Combine the best elements of old-school funk and edgy rock and roll, throw in some soulful R&B, and you end up with Lubriphonic, one of the most happening bands out there today...  Lubriphonic draws from strong, eclectic influences, yet is cutting-edge original-- Soul Solution is a listening pleasure and a dancing treat.
-- John Lynskey, Hittin' The Note

This is dynamic, adventurous funk, real groovy stuff, with flares of jam rubbed soft around the edges by soulful brass. It's the kind that invades the limbs and jumps around inside them like Mexican beans, and it's only made stronger by the vocal prowess of singer Giles Corey. I foresee a raucous, sweaty party. Jump on in. It's good for the soul. 
--Katie Klingsporn, Telluride News


A buzz is brewing about Lubriphonic...The band's new CD Supermoncho grooves with organic roots and funk.
--Rebecca Thoreson, The Telluride Watch

His [Giles] appearance varies from that of a crazy student and a singer globetrotter. His music is full of melodies warm, sprinkled with funk, rock, soul and blues. On stage laughs, sings, cries, dances, jumps, turns crazy. He plays guitar exponentially...(translated from Spanish)
--Sandra Redmond, mundodehoy, Mexico City 



GREASING THE EARS
Lubriphonic is a dynamite quartet born out of the vibrant Chicago blues scene. Formed in 1999 as the house band for the legendary southside joint The Checkerboard Lounge, the act has impeccable blues credentials: The four players have played or recorded with such legends as B.B. King, Koko Taylor, James Cotton and Buddy Miles. Yet Lubriphonic is far from your typical blues band. The group plays what it calls “groovy organic alternative soul.” Yet that doesn’t come close to describing the dynamic it creates. Given their resumes, it’s no surprise that the band’s members play with a mixture of tenacity and precision. The thing that sets Lubriphonic apart from many other equally proficient bands is its original material and superb vocals. The band’s songs are steeped in soul, rock, pop and blues and underscored by simply mesmerizing instrumental work. The ten cuts on the superb, self-titled studio effort the group issued last year showcase its diversity. There’s the soulful, beautifully haunting ballad “Girl” and the jazzy “Give It Up,” which boasts some great piano work. A live demo CD shows the band to be even more adventurous live as it ventures into some out-there jams. Guitarist Giles Corey says Lubriphonic appeals to a wide variety of people: “I believe you could put us on just about any type of bill—rock, country, soul, blues—and the audience will be entertained. He adds that the group throws in some hip soul covers and has been known to do “Sugaree” if there are a lot of Deadheads in the crowd. The band has already compiled enough material for another studio set and is considering issuing a liv e album. “ There’s definitely a lot of improvisation,” Corey says of the band’s shows. “We don’t work with setlists and we avoid dead air, which means we do a lot of improv in segues. We don’t always know how we’re going to land, but we always do.” Now seeking a manager and booking agent, the band has its sights set on more extensive touring. Based on what I’ve heard, people should be lining up to work with them.
---Mick Skidmore, Relix Magazine

Happy Hour Heroes
Lubriphonic's weekly show passes the test with flying colors. 
As I watched Lubriphonic lead singer and guitarist Giles Corey whale away on his instrument last Thursday night, my first reaction was to cheer him on. My second went something like this: "blue, red, yellow, blue, yellow, green." That's what happens when you spend an hour watching friends play "Guitar Hero II" on Playstation 2 before heading out to a concert. Before even setting foot in AliveOne, where Lubriphonic holds court once a week, I'd already heard amateur renditions of "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" and "Sweet Child O' Mine"; it was going to be a challenge for the real band to measure up.

Playing a show at AliveOne must be a daunting prospect for anyone, as everywhere you turn there's a reminder of a legend. From the Bob Dylan tribute by the bar to the memorabilia posted on every available surface in the main room (not to mention the jukebox chock full of live bootlegs), the bar is a mini-Hard Rock Cafe. (Though I don't think it sells keychains.)

My friends and I could hear Lubriphonic's funk jams clearly as we made our way toward the bar's Halsted Street entrance. Inside, the even louder sound jibed oddly with a muted Jimi Hendrix performance on the TV as several twentysomethings lingered around the bar and pool table.

We headed towards the smaller, more artfully-decorated back room, where the quintet was playing from a "stage" (it's really more of an oversized booth) in the corner, lit by three chandeliers overhead. A word of advice: If you're going to spend most of the night in the music area (and you can, thanks to a second bar and several available seats), bring earplugs. You may look a little over-prepared, but you'll be the only one not still hearing the Gillespie-cheeked trumpeter's microphone-enhanced solos at your desk the next day. As if the hangover weren't enough.

You won't want to drown out the music too much, though. This is some good stuff that gets even the most staid audience members up and dancing. I spent a good chunk of the night trying to make sense of an apparent love triangle on the dance floor, the unlikely crux of which was a short, rhythmically-challenged guy in a sport jacket. The three were among those who cheered lustily for originals like "Go Down," an ode to oral sex, just one of many lighthearted songs during the night.

Based on the band's Phish-esque logo and AliveOne's jammy reputation, I had steeled myself for a bunch of noodling solos and nodding hippies. But Lubriphonic is a versatile outfit that can tackle a blues joint as well as a Dead jam, though apparently there are rules for the latter.

The only beef I heard the whole night came after the second set, when a friend of a friend complained to me that the band wasn't showing the proper respect to Dead covers (I guess it's written on a piece of hemp-paper somewhere that "China Cat Sunflower" must always be followed by "I Know You Rider.") No one else seemed to mind too much, and Corey and co. accurately covered several other songs, including Traffic's "Mr. Fantasy" and The Wailers' "Lively Up Yourself."

Following that last one, Corey addressed the enthusiastic crowd, saying, "I've got plenty more two-chord songs like that one." I was all ears; if I actually participate in the next Guitar Hero session, that's undoubtedly where I'll have to start.

Lubriphonic funks up AliveOne every Thursday night at 10 p.m.
---Ben Rubenstein, Centerstage



Most people I’ve spoken to give me the impression they think being a music reviewer is an easy job. I’m here to tell you ‘not so much.’
Take Lubriphonic as an example. My boss came over to me, put the CD in my hand and told me that a review had to be written for February, no matter what. Stifling curses, I took the CD home with me, giving it a few listens here and there, in my car, at the office, in my living room and so on.
I discovered several things. First, I dig these guys. They have a full and fat sound and know when to scream and when to sit back and sigh, musically. Secondly, the vocals are very familiar, comfortable and both easy to listen to and sing along with, even if you can’t hold a note like my self. Thirdly, the songwriting, all done by vocalist and guitarist Giles Corey, makes you want to sing along. It is catchy and poppy without being overbearing.
‘So what’s the hard part’ is what you’re thinking right now. Well, what does all that mean? I mean if I like this disc so much, and I do, how do I convey that to you? Fun jammy bands are a dime a dozen so what makes these guys special?
I think for me it’s the fact that while they don’t dive into the genre-blending that is so prevalent in the scene nowadays, they do reach out and grab classic rock around the throat. I keep hearing echoes of other bands in their songs, in a good way. These guys just remind me of all of the good music I’ve heard over the years in their own subtle way.
So…wait, that was pretty easy, wasn’t it? Man, I have the coolest job in the world. And Lubriphonic rocks
---Al Haroldson, Kynd Music

Yes, they are a jam band. No, they do not wear Birkenstocks, toss around Frisbees, or sell "fatty kind" veggie burritos at shows. Lubriphonic could be more accurately described as a head-on collision between the seemingly dissonant worlds of Jerry Garcia and B.B. King, producing results that are fresh, funky, bluesy and soulful - packaged with stunning live improvisational performances guaranteed to cure what ails you.
The story of this Chicago jam band did not start out in the liberal North Shore or suburban Evanston as you may have suspected, but amongst the grit and workaday toil that is Chicago's South Side. It was at the legendary blues clubs dotting this blighted urban landscape that the four diverse musical spirits that form Lubriphonic coalesced.
Drummer and onetime street performer Rick King was plucked off the street and brought into the clubs where he would later hone his craft backing blues legends like Koko Taylor, Junior Wells, and Bo Diddley. Lead singer/guitarist Giles Corey has been a member of Otis Rush's touring band for the past three years. Keyboardist Marty Sammon has played with Phil Guy, Chico Banks and Lurrie Bell, and will be touring with Buddy Guy this summer. Rounding out the band is bassist JR Fuller, who has played with Albert King, Ziggy Marley, Peter Frampton and Branford Marsalis.
While pulled over on the side of the Eisenhower Expressway on Chicago's West Side, King told Chicago Innerview that he and Corey met through the "beautiful Chicago blues family" and booked a Wednesday night residency at Chicago's legendary Checkerboard Lounge - where the Stones once played with Muddy Waters. King and Corey were on the lookout for members of a new band, an original rock project dedicated to live improvisation.

KING'S INNER VIEW “Everybody in this band has played music as a full-time source of income. Doing that in this hungry city, it makes you play every note like your life depends on it.”

"We wanted to take all the stuff we learned by playing in Chicago blues bands and expand on it and come up with our own original music," said King. "We were lucky enough to play with some of the most legendary people in the field, but for us to keep that going doesn't make sense because that's not our voice."
King says that Corey grew up listening to Otis Rush as a teenager and is now touring Japan with him, a phenomenon not uncommon for the members of Lubriphonic. "All the people we grew up listening to we're now playing with," King said, adding that the band has now graduated from the days at the Checkerboard, a.k.a. "Vance Kelly University," and is branching out on its own.
And while Lubriphonic may classify their sound as predominately jam rock, this is a band that, with its heavy R&B and soul flavors, could never be mistaken for hippie favorites Phish or String Cheese Incident. "We take that element of jazz, the improvisation, and warm it up with soul, R&B and blues, and serve up a new dish for jam-band audiences."
Yet King does not fear the inherent risk of being pigeonholed as yet another of those repetitive jam bands too stoned to know when to put down the guitar. "I like putting this band in a jam band category because the people who like jam bands are a listening audience," King said. "They appreciate good energy, good musicianship and good improvisation. There is improvisation in blues, but we wanted to stretch it out further."
King said that as a whole, the Chicago music scene is very diverse and "very healthy because it presents a ton of opportunities." On the other hand it is ultra-competitive, King said, particularly in the blues world.
"Everybody in this band has played music as a full-time source of income," King said. "Doing that in this hungry city, it makes you play every note like your life depends on it, because you know that someone else wants your gig. It changes your approach to music. When you hear Lubriphonic, you hear four hungry players."
King says the band's gigs at local clubs and schools (where they do a "Blues in the School" educational program) are all a part of the Lubriphonic mission of spreading good vibes and good music. He said that after Sammon returns from Buddy Guy tour this fall, the band will regroup and continue working on material for its second CD (their self-titled debut, recorded at R. Kelly's Chicago Tracks and released in 2003, is available on cdbaby.com.) But the big goal, according to King, is to grow the fan base through the band's trademark live performances.
"I want to get it in front of bigger and bigger audiences," King said. "I think we can capture the jam band audience and appeal to a lot of other audiences: jazz, funk, blues, soul and R&B, rock, even radio pop. I see radio play possible."
And King said that this crossover multi-genre audience has all identified with the same aspect of the unique Lubriphonic sound: its uncanny capacity to make people feel better.
"The best compliment I ever got was from a guy who'd never seen us before. He said, 'I usually go see hard rock live acts, but this music makes me feel like chicken soup.' That's what we want to do. A key element in soul, blues and R&B is compassion. It helps heal people." After a Lubriphonic show, King says, "you will definitely feel better."
--Jay Gentile, Chicago Innerview