RunkaJoel©

It's not your average rock and roll, it's melodic funk rock for your soul©

The Music

Think Tower of Power meets Larry Graham meets Billy Joel meets Extreme meets Boston.

if you haven't already heard the demos, listen to them. It's all me playing live with some minor edits. These are rough idea of what I'm looking for. I'd certainly like to find a guitarist, bassist, vocalist and keyboardist and who really appreciate this style.

The Instruments

Basically, it's funky rhythm on the fast tunes and passionate melody on the slower ones. Speed is not the goal. Intensity and passion is. Passing between funk and rock elements.

Bass - Funk bass but from a broad range of styles. Groove is important. Elements of Tower of Power, Dave Mathews, Primus, Larry Graham. Typewritterstyle playing, thumps and pops.

Drums - Definitely funk drums. Groove and not speed is the goal, though bursts of speed on fills are great. Tower of Power, Dave Matthews. I'm able to play most of this myself and I may depending on who responds.

• Part 1 - I want hair metal guitar sounds, but funky. It should be FULL of artificial harmonics. Nuno Bettencourt's rhythm lines on the Pornographitti album are as close as I've found. Listen to the tunes. Other examples, though Eddie Van Hallen as does Riche Sambora on Bon Jovi's 80s music.
• Part 2 - The distortion "chuka-chuka" used in Bostons music. The harmony guitars used in some parts. The melodic lead lines.
• Part 3 - Leadwise, I'm not into speed. It's groove. While blazing fast lines are fun, doing 32nd notes for long periods doesn't give much of a groove. It's got to start and stop. On some songs, I'm thinking of more melodic lines like found in Boston. The harmony leads for example.
• Part 4 - Various clean sounds, finger picked or strummed, jut still percussive.
• Part 5 - Okay, we can still use the "plinky-plinky" funk clean sound from time to time. :)

Keyboard - I think piano and keyboards add a lot of soul to music. I like using organ, harpsichord, clav and pipe organ as well actually. There a few synth patches that are fun as well. Funk playing and some rock playing mixed in. Depending on the song, there may be flowing lines as well. It can really vary here depending on what's appropriate for the song.

Other instruments - I'll use an assortment of other instruments in my music as well as appropriate. I'm open to using other instruments to add color and contrast to different songs. It just has to fit the song. Sometimes I like playing instruments in unconventional ways. I've even been known to use household items or body parts for interesting sounds. I've yet to make my "bread toaster concerto", but it's an idea that I entertain from time to time. I've used flute, kalimba, sax and other brass, and more at various times in various songs.

Vocals - I'd like 3 and even 4 part harmony vocals. I want to be able to hear what's being said like in Billy Joels music. I can do backup singing and have a wide range, but I don't have the vocal training to do lead yet (which will be apparent in the demos). Having a dedicated singer awould be great. I'm open to any configuration that will allow the band to do impressing and thick vocal arrangements. I'm dedicated to improving my own voice as well so that I can be a strong contributor in this vision.

Arrangements

• Good songwriting techniques - use of melody hooks, rythmic contrast, instrument contrast, prosidy and appropriate instrument choice based on words, etc.Use principles found in Jai Josephs books.
• Evoking emotion - Intense and passionate. Sad. Happy. Whatever it is, it should evoke emotion consistent with the message of the song and proper song writing techniques.
• Well crafted - Time is spent on the rhymes and the structure of the lyrics.