CBDB are a group hailing from Tuscaloosa, AL, who have innovatively combined their love of classic 70’s rock with more modern prog-rock influences like Dream Theater to create their own genre that they call Joyfunk. As you’d expect with prog-rock elements, the band comprises of some very versatile musicians but what impressed me most is how every part played serves the song, and never descends into a self-indulgent display of virtuosity. They also seem totally in sync with each other as players, the hallmark of a great band.
Pschabango grabs the attention immediately with a swirling organ riff that brings to mind The Who circa Baba O’Riley. It then develops into a nicely crafted song with a vocal melody that you soon find yourself humming along to, and some great lyrics (“Everybody knows the quickest way to get there when you’re riding in their car….”).
Cy Simonton’s likeable voice gets some nice back up from his bandmates and most bands would have wrapped things up around the three minute mark, but CBDB have other ideas. After the second chorus there is a fantastic instrumental section that starts out more like Bach-style baroque with wonderful bass and piano playing. Having been in 6/8 till then it lurches into a 4/4 section containing superb solos from sax and guitar that don’t outstay their welcome.
Overall, this is a brilliant track that manages to be both a great rock song in the traditional sense as well as being a prog-rock epic that every true music fan will enjoy. You won’t hear this in the charts, it’s far too good for that, but I think they will gather a huge fanbase over time. This song is taken from their forthcoming second album Joyfunk is Dead. On the contrary, long may it reign.
By Alex Faulkner
I’m 34 and a freelance music journalist, as well as a composer and producer. I’ve written reviews for UK newspapers and music websites. I run my own blog, reviewing the best new bands and artists . I’m very passionate and knowledgeable about music and that shows in my writing.
Exclusive Interview:
Exposed Vocals: How did you hear about Exposed Vocals? What made you decide to sign up?
We were contacted through Twitter by Randy Morano.
Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?
All six of us have played in various bands from Tuscaloosa, AL. In 2011 lead singer Cy Simonton approached lead guitarist Kris Gottlieb at a jazz gig and they begin discussing taste in music as well as aspirations of making music with a band. They soon added Saxophonist Glenn Dillard and percussionist Donald DeLoach. In February 2012 Paul Oliver took over on drums, and the current bassist David Ray joined in November 2013.
Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?
We are asked constantly “What does CBDB stand for?” We usually ask the person inquiring to give us their best acronym. We get a wide array of responses from Charter Bus Drive By to Cosmic Buddha Does Bliss. The truth is CBDB doesn’t stand for anything.
Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?
We share some of our live shows on our Soundcloud page which are free to stream and download. We try and sell our studio albums as hard copies, on iTunes, or use other subscriber based streaming services such as Spotify. It costs a good deal of money to record music, so in order to insure that we can produce more music in the future we have to make some revenue from studio albums.
Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?
Play as many shows as you can. Use social media to promote yourself but do not forget about word of mouth promotion, it is still the most powerful form of promotion.
Exposed Vocals: Do you ever make mistakes during performances? How do you handle that?
When you play 3 hour shows night in and night out mistakes happen. We’re always striving for the perfect show, but for a six piece band to perform a mistake free show is virtually impossible. We find that the best way to deal with performance mistakes is to shrug them off, or simply laugh and move on. It messes with your head too much if you keep thinking about a mistake you made, especially since that mistake is already in the past as soon as it happens.
Exposed Vocals: Do you tour? Anything interesting happen on tour that you think our readers would enjoy hearing about?
As of right now our main touring region is the Southeast, but we are looking to expand everyday. The most interesting thing that happened on the road… We lost a driver side rear wheel while traveling about 70 mph down I-65 leaving a trail of sparks behind the van and ending with a small fire that was put out with a drum carpet. The adrenaline was really pumping.
Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?
Usually one member of the band will bring an idea to the table, sometimes starting with a small phrase or riff. We all begin to jam on these ideas and see where it goes. There is no one formula for writing songs, and sometimes we sit on ideas for an extended period of time before they are developed into a finished product.
Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?
Our website is www.cbdbmusic.com
Our music is available on iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, Google Play and various other online providers. We have select live recordings posted on our Soundcloud page.
Exposed Vocals: What are some really embarrassing songs that we might find on your mp3 player?
We use Spotify while out on the road. Not really sure what the most embarrassing song we listen to would be. The most embarrassing song we’ve tried to play live has to be KC and JoJo, “All My Life”. It was a one and done deal.
Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?
We would probably attempt to make one kickass record. Maybe upgrade our method of transportation. Add a stellar light show. We would use the money to improve the production quality of our shows, so that ultimately the fans are rewarded. Lots of confetti at every show.
Exposed Vocals: Any planned studio upgrades? What are you working with now?
We have rented Studio time for the past two Albums. We would love to own our own Studio one day. We have currently made upgrades on our live sound rig as well as added some moving lights.
Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?
We are big believers in social media. Facebook and Twitter have been valuable tools in spreading our music as well as creating hype surrounding our live show. As helpful as these tools are you can not rely solely on social media. We believe in putting on the best show possible for our fans. We want people to leave our show with a positive experience and hopefully tell all their friends about the awesome show they saw.
Exposed Vocals: If you could perform anywhere and with any artists (Dead or Alive) where and who would it be with? Why?
Red Rocks would have to be high on the list. We performed a small run of shows in Colorado in August of 2014 and were able to stop by this legendary venue. It would be a dream come true to perform there. We would really love to play a live show with David Bowie.
Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?
Right now we are focused on releasing “Joyfunk is Dead” on 2/24/2015 and the tour that will follow this release. We have discussed recording a live album in the future.
Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?
As a six piece band it can be difficult to have all members on the same page. We have found that group texting is a vital form of communication between the band. It allows us to iron out details, so that when all six of us get together in person we can focus on the music and having a good time.
Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2015?
Lots of live shows including some Music Festival appearances. More new tunes.
