Bassist MonoNeon has built up quite a following here in his hometown, especially for someone who performs only rarely. Those familiar with his viral videos will be happy to hear that he’ll actually be playing live in Memphis tomorrow night, with the group Ghost Note. Judging from their press, it will make for an intriguing evening: “This is music that takes listeners on a mind-blowing journey, inspired by the influences of James Brown, J Dilla, and the Beastie Boys, all the way to folkloric West African, Afro-Cuban, and Brazilian samba grooves.”
Snarky Puppy fans should also rejoice, as the group is essentially a side project for two stalwart members of the internationally acclaimed combo. Robert “Sput” Searight plays drums and Nate Werth plays percussion in the more famous group, but with Ghost Note, their kitchen-sink approach to experimental instrumental tracks makes those attributions seem obsolete. Ghost Note really is dedicated to fresh sounds, with samples and live playing mixed freely to create unique soundscapes that are both quirky and funky.
Photograph by Justin Fox Burks
MonoNeon
How appropriate, then, that they recruited MonoNeon for their current second album. No stranger to the strange, he is also consummately funky and percussive. When I spoke to him for this summer’s feature story, he said a few words about the project. “I’m with a band called Ghost Note. That’s like a side project of Snarky Puppy. We just recorded an album, I think it’s supposed to be released this year in October. I wrote one song on the album, it’s called ‘Milkshake’. ‘Cos I like milkshakes. And I primarily play guitar on it, for some reason. I don’t know. I really don’t consider myself a guitar player. I’m more of a rhythm guitar player. And that’s what I got from Prince. I started working on my guitar. His rhythm guitar playing is so … it’s just amazing.”
Ghost Note hits Memphis with Native Son MonoNeon
See The Nth Power/Ghost Note/MonoNeon at 1884 Lounge, Nov. 4th at 8 pm.
