NEW ORLEANS – On most Monday nights Uptown, including this one, in a battered but still elegant two-story Oak Street home painted yellow with white trim, you’ll find the very funky John Gros sitting nearly hidden behind a stack of amps.
It’s Papa Grows Funk’s regular Monday night gig at New Orleans’s Maple Leaf Bar and nothing – not storms, not distance, not exhaustion – will keep John Gros away from his weekly date with his Hammond B3 at the Leaf.
“Not gonna miss Mondays at the Leaf,” says Gros, the man who is quickly earning a reputation as the funkiest B3 player this side of Art Neville. “No matter where we’re touring, unless it’s someplace like Japan, we’ll do whatever it takes to make the regular Monday gig here. It’s home.”
Knocking down a handful of out-of-town shows a month, Papa Grows Funk often scurries home late Sunday nights from as far away as California and the East Coast to make the Leaf gig.
“It’s not too bad. We just feel that the Leaf is home and friends and fans make it down to the club to see some music and we want to be there to give it to them,” says Gros. “Besides, that’s the life of a touring band.”
From the West Coast, that means Papa Grows Funk – keyboardist Gros, guitarist June Yamagishi, saxophonist Jason Mingledorff, bass player Marc Pero and drummer Jeffrey Alenander - often drive 20 hours after a Sunday night show to make its way back to the Leaf for Monday gigs.
“It’s what we do,” says Papa John, “play music.”
That Papa Grows Funk does.
With Gros’ funky B3 laying down the groove, and the mighty Yamagishi, a guitar god in his native Japan, adding tasty licks, the band’s popularity is gaining. It’s last release, “Mr. Patterson’s Hat,” was a collection of organ-laced songs and funky jams.
Louisiana’s self-styled music laureate, K-Paule’s Zydeco Road, gave “Mr. Patterson’s Hat” a five-Peppers rating, saying “the sound of the Crescent City’s funky Jazz has never been more potent. Papa Grows Funk pulls out the stops with superb drum beats, outstanding horn arrangements, and Gros’ kick-ass work on the Hammond B3. The CD contains over one-hour of funk that will fill you up. ‘Mr. Patterson’s Hat’ is New Orleans funk at its best.”
The 2007 release also earned a stellar review in Blues & Soul Review, the top magazine for R&B, blues and funk in Japan, although that’s not much of a surprise. Japan, in fact, is a hot bed for Papa Grows Funk fans largely due to the passion fans there have of Yamagishi, regarded as the Asian country’s answer to Jimi Hendrix.
That kind of interest has given Papa Grows Funk a loyal fan base and a load of opportunities in Japan. On New Year’s Eve, for just one example, the band will be featured in the country’s leading New Year’s Eve television special called The World Rock Festival. Filmed specially for the Japanese network last month in the Big Easy, the television show puts a hot light on Papa Grow Funk and its massively talented guitarist.
“Yeah, Juney June is some kind of hero in Japan,” said Gros. “He’s one of a kind, that’s for sure.”
Papa Grows Funk also has been featured on National Public Radio, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and a load of other national and international media outlets. On Dec. 15, the band will perform live from the Maple Leaf on WOZ (www.wwoz.org). The show, to be streamed live on the station’s web-based radio broadcast, will begin at midnight that night.
In a nod to the interactive digital age, fans from around the world will be able to log on to www.wwoz.org, New Orleans wildly respected radio station, and request songs from the band. Gros will have his laptop on stage and will play as many requests as he receives.
A native of Baton Rouge, Gros grew up in New Orleans and found himself gripped by the sounds that still courses through the city’s bars and cafes. Although funk legends like bassist George Porter Jr. and Dr. John had major influence on Gros, it was Art Neville’s organ in the Meters and the Neville Brothers that left the deepest mark.
“New Orleans has the highest level of musicianship of any city I am aware of,” says the 43-year-old organist. “But Art Neville is the man, as far as I’m concerned. There are lots of monster musicians in this town, and they all listen to Art.”
With a new manager, new booking agency and the upcoming New Year’s Eve television show in Japan, Papa Grows Funk is growing its fan base to way beyond the boundaries of the Crescent City.
Now busy writing and demoing new material for an upcoming recording date, when not touring with PGF, John Gros is an in-demand sideman for many of New Orleans’ funkiest bands.
But no matter how far from home Gros and PGF may find themselves, you can nearly always find them on Monday nights Uptown at the Leaf.
“It’s what we do.”
