biography
With enough members for a baseball team, almost enough for two basketball teams and just the right number for the best funk band in Omaha, Satchel Grande points for the fences and hits that sweet soul spot every time. Courtesy of mastermind/frontman Chris Klemmensen and his squad of perhaps, visually unlikely funk-soul brothers, comes an aural extravaganza that effortlessly mixes covers and originals coming producing a winning final score. While there is a comic element at their shows, initiated by Klemmensen’s quick wit from the stage, the group is no joke as it’s a hodgepodge of some of Omaha’s best, with saxman James Cuato (formerly of the Jazzwholes), John Klemmensen (Landing on the Moon), Matt McLarney (Old Money / Truman Sparks), listen I told you there were nine of them … you can research this yourself at the show. If the average band split itself in two it could scarcely reform into two decent halves. But Satchel Grande is far from the average band. The nine-member assembly puts on a rollick ‘n’ rolling live show, a funk-soul soirée always well attended by hippies and hipsters alike. Last Thanksgiving the band outdid itself by opening for itself. Sounds like a typo, or sleight of hand, but it’s actually a creative contest, fun for both band members and show-goers. Last year the band split into two squads and each side prepared a secret set with which to challenge the other. This week they’ll perform the feat again. After the battle for bragging rights, the band reunites and takes the stage for a full set. While last year’s show was Thanksgiving Day, the 2009 serving of this holiday tradition will be the following night, giving fans time to digest before hitting the dance floor. “Team A has no idea what Team B is playing and vise versa. Guest musicians are allowed. Outdo the other is the idea,” said Satchel frontman/mastermind Chris Klemmensen. The teams break down with Andy Kammerer, Matt McLarney, James Cuato, John Klemmensen and Mike Daegas batting for Team A. Team B boasts Adam ‘Action’ Johnsen, Ben Zinn, Bob Rasgorshek and Chris Klemmensen. The teams are the same as last year, but for Cuato switching teams. Klemmensen and Daegas were split when the teams were forged last year to give each half a drummer. The teams were otherwise chosen at random. That the band can pull off such a feat — one that was very well received by last year’s audience — is a testament to the strength and quality of each musician. While they do have specialty areas, Satchel Grande’s members rotate onstage a great deal, pitching in on different parts. Truly an all-star team, most members are also at work in other bands/projects. Satchel members are, or have been, involved in acts including Landing on the Moon, Jazzwholes, Old Money, Son Ambulance, John Klemmensen and the Party, Matt Cox Band, Little Black Stereo, Me2, and more. Klemmensen said he used Plus One, his first recording under the Satchel Grande moniker, to “fish all of these guys with killer chops out of other bands to come play with me.” After several years of drawing diverse crowds and playing some of the most danceable grooves in town, covers and originals, Satchel Grande is wrapping a new self-released album, Dial ‘M’ for Moustache. “Plus One was completed the day after my first child was born in 2005. It was primarily a mixtape of evenings spent in the basement catching ideas,” said Klemmensen. “It was released before I had put a band together to perform any of the material, very little polishing went into the production of the music — it was more a snapshot of the better tunes I had written.” After fleshing out his lineup and developing a devout local following, the process behind the new record also evolved. “Working on Dial ‘M’ for Moustache has been a different beast altogether,” said Klemmensen. He and Rasgorshek got into a daily routine of production work for Dial ‘M’ at Rasgorshek’s home-based Cat Jail Studio. “I have more or less been living there since August,” said Klemmensen. After the hard work, come the spoils: Klemmensen said Dial ‘M’ will consist of 11 new tunes and an updated version of a “Say Hey!” — a solid track from Plus One that the band always one-upped live. “Jeremy Garrett (Waiting Room soundman) has been a DIY consultant-sensei for us down the stretch as we gear into the final production push for a New Year’s Eve release date,” said Klemmensen. That’s right, folks. Don’t let your dancing shoes get too far towards the back of the closet. Come New Year’s you’ll need them for another holiday with Satchel Grande. With enough members for a baseball team, almost enough for two basketball teams and just the right number for the best funk band in Omaha, Satchel Grande points for the fences and hits that sweet soul spot every time. Courtesy of mastermind/frontman Chris Klemmensen and his squad of perhaps, visually unlikely funk-soul brothers, comes an aural extravaganza that effortlessly mixes covers and originals coming producing a winning final score. While there is a comic element at their shows, initiated by Klemmensen’s quick wit from the stage, the group is no joke as it’s a hodgepodge of some of Omaha’s best, with saxman James Cuato (formerly of the Jazzwholes), John Klemmensen (Landing on the Moon), Matt McLarney (Old Money / Truman Sparks), listen I told you there were nine of them … you can research this yourself at the show. -The Reader "Satchel Grande churns out toe-tappers and booty-shakers so fierce they almost disguise their brilliant lyrics. The electricity in the air at a Satchel Grande show is enough to ward off any major metropolitan blackout." -Omaha Entertainment Awards Committee
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