JC Brooks: Live and Fresh at the Ogden on Dec. 28th
by Mac MacKillop
“I was recently arrested for the first time. It was in New York for, you know, being a dumb-ass.” I’m chatting with JC Brooks of JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound. He laughs and launches into the tale of how he and a few unnamed bandmates were picked up for smoking a joint after a show at New York’s Webster Hall. By the time they arrived at the station, the cops had run his ID and searched him online. “Hey you! We’re watching your video on the computer right now!” they shouted. The whole station was gathered around a PC and, apparently, had become fans.
Unfortunately, they didn’t like him quite enough to drop the charges. Still, those New York cops discovered the same thing that I did. JC Brooks is infectious. It only takes a minute with him to decide to look up his music. A minute after that and you’re so hooked you call over the whole station. His energy, persona and unbridled enthusiasm are palpable.
That’s no surprise coming from a man, and a band, with a long background in both theater and music. Brooks is a trained actor, and guitarist, Billy Bungeroth, directs for Chicago’s comedy troupe Second City. They’ve taken that penchant for performance and hitched it to the soul powered, post-funk fueled engine of JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound.
During shows, Brooks is endlessly ripping one-liners and stringing stories between songs. He says he “always [tries] to keep a little bit of interaction with the audience. Something fresh, something live, so that it stays in that place and doesn’t stagnate.”
He proves himself to be a giant in the world of showmen and soul-men. Beyond just “keeping it fresh,” Brooks’ fast talking, smack slinging patter will grip you by the collar and screw your attention to the stage.
From the beginning, JCBUS set out to “make something that people wouldn’t feel too cool to dance to.” They’ll be opening for Trombone Shorty at the Ogden Theatre on December 28th and, if you do feel too cool to dance, they won’t give you much of a choice. Like a dog with a bone, Brooks sinks his teeth in from the second he sprints on stage and won’t stop shaking until you’re lying on the floor, spent and satisfied, asking if it was good for him too.
Online: www.jcbrooksandtheuptownsound.com
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