The Manimals bring a mouthful of psychedelic funk to Bombs Away

Turner - Not far off the clogged artery of I-5, nestled in the countryside near Enchanted Forest, another magical kingdom sends happy musical strains piping into the night. While this kingdom doesn't feature singing puppets, it could be said that they're there in spirit, at the very least.

The members of The Manimals leap about guitarist Mike Schadt's living room, trying to avoid the lava of the flaming, orange-red carpet, and discussing the merits of Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem. For those of you who don't worship at the altar of Henson, that was the house band on "The Muppet Show."

You know, the one Animal played those monster drum solos for.

All present agree that Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem are the musical inspiration that binds the group together. It's unclear how much of that accord is overstatement and how much is testimonial.

"We're six," says lead vocalist and guitarist Travis Hanson. "Our collective age is six."

That might be, but certainly the strains of Funkadelic and Sly and The Family Stone, The Meters and The Temptations circulate their way around the volcano of the band's practice space along with a Muppet-rific vibe. A vibe accentuated by the stuffed cat ears adorning saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist Laura Wallace's dark curls.

The series of rooms they're filling with funk flow into each other like chambers in a cave, stuffed full of books and art-rock posters, shabby old couches and instrument cases. CDs of Gil Scott-Heron's "The Revolution Will Not be Televised," Funkadelic's "Maggot Brain" and Tower of Power's self-titled debut sit next to a pile of vinyl topped by James Brown's "Black Caeser" soundtrack. Colored lights line the ceiling, seemingly pulsing along with the music.

Seven Manimals - or perhaps seven humanimals, or six manimals and one womanimal - cluster together in the antechamber of that cave, cranking out a cover of The Temptation's "Can't Get Next to You." The vocals pass from one member to another, with keyboardist Brody Lowe sometimes growling like David Ruffin and sometimes singing the sweet falsetto of Eddie Kendricks.

While the group manages to nail this particular cover, as well as The Meters' "Hey Pocky A-Way," in which the band shares the percussive duties as they did the vocals in the previous song, The Manimals are far from a cover band. They're just willing to do whatever it takes to get the party started.

Formed in the summer of 2005, the group began life as a singer-songwriter trio made up of Hanson, drummer Mark Blanding and bassist Sesh Kanury. Both Blanding and Kanury also hold down the rhythm for local band Norman, with whom The Manimals will share the stage at Bombs Away on Friday, Feb. 8.

Shortly thereafter, a trip to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival would change the direction of the band forever. The riotous energy the musicians inspired in the crowd, as well as the incredulity of a certain bystander the band has come to refer to as "The Naysayer," inspired them to attempt to transplant those hip-swaying sounds to the Pacific Northwest.

Like a rolling stone gathering moss, they've picked up more and more members over the years, including Schadt, Lowe, Johnson (also of Norman) and their most recent convert to the way of The Manimal, Wallace. The Smurfette of this particular village, Wallace not only helps to balance out the testosterone of the other members, but expands the band's sonic range, adding washboard, cowbell and even theramin to its repertoire.

"For about 10 minutes, it was Travis Hanson and The Freshmakers," Blanding jokes. "Then it was Travis Hanson and The Manimals. Then it was just The Manimals, as Travis became less and less important."

Hanson recalls the band's decision to shift gears a bit differently. After going to New Orleans, "It became abundantly clear what we should do," he says. "We decided to become the band of the year."'

"We Manimalized it," adds Kanury.

The band's mission seems to be to take a good time with them wherever they go. The Manimals even refer to their performances as parties rather than concerts or shows.

As the members launch into a group original called "Jujyfruit Booty," it's hard to deny that party vibe. It's a chugging, mid-tempo funk groove with trainwhistle synth stabs and deep, bluesy wah guitar. It also perfectly illustrates the balance that is central to The Manimals' music, between having fun with the music, keeping it tight and also pulling off the necessary soul elements to make it gritty and genuinely danceable.

The song, written by Hanson, was inspired by the sight of his girlfriend walking away from him down the hall at the very moment of a serious attack of the munchies. "I was really hungry," he says. "I thought, what do I want to eat?"

The result is a song as tasty and colorful as the candies in question, but only one end of the group's lyrical spectrum. Like the soul music of the '70s, it runs from the utterly hedonistic to the thoughtful and socially conscious, although it never gets bogged down.

As Kanury says via e-mail: "After playing with The Manimals, I always leave exhausted, but I can't wait to rest and come back for more. Think of the experience as a swift kick in the rear, with love, and it smells like roses. All of the ingredients for a good time."

Jake TenPas can be reached at jake.tenpas@lee.net or 758-9514.

Check It Out

What: The Manimals and Norman in concert

Where: Bombs Away Cafe, 2527 N.W. Monroe Ave.

When: 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 8

Cost: $5

Information: www.myspace.com/manimalhouse