BeatRoute Magazine BC Print Edition July 2018

PRIDE
QUEER AS FUNK
CELEBRATING INCLUSION, JOY AND FUN THROUGH MUSIC FOR ALL
MADDY CRISTALL
Queer As Funk are a non-profit musical entity who love to give back to the community.
Queer as Funk is an infectiously uplifting eightpiece
cover band based out of Vancouver. The
sincerely charismatic group of talented musicians
are the farthest thing from pretentious. They are
all genuinely close to one another, which is clearly
reflected in their high octane performances. Queer
as Funk cover a wide array of entertaining music
from artists such as Michael Jackson and Justin
Bieber, sometimes merging the two together. A
fine example of their contagiously friendly music is
that a friend of theirs spontaneously proposed to
her now wife on stage, the band will also be playing
their own wedding this summer.
Vancouver needs a band like Queer as Funk. They
create inclusive safe spaces and know how to throw
a party. Members Jocelyn Mcdougall and Connie
Buna explain, “Although we identify as gay we both
recognize the privilege of being caucasian.” Jocelyn
adds, “And I represent as feminine, which grants me
more privilege in everyday life.”
The band performs mostly at special events,
namely Pride festivals including the Yukon and
Fraser Valley. They donate a lot of their earnings
to organizations around town including The
Urban Native Youth Association and Black Lives
Matter Vancouver. Buna shares, “This musical
project isn’t for profit. We are honoured to give
back to the community.” Their understanding of
intersectionality and unconditional feminism is
unfortunately not always prevalent in the queer
community.
Queer as Funk however has great diversity in
not only sexual orientation and ethnicity, but also
in talent. Some members are classically trained
like Luis “babyface” who Macdougall describes as a
“virtuoso” on the keys and trombone. While Buna
has started singing in her adult life and is one of the
main vocalists of the band. Buna described her voice
as an improving instrument. “I just love to sing,” she
says.
Along with vocals, Queer as Funk has a notable
horn section. Mcdougall’s wife, DJ Slade, is opening
the show and all members are ecstatic with this.
Band manager and trumpet player Alison Gorman
explains that many of the tickets will also be
discounted for those who are unable to afford it.
“Pride should be affordable to people and we are
not in this industry for the money,” she says. This
is what Queer As Funk is all about — inclusion, joy
and fun. And you have to be dead inside not to love
that.
Queer as Funk perform August 3 at the Commodore
Ballroom (Vancouver).
PARLOUR PANTHER
FOLLOWING THEIR BLISS
ADESUWA OKOYOMON
Steph Hodgins (vocals/guitar), Charles Wesley
(vocals/drums), and Lee Newman (vocals/
synth) are the voices behind the queer soul rock
trio Parlour Panther. This Vancouver three piece
has been performing together since 2014 and
just released its first album, Hot Magic. Parlour
Panther is not trying to fit into mainstream
music, but is instead trying to create a genre
that is unique to them, and Hot Magic is proof
that they are succeeding at this goal.
Throughout Hot Magic, the trio’s vocals are
mesmerizing and alive with feeling. Hodgins,
who recorded, produced, and mixed the entire
album, remarks, “A lot of people tell us that our
songs are like sex songs, and I really like that. If
you want to get busy to our album, that’s cool
with me.”
“[Do it,] and feel good about it,” Newman
adds.
Parlour Panther wants people who listen
to their music to know that “it’s alright to feel
whatever you feel and be in tune with your
emotions,” says Wesley.
Although Hot Magic was in the works for
two years, many of the songs on the album
were written within a month. The band had a
short timeframe to use the studio and recording
equipment at the Nimbus School of Recording
Arts, which Hodgins was attending at the time.
“It was definitely a learning experience,” says
Wesley. “Now we’re more confident in our
abilities to write songs and play music.”
For Newman, the process of writing
and recording was “super cathartic and
empowering.” The result of the trio’s work is an
album that at its core is “a declaration of love…
of being true to yourself,” an album that inspires
people to tell their stories and their truths, and
to create their own narratives. Newman names
“SEXXXXX” as the first song people should
listen to off their album.
“It has, I think, our boldest lyrical content,”
says Newman. “Being explicit about queer sex
and love is just really important because a lot of
queer people are [not] seen and heard as much.
To actually sing [about] it is really powerful.”
The trio also released a music video for
“Cherry Blossoms,” the third song off the
album, and have been toying with the idea of
another music video featuring Newman and
Hodgins’ cat, Waldo, who was the inspiration
for the band’s name. But before Waldo, a.k.a.
the original Parlour Panther, makes his acting
debut, the band will be performing at several
festivals this summer including the Hootstock
Festival, the ArtsWells Festival, and the Rogue
Arts Festival.
Parlour Panther perform at Khatsahlano Street
Party on July 7.
Soulful queer rock trio Parlour Panther cast a seductive spell on their debut LP Hot Magic.
12
July 2018