Flow to the music of Flow Tribe

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By Kellie Johnson

Listening to Flow Tribe perform live is a true musical experience. The music is upbeat, the lyrics are fresh, and the crowd just cannot stop moving. The founders of funk and soul music would be proud of Flow Tribe’s musical composition and their lively performances.

The band members met when they attended Brother Martin High School in New Orleans. Lead singer of Flow Tribe, K. C. O’Rorke, described their meeting as “we hung around in the back yard of Chad’s house jamming and realized that what we had was something good.”

Some members went to college, and Hurricane Katrina brought them back together, according to their MySpace bio. O’Rorke said that the band members “are literally rebuilding New Orleans.”

The members of Flow Tribe include above mentioned Chad Penot as bassist, Blake Quick as lead guitarist, Bryan Santos as guitartist, Russell Olschner as drummer and John-Michael Early as washboardist/harmonica player. The latest edition to the group,

John-Michael Early said that he was “gladly surprised” about the crowd at Fred’s because “there are so many new people besides the regulars.”

It did not matter whether members of the audience had seen or heard Flow Tribe before; all seemed to enjoy themselves. The energy which the band performs is indicative to their chemistry as musicians. According to Jessica Schultis, a senior in biological sciences, “This is the best New Orleans band I have heard at Fred’s.”

K.C. O’Rorke said that The Meters have had a big influence on the music of Flow Tribe. O’Rorke and other band members look to compose music that is “heavily a traditional New Orleans sound with an update.” The band name comes from the way they make music.

O’Rorke said, “We all jam, define the music and try to make a different sound each time.”

Flow Tribe played songs such as “Funk 2 U,” “Feel My Funk,” and “Throwing Stones.” Included in these was O’Rorke’s favorite original song called “Black Mamba.” This song is extremely funky and easy to move to. The crowd as very receptive and enjoyed Flow Tribe’s diverse sounds.

When O’Rorke was asked what kind of music Flow Tribe can be classified as playing, he said “good music.” Good answer. He also stated that Flow Tribe attempts to personify “a street parade on stage.” This is reminiscent of their New Orleans influence.

Thursday was the second time that Flow Tribe had performed for the Adult Sock Hop featuring none other than D.J. Jubilee. For those who could not make it to the show, there are many more to come. For the line-up of Flow Tribe performances and to sample a few songs, check out Myspace.com/FlowTribe. Flow Tribe will release their first official album, Pregnant with a Baby Called Funk, on May 16 at Rock-N-Bowl in New Orleans with fellow performer Amanda Shaw.

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Originally Published: Issue 605 - April 23, 2008

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