An Interview with NOLA's Papa Grows Funk
by Patrick Templeman • Jambase.com • April 30, 2002
What is it that makes Papa Grows Funk so
special?
This two year-old New Orleans funk band has been scoring lots of points
lately with fans of the jamband scene, and it doesn’t take long to
see why. Even on paper it's an exciting band: these musicans have starred
in the best New Orleans funk outfits of the last decade, including the
funky Meters, George Porter Jr.’s Runnin’ Pardners, Galactic
and the Wild Magnolias. But on stage the chemistry between the individual
members is even better. Seeing them play together, it hits you that they
are even better than their credentials indicate.
I caught up with PGF members John Gros (Hammond B3, keys and lead vocals)
and Jason Mingledorff (sax and background vocals) this week, fresh off
their big victory at Gambit Magazine’s Big Easy Awards (New Orleans’ version
of the Grammys), where PGF took the Best Funk Band award, beating out the
funky Meters and Galactic. They (along with the rest of the music world)
were preparing for what promises to be for them a very busy and very exciting
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
In the past year and a half, PGF has been laying down their old-school
Meters-esque funk all over the country; this winter the band did two major
Colorado tours in addition to a big East coast swing and three sold-out
nights in San Francisco. In March, in a decided shift towards the festival
market and steady touring, PGF signed with Skyline Music, a major booking
agent whose varied roster includes the Radiators, Liquid Soul, Merl Saunders,
Victor Wooten, Oteil and the Peacemakers and Michelle Shocked, among others.
With six club appearances during Jazz Fest, a prime festival spot on the
fairgrounds (Sunday May 5th, Sprint Stage, 1:30-2:20pm), and a 14-show
East coast tour following Jazz Fest, Papa Grows Funk appears to be on the
verge of a major national breakthrough.
A CONVERSATION WITH JOHN GROS
I first noticed John Gros as the longtime keyboardist for George Porter
Jr’s Runnin’ Pardners, a gig that began for him in '95. These
days, in addition to being one of the busiest musicians in town, he is
the bandleader, keyboardist and vocalist for Papa Grows Funk… and
a bad motherfucker on the cell phone.
Patrick Templeman: What is the first music you remember hearing as a child?
John Gros: Let’s see…Well, I remember lots of Fats Domino… my
dad always played that. My dad played piano so he always played a lot of
Fats Domino. And I also remember going to the Mardi Gras Parades with my
grandparents all the time since I was a little kid. Just all the marching
bands, "Hey Pocky Way", Audubon Zoo, that song, at a very early
age. My first favorite song was "Maxwell’s Silver Hammer" by
the Beatles. I think my dad was watching us one day and he always played
music late so I think he put on this record thinking the "Octopus’ Garden" and "Maxwell’s
Silver Hammer" would kinda crack us up, keep us occupied… and
maybe we would take a nap (laughs). And I fell in love with that song "Maxwell’s
Silver Hammer", so that was my first favorite song.
PT: I still like "Octopus’s Garden." Crazy stuff.
JG: Yeah, and something about having the Beatles’ Abbey Road as my
first album that I ever heard really put a high standard for music for
me just in general… 'cause that’s just a masterpiece record,
in my book.
What keyboardists do you enjoy watching or listening to?
Art Neville, any
chance I can get. Dr. John. One of the guys I have the most access to nowadays
is Ivan Neville… that’s Aaron Neville’s son. He actually
sat in with us last night and he sits in with us a lot when he’s
in town. He’s great.
Same style as his uncle?
Yeah, probably the closest link to Art Neville… and that school of
playing. But he’s also pretty versatile. He understands lots of different
types of music. He’s just a world-class musician. And he’s
straight up New Orleans. And one of the newest guys is John Medeski, because
the things he can do with two hands just blows me away.
On the B-3?
B-3, clavinet, you know, piano, he’s just a phenomenal musician.
How about any of the other B-3 guys, Joey DeFrancesco or anyone like that?
Yeah, actually I am big into Joey. But I was never really big into Jimmy
Smith, or Jack McDuff. I never really studied any of that school of playing,
although I’m just really starting to really get into listening to
it and appreciate it, but it isn’t really a part of me as a player.
Jimmy McGriff was one of the guys that I really took a liking to early
on. And I just kind of stumbled across him, I don’t know where, it
was probably by accident, but just the way he could swing and play a blues
really latched on to me.
How about James Booker?
Yeah, just phenomenal.
Did you see him play when you were growing up?
No, I never did see him. I was raised in Baton Rouge, and didn’t
really get to New Orleans until ’84 when I started at Loyola and
started living on my own and started checking out a lot of different stuff…you
know, hands-on kind of checking out. And Booker had already passed away
by then.
He really blows me away.
Yeah, and the one thing about Booker that a lot of people don’t know
is that he was a great Hammond B-3 player. There were a lot of things he
did with Joe Tex, the blues singer. He spent a lot of years with him, touring
bands, sessions. He did a lot of sessions playing just organ. I haven’t
heard this yet, but there’s a couple of bootlegs out with him sitting
in with the Grateful Dead. [Editor’s note: Jerry Garcia Band.]
Tell me about playing with George Porter, Jr. - maybe a favorite story
or anecdote?
There’s tons. He’s just been the greatest music teacher for
me. Teaching me New Orleans music, the New Orleans music heritage, the
tradition, and really passing down the respect and honor it is to be a
New Orleans musician. I guess one example of his way of teaching – this
was probably about 9 months to a year that I had been playing with George…
When did you start playing in his band?
’
95. It was a local gig, and I think it was during a drum solo or something
like that, so we were standing on the side of the stage. And I said “George,
thanks for hiring me.” And he goes, “Man, thanks for playing
in our band. You sound really good. Just quit fucking up.” (laughs)
What is your favorite New Orleans music moment on stage to date?
It would have to be a gig we did in Austin, Texas. It was George and the
Runnin’ Pardners when it was just four of us: Brint Anderson the
guitarist, Jellybean [Jeffrey Alexander] the drummer, myself and George.
We went to Austin, and we did a set, then we backed up Snooks Eaglin's
first set, then we backed up Earl King. I had been playing with Snooks
for a while so I have a lot of great memories from playing with Snooks.
Snooks’ set went great, it was one of his really good nights, then
Earl King came up and I got to play with Earl King. It was my first time
playing with Earl, and I was pretty much just in awe the whole set, because
he sounded great that night! And Earl has a lot of ups and downs when he
plays, and they were all ups that night, and I just have great, great memories.
Do you remember some of the songs you played?
JB: Oh we did "Big Chief", "Let the Good Times Roll", "Happy
Little No Good Waggy Tail Dog", just a bunch of his tunes. Did a little
bit of homework, learning a bunch of his obscure stuff. You know, when
those legends get together and George is playing with them, you know they
have a lot of respect for George and for what George has to offer and for
what George has done for New Orleans music. Those guys really come to life
and really play a little bit differently then when they’re just playing
with a pickup band. So that was one, I don’t know if it was the best,
but that was definitely one great, great memory.
We already talked briefly about this when you mentioned the Beatles, but
who else has influenced your songwriting?
I definitely don’t know if it comes out in the Papa Grows Funk stuff,
but just in general, Neil Young is a great songwriter; a lot of the traditional
bluegrass songs, real traditional kind of stuff.
You grew up listening to that stuff?
No, no, no, just something that I took a liking to. Van Morrison, I learned
a lot of stuff off of him. Peter Gabriel. I love Elvis Costello. More of
the pop stuff. And then definitely Earl King and Allen Toussaint. Allen
Toussaint is probably the model for New Orleans music. But you know, before
I really dug deep into New Orleans music, I grew up listening to the radio
in the late 70s and early 80s.
So when you grew up listening to the radio, you weren’t hearing
lots of New Orleans rock and roll?
Oh no, lots of Journey, lots of Eagles. New Orleans music as far as radio
had pretty much fell by the wayside.
Have you ever played with Allen?
No, I have not. I did some computer work for him for a little while, when
he was learning music software. Helping him learn the programs, do some
sequences. He had bought a synthesizer; I showed him how to work the synthesizer,
how to hook it up to his computer, and how to do some sequences so he could
get some ideas down.
Would you like to work with him again sometime?
Oh, I would love for him to produce a tune for us. I would love to do that.
Do you know if he is keeping busy?
I don’t know. He could be a busy man; maybe he’s not. I know
this weekend he is playing his first weekend of jazz gigs. So he‘s
probably been doing a lot of practicing on the piano. He really is a student
of the instrument.
Jazz gigs?
Yeah, he’s got a weekend at Snug Harbor and it’s supposed to
be a jazz quartet or something like that.
Have you ever thought about doing something like that?
No. (laughs!) Jazz, I don’t know what it is about it, but it is just
not for me. The tricks and tools of the trade, as far as jazz communication,
a high level of awareness that you have to have rhythmically, harmonically,
melodically. I am very interested in pursuing those aspects of the music.
But as far as dealing with swing, and strictly instrumental type music,
I don’t know, it’s not for me. I like to see people getting
down.
What makes Papa Grows Funk appealing to the fans of jambands?
We’re five guys who love playing together, and love being together,
and sharing that moment of music on stage together. We get along, we have
a great time, we have a great deal of respect for each other, and when
it gets down to throwing down a groove, we all do it together and we’re
all on the same page. It’s a lot of giving and taking, just a lot
of communication going on. People see that, people get off on it, and the
music, the solid groove, the interaction, the energy, the excitement all
comes out of our relationship as a band. It’s five guys! People pick
up on that and know that it’s not phony, it’s not fake, it’s
very genuine and that comes out in the music. And not only can they see
that on stage, they can actually hear that in what we’re playing.
The grooves are very cool and the jam band kids, they love to do a lot
of dancing, and the music is there for them.
What differences do you see in your group as compared to other jambands?
What sets you apart?
Well, we’re from New Orleans. And just being from New Orleans is
not enough, but we’re all students of New Orleans music. And that’s
not enough, but we learned hands-on from the people that put New Orleans
music on the map and created it. So there is a really strong direct link
as far as the tradition of the style of music that we are playing. It’s
been passed on to us. And I think that is what separates us from all the
other jam bands that are playing funk music. We play New Orleans funk music,
which is completely different from the James Brown school.