People were calling Joe Neto Jr. “Funky Joe” before he started a band called Funky Joe and the Mofos. He kind of had a reputation for bringing the energy, as anyone who saw his band Funkranomicon can attest.
“I don’t know what happens to me. I blank over and start talking in tongues and start moving my feet. It takes over me,” says Neto of being on stage. “Whatever happens from that, if it’s entertaining to the crowd, that’s awesome. It’s just me being me, doing what I do.”
Perhaps that’s why the members of the local band Mofongo invited Neto to sit in with them to jam for a couple songs at a show.
“It was supposed to be just two songs that I sat in on, then I ended up sitting there for two sets,” Neto says. “After the sets, we both looked at each other and said, ‘Well, what’s our next project? We gotta keep this momentum going.”
That was how Funky Joe and the Mofos was born, one year ago: members of Funkranomicon and Mofongo joined forces to create one massive super-group. (They also grabbed guys from Deep Pocket and Reactors) The funky seven-piece band plays a variety of dance tunes, but it tends to revolve around the Southern R&B Stax Records sound. The group plays mostly covers, with some originals mixed in. But regardless of the material they play, it’s really fun dance music.
“For me, it’s about a release from the work week. I want to come out and have fun, and I want to enjoy the time, and I want people to have fun with me,” Neto says.
INFO: 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 22. Flynn’s Cabaret & Steakhouse, 6275 Hwy. 9, Felton. $15. 335-2800.
