Local soul-funk outfit Disiac recently shared the stage with Santa Cruz soul ensemble the Inciters at Don Quixote’s. It shouldn’t be surprising that the two bands were a great fit, since Disiac was born out of the Inciters, in a way. Andrea “Button” Pisani sang in the Inciters for three years; she started Disiac while still in the group, but eventually decided to put all her creative energy into her own project.
“I wanted to come up with something new and fresh. I wanted to be in charge,” Pisani says. “We’re honoring these older soul, funk songs. We’re not so pigeonholed into these very specific types of songs, or very specific genres. We like making things our own.”
Certainly, the band is much smaller, and more stripped down, with influences that include soul, funk, rock, and blues. But what makes the group different from just about any other soul band on the planet is its inclusion of an electric vibraphone player instead of a keyboardist. It makes for a spacey, psychedelic sound.
As for the group’s name, it might be a little confusing at first. In fact, most people mispronounce it as “dizzy-ack,” but it’s easy to get it right once you know it’s short for “aphrodisiac.” The name, they feel, is a perfect fit for what they’re trying to do as a band.
“It’s about making people feel good, making people feel empowered and confident, because that really is a sexy thing,” Pisani says. “We try to create our own energy from this little made-up word, which nobody knows how to pronounce.”
The group’s upcoming show at Moe’s might be its last for a while. The members are anxious to get some recording done, and plan is to spend the winter recording an EP and return to the stage in 2017.
INFO: 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 14. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $5/adv, $8/door. 479-1854.
