Mark Blanding: Drums and Vocals
Travis Hanson: Guitar, Percussion and Vocals
Sesh Kanury: Bass
Brody Lowe: Keys and Vocals
Chris Phillips: Keys
Beth Poore : Sax
Mike Schaadt: Guitar and Vocals
The Manimals -- A Natural History
The Manimals got their start in the Summer of 2005 when singer-songwriter Travis Hanson teamed up with bassist Sesh Kanury and drummer Mark Blanding to form Travis Hanson and The Manimals. The band came together around Travis' soul influenced acoustic rock sound.
In early 2006, the three decided they wanted to play funky, party-rocking soul music. To this end, they enlisted the help of their good friends, guitarist Mike Schaadt and keyboardist Brody Lowe. All the pieces were in place to create the soulful funk band they all envisioned. However, at this point, they were still lacking their true purpose..
This purpose would become clear that spring when Travis and Mark took a trip to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. While getting down to the sounds of New Orleans' own Soul Rebels Brass Band, it became clear to Travis and Mark exactly what they needed to do. They agreed that upon returning to Oregon, they would do everything in their power to bring the feeling and the energy of the music they had experienced in New Orleans to the Pacific Northwest. They knew that if they tried to sound like any of the great musicians they had heard, they would fail. However, they were not interested in imitating the music, they were only interested in replicating the feeling that seemed to be present wherever that music was played.
Excited by their new-found mission, they turned to the closest person to them at the time, a stranger in the crowd, and explained to him their new plan. This man will forever live on in Manimal-lore as The Naysayer. When they told this man about their plans to bring the positive energy of New Orleans music to Oregon, he said it couldn't be done. Not only did he say The Manimals couldn't do it, but he said the people of the Pacific Northwest wouldn't get it. In saying this, he provided the Manimals with their purpose: prove The Naysayer wrong.
Everything The Manimals have done since then has been an attempt to discredit The Naysayer. As with anything, the degree to which they have succeeded is subjective and can only be properly determined from the dancefloor.
Beginning in the summer of 2006, The Manimals began formulating their sound and writing new material. In the spring of 2008 Beth Poore (saxophone) and Chris Phillips (keyboards) came aboard the Manimal Mothership, expanding the sound and taking the party to new heights.
And so The Manimals are continuing their mission to prove The Naysayer wrong, one Manimal Party at a time. There is one thing that he was wrong about for sure: The people of the Pacific Northwest definitely get it.
Influences
wwoz.org, The Meters, Allen Toussaint, Earl King, Sly and the Family Stone, Stevie Wonder, Prince, James Brown, Bill Withers, Professor Longhair, Otis Redding, Dr. John, Rebirth Brass Band, Jimi Hendrix, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux and the Golden Eagles, Run-DMC, Big Chief Bo Dollis and the Wild Magnolias, Outkast, Donny Hathaway, De La Soul, Maceo Parker, Aretha Franklin, Anders Osborne, B.B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric B and Rakim, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Kermit Ruffins, Tom Waits, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Ohio Players, Fats Domino, Elvis Costello, Lyrics Born, Galactic, Ivan Neville and Dumpstaphunk, BDP, James Booker, Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings, John Coltrane, Blackalicious, Buddy Guy, Whodini, Junior Wells, Jurassic 5, Beatle Bob, Lifesavas, Louis Armstrong, Marvin Gaye, Public Enemy, Henry Butler, Miles Davis, EPMD, Ray Charles, Robert Walter, Snooks Eaglin, Soul Rebels Brass Band, The Temptations, Westside Connection
Sounds Like
Stumbling around New Orleans at 4:00am with a full stomach of po'boys and whiskey.
Hey Mark, I hope that myself and the other HOUSTON kids will come out there this year to visit. I am soooooooo looking forward to hearing you kats play LIVE!!!!!!
I'm sad that I'm not groovin with you all right now. I'm sitting in my livingroom all by my lonesome wearing fur in your honor though... *sniff sniff* :(
no, thank YOU manimals!! i had an amazing time. way to bring the funk to a whole new level, folks!! i wish i could relive your friday night show over and over and over and... ;)
