Spring Break
The Daily OrangeHip-hop and soul fuse together at Funk 'N Waffles show
By Alyssa Marderstein
Posted: 9/23/07, 11:23 PM EST Section: Feature
Matt Jacob's T-shirt said it all.
"Hip Hop Is NOT On the Radio" read the Sophistafunk vocalist's shirt.
Sophistafunk and soul band Electric Relaxation did their part to make sure hip-hop of the non-mainstream variety was alive and well at Funk 'n Waffles on Saturday night.
Funk 'n Waffles, hidden in the alleyway behind Marshall Street, attracted a crowd of about 70 people that included Syracuse University students and Syracuse residents who lined up to see the two local bands.
Sophistafunk, a band featuring SU alumni including one of Funk 'n Waffles' owners, Adam Gold, was the first to play.
Gold, a 2006 SU graduate with a degree in television, radio and film, sported a funky leopard fedora as he played the keyboards.
The band launched a spirited performance of its song "Wild Out," which garnered a positive reaction from the audience as they started to get into the song.
Two students broke the ice and started to dance, and within an hour, the dance floor was filled with nearly the entire audience.
Alan Tam, a freshman at SUNY-ESF, was one of the dancers that set the trend.
"I like to come and dance here to get out of the dorm," he said.
As is common at most Funk 'n Waffles concerts, audience members were chatting, dancing and sharing waffles and brownies with ice cream during the performance.
Juanita Gracianti Adoe, a sophomore information technology major, liked the hip-hop styles of both bands.
"I like Sophistafunk's mod style," she said. "This music is not hip-hop, though. It's another genre - a mix of funk and rap. I like it because it is different and blends various types of music."
Jacob, the 24-year-old frontman of Sophistafunk, said their music is "organic hip-hop." He said that "Wild Out" is one of the band's favorite songs to play because it gets a good reaction from the audience and it gets them to loosen up and start dancing.
Electric Relaxation, a five-person band named after a single by '90s hip-hop troupe, A Tribe Called Quest, played next. Their soul and hip-hop fusion sound was reminiscent of classic hip-hop group The Roots and even slightly like Earth, Wind and Fire.
"Killin' My Brain" was a slow song that was heavily focused on vocals and hit a crescendo with its smooth rhythm into an impressive falsetto.
Artur Novoselsky, a sophomore advertising major, enjoyed Electric Relaxation's set.
"They have some soul flow," he said. "It's funky and it's cool that they have a full band. They are a talented bunch."
Terricha Bradley, a first-year graduate student at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, has been to several concerts at Funk 'n Waffles before and is planning attend more events there.
"I like the music," Bradley said. "The environment is really cool, and the waffles are so good."
"Hip Hop Is NOT On the Radio" read the Sophistafunk vocalist's shirt.
Sophistafunk and soul band Electric Relaxation did their part to make sure hip-hop of the non-mainstream variety was alive and well at Funk 'n Waffles on Saturday night.
Funk 'n Waffles, hidden in the alleyway behind Marshall Street, attracted a crowd of about 70 people that included Syracuse University students and Syracuse residents who lined up to see the two local bands.
Sophistafunk, a band featuring SU alumni including one of Funk 'n Waffles' owners, Adam Gold, was the first to play.
Gold, a 2006 SU graduate with a degree in television, radio and film, sported a funky leopard fedora as he played the keyboards.
The band launched a spirited performance of its song "Wild Out," which garnered a positive reaction from the audience as they started to get into the song.
Two students broke the ice and started to dance, and within an hour, the dance floor was filled with nearly the entire audience.
Alan Tam, a freshman at SUNY-ESF, was one of the dancers that set the trend.
"I like to come and dance here to get out of the dorm," he said.
As is common at most Funk 'n Waffles concerts, audience members were chatting, dancing and sharing waffles and brownies with ice cream during the performance.
Juanita Gracianti Adoe, a sophomore information technology major, liked the hip-hop styles of both bands.
"I like Sophistafunk's mod style," she said. "This music is not hip-hop, though. It's another genre - a mix of funk and rap. I like it because it is different and blends various types of music."
Jacob, the 24-year-old frontman of Sophistafunk, said their music is "organic hip-hop." He said that "Wild Out" is one of the band's favorite songs to play because it gets a good reaction from the audience and it gets them to loosen up and start dancing.
Electric Relaxation, a five-person band named after a single by '90s hip-hop troupe, A Tribe Called Quest, played next. Their soul and hip-hop fusion sound was reminiscent of classic hip-hop group The Roots and even slightly like Earth, Wind and Fire.
"Killin' My Brain" was a slow song that was heavily focused on vocals and hit a crescendo with its smooth rhythm into an impressive falsetto.
Artur Novoselsky, a sophomore advertising major, enjoyed Electric Relaxation's set.
"They have some soul flow," he said. "It's funky and it's cool that they have a full band. They are a talented bunch."
Terricha Bradley, a first-year graduate student at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, has been to several concerts at Funk 'n Waffles before and is planning attend more events there.
"I like the music," Bradley said. "The environment is really cool, and the waffles are so good."
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Erek Marderstine
posted 10/10/07 @ 5:49 PM EST
This article is awesome. Keep up the great work. Waffles yes.
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