|
|
|
||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||||
 |
|
[l to r]:
Peter Anderson Drums Kirk Johnson Vocals Tom Merkl Bass, programming Kraig Johnson Guitar, vocals |
 |
|
1. Double Dutch |
||||
|
|||||||||
|
|
||||||||
 |
 |
||||||||
“Album of the Year” – Minneapolis Star Tribune "Kirk Johnson knows that the sweetest compromise between Bob Dylan and Beck Hansen is a timeless soul melody." – City Pages Biota Bondo stirs hip-hop, electronica, Motown, pop and rock into an addictive musical cocktail." – Los Angeles Times "Iffy dare you to make something of their moniker." – Village Voice The fly soul stirrers that make up Minneapolis' Iffy have unleashed a fresh, funky and rowdy musical stew on their debut, Biota Bondo (Foodchain Records), featuring the emerging Top 40 single, “Double Dutch”. With uptempo, modern soul that soothes and caresses on "Sweet Stuff," bouncy bubblegum pop on the chorus to "Double Dutch," and the funky, chilled beats that glide on "Larva Rae," Biota Bondo wants you on the floor, shaking it with free-spirited abandon. Conceptualized in the band's Candyslippers studio by Kirk Johnson, Tom Merkl and former-member Dave Pederson, the band beefs up its framework of loops, samples and soul melodies with the hyperkinetic drumming of Peter Anderson (formerly of Polara) and spirited guitar work of Kirk's brother Kraig (guitarist for the Jayhawks and Golden Smog). Together, these two brothers Johnson, along with their rhythm section, know how to throw down a whole new kind of funk, making Iffy's stage show an ass-shaking spectacle – one that is not quickly forgotten or replicated. Biota Bondo originated from the transatlantic file swapping between Minneapolis and Merkl's adopted Amsterdam home. The album also boasts production by Tom Rothrock (Beck, Elliott Smith) and John Fields (Semisonic, Evan and Jaron, Andrew W.K.) |
[BIO cont'd] "Can-O-Cope" was a favorite on Jason Bentley's KCRW show, "Metropolis," and "Super Bad Girl" garnered the No. 13 spot on Miami's Flamingo Record Pool chart and received regular play on Liquid Todd's WCBN "Solid State" program in New York City. When it comes to the band's penchant for bending and blending the old school with the new, Kirk Johnson says: "When early inspirations mysteriously resurface, they get twisted around and imprinted with your own personality. The coolest part is when that leads you to stretch out and go way beyond familiar territory." Iffy's poetic stream of consciousness, from its artwork to music, fosters the group's mission to not only keep it fresh but to be able to incorporate all their creative ideas. Kirk, who is also a painter and sculptor, created the artwork featured on Biota Bondo and Merkl cooks up oodles of crazy samples. Kirk, Kraig and Merkl, who have been band mates since their stint together in Run Westy Run, have mastered the madness behind pushing the envelope when it comes to making great music. "When you're making music on a computer, you have total control,” says friend and collaborator Pederson. “In front of an audience, you give that up in favor of combustion – and Kirk is a real instigator." |
||||||||
 |
|
||||||||
 |
|||||||||
[click to hear track]