MySpace a place for friends

The funk philosophy of Frokus

by Alli Sands

As if being knighted by the Queen of England, Frokus received their funk knighthood from the grand master himself, George Clinton, at the most recent Parliament Funkadelic show in Denver, “Go ahead boys; you are officially funky.”

A band whose name explicates their quest to “Funk! Rock! Us!” Frokus brought their unique sound to the Denver scene in September 2008. The quartet, who left their substantial fan following in Bay City, Michigan to try make it in the big, bad city, have found relief in their own philosophical conclusions about music and the world that surrounds it.

When discussing one of its own biggest influences, Led Zeppelin, the Frokus’s drummer, Sam Strudgeon, commented, “Music is freedom.” Following this remark, the rest of the band discussed how Led Zeppelin’s approach to music “didn’t have any restraints” and how this epic band “never wanted it [the music] to become about the business.” As a band attempting to crack into a scene heavily inundated with numerous other musicians, Frokus holds the ideals of Led Zeppelin close to its heart. The amalgamated sound that Frokus synthesizes is worth more to this young band than any amount of money could ever be; and they are willing to create it with no holds barred and protect it from the harsh sterilizing effects of the music industry.

During the interview, the Frokus band members jokingly discussed what questions they thought were going to be asked, and of course, one of them was: what does music mean to you? Once again, this sparked an entire conversation where bass player, Codi Deshano, said, “When you’re an air breather, what does air mean to you? It’s [music] my heartbeat.” Regardless of all the weird things that are bound to occur as one attempts to make it as a musician, such as what vocalist Jared Steffen calls “[People in Denver] being jaded by their own thing” or disheartening it is for Joe Gillard, guitarist, to be unable to utilize pyrotechnics at their shows, Frokus hasn’t forgotten why they do what they do.

This band’s appreciation for music, whether it’s what they are producing or the work of other artists, bursts through their album, Funk-Rock-Us. Their creativity boldly declares that Frokus is band that exists first and foremost for the love of music.