Date: 27 Dec 1999

By: Troy Neilson

Published in: The Brunswickan

If you missed Fredericton's hottest band this summer, then be sure not to miss their performance on New Years! That's right, Fredericton's own Kungfunkshun has agreed to perform at the Chestnut for a third time. This time however, it's going to be even more amazing as the band will christen the new millennium with the funk concert known as Y2 KUNGFU.

This ten member group formed in late May of 1999. Amazingly, they pulled together a diverse array of cover songs within a month. As the band's name indicates, it's all about feeling the "funk"! Kungfunkshun is indeed a feel-good band and despite having ten people within the group, each person plays an integral part.

All of the members hail from Fredericton except for the only female member, Tania Breen. This Miramichi native has a vocal range that allows the group to incorporate songs such as Lauryn Hill's "Doo Wop(that thing)" and the infamous "Voulez-Vous Couchez Avec Moi".

Matt Brennan is master of the drums. Having spent two years in the music program at McGill, his skill is refined and masterful. This first year Mount Allison student also lends his lyrical skills on "Let Your Backbone Slide". Pat Nussey and his electrical guitar are smooth as butta fingers. This third year University of Calgary student also does the most amazing rendition of James Brown's "Sex Machine" I've ever heard. David Myles does the funkmaster flex better than anyone I know. With his crazy leg kicks and flawless arm motions you'll think he'd been abducted by the mothership itself. He provides vocals as well as his trumpet skills. Steve Smith lends his trumpet skills as well as his well-placed moaning on Young MC's "Busta Move." You'll also see this fourth year UNB science student out in the crowd enticing you to groove. Christian Robichaud, currently in his first year at St Thomas, provides a vocal ability that will woo you even on the band's slowest cover song, "If You Can't Say No" by Lenny Kravitz. Ben Goodyear is the man. Without his polished skill as a bassist, this band would be nothing. He tends to be shy, so he's not as noticeable, but is a key link. Andy McLauglin, in his second year at Mount Allison, provides guitar skill and lyrical potentcy on tracks such as "Ice Ice Baby." Jordan MacDonald is the man with the keyboard and Kareem Elhawary lights up the stage with his congo play. Kungfunkshun's summer tour kicked off with a backyard performance at Vicki Scholten's house. A great birthday party, that I'm sure Vicki will not soon forget. Kungfunkshun performed six more gigs, four of which were open to the public. The most notable were their performances on August 19th at Rye's Deli & Pub and their university fairwell gig on September 2nd at the Chestnut. Rye's was packed even before the band went on stage. And by the mid-night point, people had to wait outside as long as 45 minutes before being allowed to enter (due to fire marshall's limit). Kungfunkshun houses a diverse collection of cover songs. Everything from Kool & The Gang's "Celebration", Limp Bizkit's "Faith", Santana's "Evil Ways", Isaac Hayes' "Theme From Shaft" to Wild Cherry's "Play That Funky Music." With ten band members they have a pool of diversified talent from which they build each song and almost transcend the level of the original track. If you want to ring in the millennium with some real music, then look no further than Kungfunkshun! This band will be juicing your audio palate all evening, giving you that feel-good sensation you thought you had lost. Just remember, the place to be on New Years Eve is the Chestnut: You won't wanna miss Y2 KUNGFU, the biggest event to ring in the millennium.