Currently on tour with horrorcore band Twiztid, the Canadian boys of MicLordz and Sauce Funky have been finding their way in their hip-hop/rock sound. Before their stop at The Marquee Theatre on Nov. 19, drummer Charlie McKittrick spoke with The State Press about their history, tour, and future sound.
Beginning in 2006 simply as MicLordz, creators Mike O'Phee and Dayun Marjanoeic (Boots) released their first full-length album, “Family Tree,” but felt that they needed more members for a completed band.
Drummer McKittrick (CMack) said he and O'Phee were working together while the drummer was in college, and began to jam in hopes of forming a larger group. From there, friends Matt Lalonde (Matte) and John Rodgers (Rogé) pulled in on the guitars and bass. McKittrick shared with The State Press that a night of getting “sauced” brought their discussion to making the “Sauce Funky” addition to the band’s name.
Each band mate has contributed to the collaboration of hip-hop and rock. Each coming from a different background in taste and experience, the guys throw their own sound into the mix, bringing in progressive metal into rapping lyrics, grunge into a reggae tune and mixing in rock influences such as Rage Against the Machine and Red Hot Chili Peppers whenever they can.
A few summers and spring breaks were spent playing festivals in Florida, and small tours in the midwest, east coast and northern west coast while MicLordz and Sauce Funky continued to put out new music such as “Funk You Up” EP, “Sunset Ammunition” and their most recent release, the “Drop” EP. Only a month after an active summer tour wrapped up this year, they were back on the road with Twiztid to open for the largest audiences they’ve played for.
“The exposure is really something else. We're being really well received with the Juggalo fans,” said McKittrick about the experience with chants and the passion of the face-painted fans. “It's something I've never seen.”
Since Nov. 1, lead singer O'Phee (who goes by AlerG for “his contagious rhymes”) and the rest of his group have been traveling to areas they've yet to play, such as Arizona, giving them more exposure than ever.
Although the “Drop” EP consists of only six songs, it has been a way to show fans of MicLordz and Sauce Funky what to expect with the next album. With three songs showcasing a more cohesive sound from the band, and the latter of the album experimenting with acoustic, McKittrick hopes to find a stronger sound than what they produced in “Sunset Ammunition.”
“You get to listen to another side of the music that no one's ever seen or heard from us before,” said the drummer.
The band mates end their tour in mid-December to head back home for the holidays. After they rest and “recharge the batteries,” McKittrick hopes to enter back into the studio with the rest of the guys for the new year. With a few songs already written, a handful more waiting to be touched up, the drummer says a new album is expected to be released by summer 2011.
“When you've got a vision, sometimes its hard to get a grip on it. So we're still striving for what exactly we need to be doing,” said McKittrick, “But in the meantime we're doing a damn good job with what we are doing.”
Reach the reporter at lkjorda1@asu.edu
