funk, jazz, rock or soul? They could just as easily cover Pink Floyd’s “Money” as they could Funkadelic’s “Maggot Brain.” But either way, it’s hard to deny the compelling mix of brass notes, electric strings, keyboard plunking and drum thumping that is Freak Street Project.