Funky Bonz has weathered lineup changes and evolutions in musical tastes over a career that started with a letter from Dr. Suess's publisher.
Vic Verbalaitis El Inde Arizona Not too many bands can say they received a cease and desist letter from the quintessential children’s author Dr. Seuss.
Frontman Brent Kort reached out to Seuss’s publisher in the early 1990s asking for permission to use the lyrics.The band commemorated the letter by wearing “Cat in the Hat” hats during performances, and Kort would pull out and read parts of the letter during the breakdown section of “Eggz and Green.”
“We brought in the sax and that literally kind of defined the direction we were going as soon as we put the sax in there,” Kort said. “We didn’t know if we were going to be metal, we didn’t know if we were going to be like Red Hot Chili Peppers, hip-hop, reggae. But when you stuck that sax in there, it kind of meant you could do a melange, you could do a bunch of different kinds of sounds.”
The band’s discography features both original compositions and covers alike, with energetic jams like “We Want the Funk” paying homage to funk legends, while tracks like “Babalooloo” showcase Kort’s songwriting chops. Over the last three decades, Funky Bonz has opened for and played alongside Parliament/Funkadelic, Slightly Stoopid, Bootsy Collins and AWOLNATION among others. They have experienced the Tucson music scene as it evolved over time, with different acts coming and going and different genres taking the spotlight.
To celebrate their 30th anniversary, Funky Bonz will be playing alongside Warsaw Poland Bros at the Yucca Tap Room in Tempe on Friday, Feb. 3, and at The Hut on North Fourth Avenue on Saturday, Feb. 4. Kort said they also have plans for a show at the Monte Vista Cocktail Lounge in Flagstaff on March 31 and an April 1 gig at Ska Brewing Company in Durango, Colorado.
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