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Recent Band News & Blogs

March 1, 2010 - Coming to a Close...

Well... we just played our last show of the year to a very crowded house at the Waikiki Shack. It was a small stage, but we managed to fit everything up there (well, most everything) and pull off our 45 minute set. We played all our recent songs including both Haitian pieces as well as Forever (featuring Thee Laborettes). Unfortunately, it was a tight schedule and even though the crowd was calling for a hana hou, we weren't able to do it - but it was nice to get all the support and encouragement.

Even though it's only March 1st, we've already performed 6 shows this year and included a lot of special guests on stage with us. It's been a compact year, filled with all the fun and trials of being in a band, but for the rest of the year, we're going to chill and focus on different things. Except that a few of us are going to go into the studio and finish up songs we started on last year...

So until next time, thanks for all the support and don't forget to groove green!

...and don't forget to check out some audio and video of our performances - you can check out audio from the RecycleAThon here on our web pages (click on the "Live" link above and you can view our videos on our YouTube channel.

Live Audio Recordings

YouTube Channel

 

Band Picture

 

Flyer

 

October 29, 2009 - The Details...

OK, check out the poster! We'll be performing on November 21, 2009 in Kaka'ako - 458 Keawe Street - at 1:00 p.m. but mark your calendars to come early 'cause there's lots of great entertainment happening for the whole day! It's a benefit for Alu Like's Native Hawaiian Library and the music starts at 10 a.m. and runs until 3:00 p.m.

 

 

Logo

September 16, 2009 - We're on...

OK, it's official. We'll be performing on November 21, 2009 in Kaka'ako. Mark your calendars to come check us out! It's a benefit for Alu Like's Native Hawaiian Library and there will be plenty of good music and entertainment all day long. The music starts at 10 a.m. and runs until 3:00 p.m. It's looking like we'll be playing around 1:00 p.m., but make sure you check back to make certain - we'll post all the details such as the exact time and exact location soon.

It's looking like the Lab School will be well represented as some of the 4th and 5th grade ukulele players will also be on hand to show their stuff. Make plans to come check out the good times and support some good causes.

 

Band Photo

 

August 28, 2009 - Welcome and Recycle!

Welcome back to school funk fans! It's a great start to the new school year and another year of grooving along to the funk band vibe. As you may already know, the funk band is no longer a part of the Lab School's elective classes, but has switched to become an after school program, which basically means that we now rehearse after school instead of during school. We've got two returning seniors and two returning juniors to provide the foundation for a new group of underclassmen.

Our early meetings are looking promising indeed, and we're all starting to get pretty stoked for a great year. Look out for some new surprises and twists this year!

Don't forget, a week from tomorrow on Saturday, September 5th, the funk band will be hosting the first Lab School HI-5 monthly recycling collection - please bring all your HI-5 recyclables to the Lab School between 9 am and 12 noon. We'll sort it and make sure it gets recycled. You'll be doing the environment a favor and at the same time benefiting the Lab School and the Funk Band.

Also, don't forget the links to our music and band member blogs! We'll be updating our blogs soon to keep you up-to-date on all the latest funk news...

Lab School Funk Band on YouTube
Visionary Funk (band member blog)
Live Recordings
Studio Recordings

May 18, 2009

The band is on hiatus for summer vacation! Check back in the fall to find out what we're up to. Have a fun and safe summer, keep the funk alive and see you next fall...

If you're looking for audio files to listen to or download, check out the Live Archive or Studio links in the navigation above. If you're looking for videos of the recent Ala Moana CenterStage performance, look no further...

Lab School Funk Band on YouTube

And if you want to catch up on the band's blog, you can go to Visionary Funk.

 

Image of t-shirt

March 15, 2009

The funk band has emerged from the studio with a number of new recordings, not only of their own repertoire but also for the Lab School elementary music curriculum. In addition, the week-end saw the introduction of the 2009 funk band t-shirts (see the design above). These t-shirts are not only hip, they're green as well. Made from either 100% organically grown cotton or 70% bamboo and 30% organic cotton, the band is most definitely groovin' green.

To hear recordings from the recent studio session, click here or on Studio in the navigation above.

The band is currently working on new repertoire for April's Friday Funk on the Lab School Lawn series, so plan on coming to hear us each Friday after school in April. We're also scheduled to play at Ala Moana Center Stage on the final day of school, Thursday, May 14th at 6:00 p.m., so mark your calendar now and plan to come see us for this celebratory show.

Finally, don't forget our blog, Visionary Funk. There are many recent postings from the band members that will provide a more intimate look at the funk band experience...

 

funk graphic

February 14, 2009 - Happy St. Valentines Day!

As a special treat for this day of love and appreciation, we're launching our new weblog - Visionary Funk - today. Hopefully it will be even easier for you to keep up with everything going on with the funk band and even write us back and offer your feedback.

We'll still be posting all the big news here, of course, but to keep up with all the latest details click on our blog link below.

http://www.visionaryfunk.blogspot.com/

From all the aspiring funkmasters...

 

MaxJanuary 26, 2009 - Performing is rad...

Hey, Max here,

Funk Band is going great right now. We've got some new songs that we are practicing and they're sounding great!

Our recent performance for homecoming was so excellent! It was such an awesome experience to perform for our own school in support of our homecoming players after their two rad victories. We played some great songs for over 200 people and got the chance to feel the vibes of an enthusiastic crowd. We invited special funk band alumni guests to play along with us (the two Chads and their horn section friends along with Whitni and Will) and they helped elevate the energy even more. It was a life changing experience.

To send out good musical vibes and to get them back from the crowd was an unreal rush - I want to do it for the rest of my life!

Thanks for checking in - until next time,
Max

 

MicahJanuary 18, 2009 - Gettin' ready for game time...

Hey Funk Band Viewers!

As we are bringing in the New Year, we are all excited to get back to school and start jammin' together. Our first test we have this year is our Homecoming Concert. We are so proud and grateful to have the opportunity to jam after the Lab School Homecoming games. We will be doing 2 sets of our repertoire for the fans who will be on campus sharing the Homecoming festivities. Plus, we have some very special alumni guests joining us on stage for some very special songs. There will be door prizes, games and wonderful entertainment, like the ULS Funk Band. It is crunch time for us right now to get prepared for the show. Hopefully, we rock after we beat Punahou in the game.

If you don't when this is, the party happens on Saturday, January 24th from 7:00 to 10:00 pm. It will be our breakout concert to see if we have the right stuff to rock hard. I hope all you readers can make this event. It's going to be lots of fun! Okay, I got to go get prepared for the show, so I'll write to you later. Bye!

Your Band Friend,
Micah G

 

3 Recycling Bins

Claire's PortraitOctober 9, 2008 - We're groovin green...


Hola Funk Band friends!

As you know, our class is not only a music class, but it is also a life class. Recently we have learned about the foot prints we leave on earth and how to reverse our negative impacts and live "green". Since we are at a school with lots of assignments, it makes sense to recycle rather than throw away. To start, we ordered new recycling bins solely for paper. It seemed like a great idea until we realized that we had a little problem - all the new bins looked the same! So in order to organize for newsprint, colored and white, we funk band members all trooped out last Saturday (which happened to be the school's once-a-month recycling collection day) and put forth our creative spray painting skills. The bins came out pretty nice, if I do say so myself. Come check 'em out - they are around the corner from the main office facing Dole Street.

We'll have more pictures posted soon, so come back and check those out too!

That's it for now. Remember to recycle!


Your apprentice funkmaster,
Claire G

 

MicahOctober 2, 2008 - We're making progress!

Wassup! This is your baddah, Micah! How you doing? Thanks for checking out our page again!


Starting from this past Monday, we finally picked up our instruments. We have been jamming tunes from "Play That Funky Music" to "Breakdown". We are making progress and having fun. When we play "Play That Funky Music" I always dance and go crazy because we groove and we sail off with Max's crazy singing skills (Max is the man) and Melissa's grooving solo. I just can't stop dancing.


We also got a crazy new sound board. It is huge with so many gadgets and knobs. I want to get one myself. It makes our life easier when we set up and clean up.


In class it's also fun picking up new songs and trying to glue the pieces together to make a great song. I can already tell that this year is going to be fun! Ok, I got to go and practice my ukulele. And like Mr. Zorn says, I need peace and quiet to have an efficient and successful practice. Call me up if you like go cruise or go beach, k? See you later!


From: MR. UH-NOOOOOOO or WASSUP!
Micah G

 

WillSeptember 20, 2008 - Song suggestions... MUS108...


Yo! It's Will - still hanging around; helping out my favorite funk band.


As some of you may have heard, I am currently taking a "Fundamentals of Western Music" course at UH Manoa, and it has been a complete breeze so far. At this point, I am confident that any Lab School student would be familiar with what I'm learning now - things like classical music history, identifying time signatures and dynamic markers, and clapping simple rhythms. Later I'll be learning a little more about music theory, how to write music reviews, and maybe even do a little ear training - things I'm already used to as a former member of the Funk Band. I will keep you all updated if anything interesting happens in my class.


Now, moving on to the fun stuff!
I've never stopped looking for songs to learn, and I have never stopped suggesting songs for the Funk Band. Even before I was in the Funk Band, I was already suggesting songs! Anyway, I have a feeling that the focus for this year's repertoire is on uplifting songs - songs that help us share a positive vibe with the world - so I tried to narrow down my very large list to fit the criteria.

Here are my top song suggestions for this week/month (in no particular order):

Amber - 311 (chill song, cool reverb effects)
Australia - The Shins (lots of guitar parts, back-up vocals, and it's hip!)
Lights Out - Santogold
Naive - The Kooks (funky guitar rhythms. the good kind of funky)
No Rain - Blind Melon
Don't Panic - Coldplay (powerful message, cool effects)
Fantastic Voyage - Lakeside (FUNK!)
Modern Mystery - Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
Back On The Chain Gang - The Pretenders (hoo-hah!)
A-Punk - Vampire Weekend
Spirits in the Material World - The Police
Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa - Vampire Weekend

That's it for now. If anyone wants to hear my other song suggestions, let me know and I'd be glad to share.

Will Pascua
Class of '08
http://helmofwill.blogspot.com/


Melissa's PictureSeptember 15, 2008 - We're shouting weird syllables...


So here we are again at the sad beginning to a new school year. We are about 4 weeks into school and in funk band we are back to making our knees red and shouting weird syllables. By that I mean rhythm and music theory. No, it's not what you'd think we'd be doing. In funk band, we don't just sit around and "jam", we actually learn to use our ears and that takes a lot of practice. "Listen, listen, listen. You got to listen," Mr. Zorn says. We are going to start on a few new songs including, "Mahi" and my personal choice, "Play That Funky Music". (After all, we are the funk band.) It should be good. You can hear some clips of these songs on our repertoire page. Well, that's all from me now. New stuff should be posted soon so come back and check it out.


Melissa F

 

Claire's PortraitAugust 29, 2008 - We're up and running...


Greetings Funk Band friends! It's a new school year, and we all know what that means... NO! it does not mean new boring teachers and new classes to fall asleep in! It means the Funk Band is up and running again. Well, maybe not running - it's more of a nonchalant walk, but we are picking up speed as the weeks progress, never fear. Soon we will have new songs and recordings posted for all the world to hear. Maybe even performance dates! Check back for more blog entries soon - the whole band will be giving you the up-to-date scoop on what we're doing. But for now, I must be off to go and save the world.


Your apprentice funkmaster,
Claire G

 

May 16, 2008

The band is on hiatus for summer vacation! Check back in the fall to find out what we're up to. Have a fun and safe summer, keep the funk alive and see you next fall...

 

May 15, 2008 - The Techniques rock Ala Moana's Center Stage

The Techniques performed to a standing-room-only crowd at the Ala Moana Center Stage. The band was in fine form and had several surprises for the enthusiastic audience, there celebrating the final day of school for the Lab School. Special treats included an original song by band guitarist and vocalist, Melissa Franklin, and a rousing hana hou sing-along of Jason Mraz's popular song "I'm Yours", complete with Mr. Ira Wong on drums, Mr. Kevin Olafsson on cello and guest vocalists Rochelle Sugawa, Marc James Uy and Adriana Hernandez. The group bid farewell to senior William Pascua, the groups talented lead guitarist and vocalist in his final performance as a member of the funk band.

To read a review and see a few pictures from the show, click here.


April 2008 - Friday Funk on the Lab School Lawn

The Techniques (aka the Lab School Funk Band) have been performing on the Lab School lawn every Friday after school throughout the month of April. It's been a great chance for everyone to hear a few songs in the group's eclectic repertoire and kick off the week-end with some good fun rock n roll. To see a few pics from the various shows, click here.

 

March 2008 - Studio Recordings Available for Download!

The four songs the group recorded last month are finally mixed and available for download as .mp3s here on these web pages. I'm Yours is quickly becoming a favorite among the band's loyal fans, including former funk band members. The song, one of Jason Mraz's big hits, is performed as a duet between vocalists Melissa Franklin and Micah Ganiron. To go straight to the studio recordings page and listen, click here.


February 2008 - The Ono Grinds Sessions

The Russian Dragon band (aka Lab School Funk Band) went into the recording studio this month to lay down tracks for their soon-to-be-released CD. Long hours and choke grinds were the order of the day, but when it was all said and done, the group came away with four songs finished: Good Lovin', Sittin' on the Curb, Walkin' on the Sun and I'm Yours. Despite it being late when the group left, nobody went home hungry and everyone learned a whole lot about recording music in the studio environment. To see a few pictures from the recording session, click here.