Pimps of Joytime & Swift Technique at Ardmore Music Hall 3/23/17
Words: Brian Overton | Photo/Video: Alex Buschiazzo
On yet another cold and blustery night in Ardmore, hometown heroes Swift Technique and Brooklyn based artists Pimps of Joytime joined forces to bring the people some fiery funk. No strangers to the stage at Ardmore Music Hall, both bands are AMH Live from the Lot alumnus, which makes them no strangers to their fans as well. Swift Technique and The Pimps of Joytime both bring their own particular style and twist to traditional funk and soul with a smooth multi-genera blend that makes for an eclectically cumulative formula for FUNK.
Although a great headliner for any location, Swift Technique is also the pinnacle of an opener for any band and at any venue. Swift Technique truly defines bringing “energy” into music, feeding off the energy of the crowd, and giving it right back to ya! Tonight, Swift Technique would lead off the evening, bringing cold fans in early to embrace the warmth of their energy and the sound of their horn driven funk. The band started off the evening without vocalists Nik Greeley and Chelsea ViaCava, getting the crowd moving and a grooving to instrumental tune “Superwhat”. The band then went into “Brookydelphia” and was soon after joined by vocalist Chelsea ViaCava, who has the ability to captivate the audience with both her beauty as well as her undeniably amazing vocal ranges.
From the song “Annawanna Fake It” to the Chili Peppers' hit “Apache Rose Peacock”, Swift Technique front man and singer Nik Greeley then also joined the band. Anyone who has ever seen Swift Technique can tell you about the soulful energy that emerges when Chelsea and Nik join forces. They have an undeniable connection as musicians and play off each other like nothing you have ever seen between singers. If you have never had the opportunity check out Nik’s side project, Nik Greeley and the Operators, they will not disappoint! Next, the band went into “Maintaining A Balance” and “Who You With” before blasting into the Buddy Miles cover, “Them Changes”. Swift Technique brings their very own variety of fun and funk to any cover and “Them Changes” was honored diligently. From there the band played “Livin' In The Kitchen” and “Lucky Bump”, a rising single to which the band just released their official music video. Speaking of Lucky Bump, check out its brand new video here. From there the band went into Swift Technique, Talking Heads favorite, “Psycho Killer”. After this rendition of the band favorite, they performed songs “Newsies”, Morris Day and The Time's “Jungle Love" and "Lonewolf” before closing out their set with “Reason To Be”. If one thing can be said about Swift Technique’s set, it is that they definitely set the stage and energy for Pimps of Joytime.
Although a great headliner for any location, Swift Technique is also the pinnacle of an opener for any band and at any venue. Swift Technique truly defines bringing “energy” into music, feeding off the energy of the crowd, and giving it right back to ya! Tonight, Swift Technique would lead off the evening, bringing cold fans in early to embrace the warmth of their energy and the sound of their horn driven funk. The band started off the evening without vocalists Nik Greeley and Chelsea ViaCava, getting the crowd moving and a grooving to instrumental tune “Superwhat”. The band then went into “Brookydelphia” and was soon after joined by vocalist Chelsea ViaCava, who has the ability to captivate the audience with both her beauty as well as her undeniably amazing vocal ranges.
From the song “Annawanna Fake It” to the Chili Peppers' hit “Apache Rose Peacock”, Swift Technique front man and singer Nik Greeley then also joined the band. Anyone who has ever seen Swift Technique can tell you about the soulful energy that emerges when Chelsea and Nik join forces. They have an undeniable connection as musicians and play off each other like nothing you have ever seen between singers. If you have never had the opportunity check out Nik’s side project, Nik Greeley and the Operators, they will not disappoint! Next, the band went into “Maintaining A Balance” and “Who You With” before blasting into the Buddy Miles cover, “Them Changes”. Swift Technique brings their very own variety of fun and funk to any cover and “Them Changes” was honored diligently. From there the band played “Livin' In The Kitchen” and “Lucky Bump”, a rising single to which the band just released their official music video. Speaking of Lucky Bump, check out its brand new video here. From there the band went into Swift Technique, Talking Heads favorite, “Psycho Killer”. After this rendition of the band favorite, they performed songs “Newsies”, Morris Day and The Time's “Jungle Love" and "Lonewolf” before closing out their set with “Reason To Be”. If one thing can be said about Swift Technique’s set, it is that they definitely set the stage and energy for Pimps of Joytime.
Pimps of Joytime
Brooklyn natives, Pimps of Joytime, made their return to the stage at Ardmore for yet another night of rhythm and percussion driven funk tunes surprising the crowd with a two song acoustic performance of “Lil Bit” and “Long Ride” featuring Brian J on acoustic guitar, David Bailis on acoustic bass, and drummer John Staten on the Cajon, a hollow Latin drum box for hand percussion. This was a treat to listeners taking a momentary break from their brand of funk. Casting aside their acoustics and moving to electrics, the band then turned the energy up a few notches blasting into “Jump Off” and “Play” before feeding the crowd some of that “Janxta Funk”.
The band definitely boasts a funky style all their own with incredibly tight drumming provided by the beast John Staten in unison with percussionists/vocalists Kim Dawson and Mayteana Morales and also joined with guitarist Brian J at times to form a powerhouse of rhythm. From there, the band transitioned into “ Mud” and “Everywhere I Go” before jumping into crowd favorite “Joytime Radio”. “Joytime Radio” is one of those songs that is very interactive with the crowd, providing space for crowd callbacks and sing-a-longs. This funky song led into “Jack Stackin” and “Zydeco” before the band would close out the evening with “Keep That”. The Pimps would return to the stage for the Latin salsa inspired tune “Bonita” and finished out the night with the vocal harmony driven tune “Dank Janky”.
To this writer, bands like Swift Technique and Pimps of Joytime define American Music. Both bands born in cities that are bursting at the seams with cultural influences, in races, in language, in the arts, in food, and especially in music. The multi-cultural influences are very apparent in both bands particular styles of funk and soul drawing from Latin, Afro-beat, blues, jazz, hip-hop, funk, soul, and reggae (just to name a few), styles of music. So if you ever are looking for a healthy dose of eclectic funk and soul driven music, Swift Technique and Pimps of Joytime have just the medicine.
The band definitely boasts a funky style all their own with incredibly tight drumming provided by the beast John Staten in unison with percussionists/vocalists Kim Dawson and Mayteana Morales and also joined with guitarist Brian J at times to form a powerhouse of rhythm. From there, the band transitioned into “ Mud” and “Everywhere I Go” before jumping into crowd favorite “Joytime Radio”. “Joytime Radio” is one of those songs that is very interactive with the crowd, providing space for crowd callbacks and sing-a-longs. This funky song led into “Jack Stackin” and “Zydeco” before the band would close out the evening with “Keep That”. The Pimps would return to the stage for the Latin salsa inspired tune “Bonita” and finished out the night with the vocal harmony driven tune “Dank Janky”.
To this writer, bands like Swift Technique and Pimps of Joytime define American Music. Both bands born in cities that are bursting at the seams with cultural influences, in races, in language, in the arts, in food, and especially in music. The multi-cultural influences are very apparent in both bands particular styles of funk and soul drawing from Latin, Afro-beat, blues, jazz, hip-hop, funk, soul, and reggae (just to name a few), styles of music. So if you ever are looking for a healthy dose of eclectic funk and soul driven music, Swift Technique and Pimps of Joytime have just the medicine.
Swift Technique
