By Garret Schuelke
Western Herald
For Nick Cekola, bass and trumpet player of progressive funk group Midtown Underground, the goal at the moment is clear and simple: make some noise, both literally and promotionally.
“The last year’s [activities] has kind of been to get our name out there regionally, as opposed to being locked into Metro Detroit,” Cekola said.
Photo courtesy of Midtown Underground
Midtown Underground will be performing at Bell’s Brewery Eccentric Café for the second time on Thursday, Nov. 19. They previously performed at Bell’s in September, opening for fellow Metro Detroit alternative and progressive rock band Bump.
Formed in 2002, Midtown Underground started out as a four piece, and then gained two additional members later on. The group’s name was inspired by their first rehearsal studio, which was located in the basement of a bank in downtown Pontiac, Mich., according to Cekola.
Influenced by musicians such as James Brown, Karl Denson, and groups like Sly and the Family Stone and The Meters, Midtown Underground established a fan base in Detroit, performing with local groups such as Ann Arbor, Mich. folk rock band The Ragbirds and Detroit soul group Natives of the New Dawn. The group’s sound, refined from the beginning, began to change.
“It’s been a complete evolution,” Cekola said. “I would say we are a lot tighter as a group. The fact that we have played with one another for such a long time [makes] the musical direction pretty refined at this point.”
“The original mindset that we had, we try to keep alive,” Cekola said. “[That] is type of free, improvisational aspect we try to keep alive with our music.”
Midtown Underground released their first album, “Somethin’ Else” in March 2009, through their own record label, Midtown Underground Records. Recorded in various studious over the past two years, Cekola described the album as a “hodgepodge” of different recording sessions. The album is currently up for nomination in the 2009 Detroit Music Awards.
Cekola recently moved back to his native Kalamazoo. The group’s five other members are still based around Metro Detroit. This has led the group to change their habits from spontaneous activity to planning shows ahead of time, he said.
As part of their expansion efforts, Midtown Underground has not only performed in Kalamazoo, but Grand Rapids, Mich. and Traverse City, Mich., as well. Cekola hopes the group can eventually perform outside the state, in such places as Chicago and Indianapolis.
Performing as the only act this time around, Cekola is anticipating a grand time at Bell’s.
“This is going to be a good show,” Cekola said. “We are going to be playing the whole night, and that really helps us musically.”
Midtown Underground’s first performance at Bell’s was a 45-minute set.
“I thought they had a great sound,” said Randy Gist, Alto and Tenor Saxophone player of local funk and soul band Funktion, whose group has previously performed with Midtown Underground. “All the band members are great and have a good vibe to them.”
The show begins at 9:30 p.m. Admission is $5, and is open to ages 21 and over.
For more information, Bell’s Brewery and Eccentric Café can be reached at (269) 382-5712, or visit their Web site at www.bell’sbeer.com.
To learn more about Midtown Underground, check out their official Web site at www.midtownunderground.com.
Midtown Underground will also be performing a live, on-air show in the basement of WIDR earlier that day at 5 p.m.
“There is a definite untapped fan base here [in Kalamazoo] that’s really going to dig the music,” Cekola said.
About jmcdonald