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MojoFlo
Columbus, OH | Established. Jan 01, 2008 | SELF
Music
Press
Mojoflo brings a party with them, wherever they go. They were absolutely the perfect way to start off the main stage of the Nelsonville Music Festival on Friday â enthusiastically encouraging everyone to participate in their show (and getting tons of response), while bringing full energy to their entire set. I had the chance to sit down with them all backstage, before their show, and I didnât want to stop talking with them. Hereâs what we talked about:
Michelle/Clutch: When I found all of yâall originally, part of that was because I was interviewing Angela Perley of the Howlinâ Moons, who loves you guysâŚwhen I said âwho are you excited aboutâ, thatâs coming to Nelsonville, she said âMojofloâ.
Mojoflo: Aww, thanks Angela. Weâre hometown homies.
M/C: You guys are getting ready to go on (to perform)âŚtodayâs the first full day. You guys are gonna kick off the first full day.
Walter (K): Yess. Woo! We canât wait!
M/C: Iâve seen some of your performances online, but never in person. And Iâm really excited about the energy you bring to the table, to the stage.
W: Itâs really just a big table.
M/C: Right? I was talking with Genean (part of their support team) about how you keep your energy up.
W: Well the audience is always a big part of it. Thatâs a beautiful thing-the energy that goes back and forth, when youâre up there, playing. So thatâs the biggest part that keeps you going. When you look out and everyone else is out there, having a good time.
Amber: I had a more practical answer, I was like âwell, I made sure I got 8 hours of sleep, last night, (laughter) and I eat an apple a day, make sure I donât eat like, a hamburger before stage.â But that was a way better answer!
W: Get more sleep, have lots of waterâŚ
George (Barrie): A lot of us went to Bonnaroo (music festival) a few years ago (in 2013). and one of the thingsâŚhuge crowdsâŚone of the things that all the bands did was something (with) crowd interaction-get them involved, hands up, clappinâ and stuff. But Amber actually came back and sheâs developed a few things, from that inspiration.
A: It was my first big festival, so I was just ignorant to the whole festival world. I didnât even know this (world) existed (at the time). So it was really, really cool to see that.
Mojoflo0001
M/C: Forgive my ignorance, but is this the first festival youâve performed (NMF)?
A: No, weâve done lots of festivals, we just went to Bonnaroo as guests. It was my first time attending a big music festival. (Weâve performed at) All Good, Werk Out, Rootwire, Mad Tea Party Jam. Weâve been to a lot, over the past few years.
W: We go to Kentucky a lot. Moonshinerâs Ball, Harvest Fest, and all those down there.
A: Yeah, Terrapin Hill, PawPaw Festival.
W: Independence Fest last year with Juicy J.
A: Oh my gosh, yeah, we got snowed in. It was freezing cold.
G: I specifically remember that show because, wellâŚwe were one of the only live (instrument) bands. Everyone else was a DJ and rappers, and I pulled out my guitarâŚall of my strings were loose..
M/C: Oh no
G: And Iâm tuning up, Iâm cranking each tuner. I get this one in tune, get that one in tune. Iâm all the way the way done, and my (guitar) neck is like (makes a sweeping curved gesture with his hand). And the neck snaps. And I just turned my back to the crowd. I had a backup guitar, but it was like, right before we were about to go on. Itâs like you broke a bone, or something.
A: Which he has done before we went on tour onceâŚspeaking of that. He went snowboarding before one of our first big tours, we were gonna be gone for weeks.
G: I sent them a picture (laughter)
A: And he was like âguys, my wristâ
M/C: Oh no, your wrist! You couldnât just âbreak a legâ and sit in a chair or anything.
G: I did the tour (it was a 5 week tour) and they didnât put me in a full cast or anything. I had a removable splint or something.
M/C: So festivals like this one (Nelsonville)âŚwhat do you enjoy about what that brings to your band (vs. bar shows, or other environments)?
A: I loveâŚitâs like a community thing. I was just telling someone on stage, âWe know this family out there.â We were just sound checking, and weâve known them since we started (performing as a band), and we knew them as a couple, and they have three kids now. Itâs stuff like that thatâs really cool. You just have people youâve known for a long time, and have known you for a long time, and youâve seen them from the beginning, and theyâre just excited to grow with us. That happens a lot. Weâve been playing in Athens for several years. Weâve played at Jackie-Oâs, and for Athensâ/OU Halloween. We played at the (Stuartâs) Opera House, last summerâŚat festivals, itâs more of a community aspect, itâs not like at a barâŚthereâs still fun people at bars. But they could be strangers, every nightâŚ
W: A lot more people are here for music as opposed to (just) getting drunk. Club shows are great, but people go to a bar to get drunk, for the most part. The focus is more on the music, which is nice for us.
G: And when you get a lot of music lovers together, itâs a lot of good people.
W: Yes! I feel like I make a new friend at every single one (festival).
M/C: Is there anything youâd say is different about Nelsonville, over other festivals youâve been a part of?
G: Some fests you might be out in the hillsâŚthis oneâs kinda closer to Athens, Columbus, and itâs a family fest. Some fests might not be for kids, which is okay. But you know, we get people from Cleveland, Columbus, Athens, CincyâŚall of the fan base is coming together.
M/C: Last question. Is there anything in all of the interviews that youâve had that you wish people would just ask you, and they just donât?
A: I like to talk anyways, so whatever questions people think to ask me, I think âthatâs coolâ. I guess âthisâ is a question Iâve never heard before.
G: Create your own question, huh? I see what youâre doing here, Michelle (laughing).
W: What is this, a Mad Lib?
M/C: I feel like often, people can research the basics (how did you meet, etc.), but there might be a purpose youâd like to share, little traditions that you loveâŚ
W: I guess that hasnât come up before is âwhy are we doing thisâ? Itâs good peopleâŚyou meet a lot of good people everywhere you go, and you make connections.
A: I think every time I think about not doing it (performing, music), I just get really, really sad about the people Iâm not gonna see anymore, and I ask myself if Iâm ready for that. âNooooâ. Iâm gonna piggyback on that. Piggyback, we also love to do piggyback rides. (more laughing)
M/C: If you want to share anything you have coming up, Iâd love for people to know:
W: Be sure to check out our newest single. Itâs called âCrazy 4 Uâ. Itâs on YouTube, itâs our new video.
For more, follow Mojoflo on Facebook and check out their website. - Clutch MOV
One of the greatest genres of music is alive and oh-so-well here in Columbus. MojoFlo is a blazing ball of musical talent with Amber Nicole (lead vocals) and George Barrie (guitar) joining us on this episode. We explore the depths of funk, soul, and discover stories the group has never told before. We also get a couple exclusive acoustics that will make you wonder how the funk you didnât listen to more of this band. - In the Record Store
...However, I was present to witness MoJoFlo bring the fucking house down.
While the horn section left a sour first impression, coming in slightly off at the top of the show likely due to nerves, the act as a whole was remarkable. These performers are too young to demand musical perfection from start to finish, but what they lacked in experience they more than made up for in soul.
These performers have a finger on the funk, a solid grasp of soul and a heaping helping of heart which when accompanied by the sheer tightness of the group, leaves audiences in awe.
MoJoFlo consists of lead singer Amber Knicole, guitar player and vocalist George Barrie, Walter K. on sax, Adam Bidwell on trumpet and Dave Klassik holding down the bass.
The band played their first number without Amber, then, with the lights out she made her entrance. And what an impression this funkadelic femme fatale made. Using every inch of the stage as her playground, this versatile artist showed what she could do in an extremely memorable performance featuring some originals and a delightful mix of classic covers.
You can catch MoJoFlo at Tribal Connection Art and Music Festival at Frontier Ranch on May 7-9. - NID Magazine
#1 - Mojoflo
Swinging horns, funky beats, and killer vocals. What more could you want? Mojofloâs got the music you didnât even know you were craving. Their unique style spans genres; itâs hard to know whether to call it jazz, soul, rock, or hip-hop, so letâs just go with really good music. - 614 Columbus
Best Local Band
MojoFlo (22 percent) - Columbus Monthly
âMojoflo: Itâs as fun to listen to as it is to say. Playing both horn-driven instrumentals and vivacious ditties with accompanying lyrics, Mojoflo successfully mixes elements of jazz, funk, hip hop and rock into an eclectic groove they can only call their ownâ - Toledo City Paper
A couple weeks ago, we played a thank you reception for The Big Table. A man approached us afterwards and said he saw us perform six years ago. He said that he was in a car accident a few days after that performance, putting him into a weeklong coma, and that the first thing he remembered when he woke up was seeing Mojoflo, and that he had a damn good time.
Yeah, Mojoflo is kinda that good.
In many ways, this somewhat unbelievable anecdote epitomizes the raw power of Mojofloâs music, a band that has become the apex of Columbus neo-funkâtheir trumpeting melodies and soft, delicately crooned hooks reminiscent of an art-damaged James Brown tinged with an Erykah Badu swoon. Their sound is luscious and smooth, funky and raucous, and, as demonstrated above, sincerely unforgettable.
âItâs high energy, party music, but there is newness to it. Itâs all of our experiences as musicians coming together,â said vocalist Amber Knicole. âWhat we are doing is classic funk music filtered through the 2000s.â
And lately sheâs been doing all that from roughly 20 feet off the stage.
Itâs the latest installment from a band that prides itself on coma-busting concert presense: Knicole, on an aerial hoop, belting out notes with each hypnotic swing, mesmerizing the crowd with her funk-meets-performance-art.
âYes our music is great, and you can throw the record on the player and have a good time,â Knicole said, âbut I always wanted to be that band that you just have to see in person.â
And that is the case in many waysâKnicole is fierce and hypnotizing live, her voice booming off the same ceiling sheâs dangling from.
âPerforming live is such a communal experience,â said saxophonist Walter Kolhoff, one of the three core members of the group. âIt is all about taking everybody in the room on a journey, and once we are finished everybody feels a little betterâwell, at least until you wake up in the morning.â
Or, after a weeklong slumber.
They have had plenty of time to perfect their presenceâeight years to be exactâcutting their teeth in campus-adjacent dives five nights a week during their inception, a grueling task when splitting $100 seven or so ways (depending on the night) means doing it for more than the money. Nowadays, they have earned the right to call themselves career musicians.
âI was filling out a form for jury duty the other day, and when asked my occupation I answered âmusician.â That was a really weird feeling, to see how far we have come,â said Knicole. âIt is extremely validating; Columbus has always shown us a lot of love. I think it something that we had to earn; nothing has ever been handed to us. We have never been a âwhatâs hot right nowâ band. We have always been this slow burn.â
Lots of love is rightâour dear readers voted Mojoflo Columbusâs Best Band of 2016. Their momentum has gained them a sponsorship with Gateway Film Center, who recently premiered their most recent music video, Crazy 4 U, this past February.
In many ways, this partnership demonstrates the full turnaround of the band, as one their first gigs was a street performance playing Christmas covers outside of the theater in the middle of the winter. Now, PromoWest has brought them into the fold, putting them up at the iconic Newport Music Hall December 2.
Talk about a serendipitous full circle.
âWe did things just for the hell of it back then,â said Kolhoff. âNow we have schedules, debuts, and recording session. It is just crazy.â
In addition to the upcoming show, the band is working on their first full-length album, arguably one that has been eight years in the making.
âThe point of doing this album is so that we could take everyone on a journey, âsaid Kolhohf. âOur EPs have always been little 30-minute tastes, but now we are finally ready to take people away. That is the existential side of things at least.â
Mojoflo will be debuting songs from their new album at Newport Music Hall December 2. Their first full-length record will drop next summer.
Danny Hamen - (614) Columbus
A couple weeks ago, we played a thank you reception for The Big Table. A man approached us afterwards and said he saw us perform six years ago. He said that he was in a car accident a few days after that performance, putting him into a weeklong coma, and that the first thing he remembered when he woke up was seeing Mojoflo, and that he had a damn good time.
Yeah, Mojoflo is kinda that good.
In many ways, this somewhat unbelievable anecdote epitomizes the raw power of Mojofloâs music, a band that has become the apex of Columbus neo-funkâtheir trumpeting melodies and soft, delicately crooned hooks reminiscent of an art-damaged James Brown tinged with an Erykah Badu swoon. Their sound is luscious and smooth, funky and raucous, and, as demonstrated above, sincerely unforgettable.
âItâs high energy, party music, but there is newness to it. Itâs all of our experiences as musicians coming together,â said vocalist Amber Knicole. âWhat we are doing is classic funk music filtered through the 2000s.â
And lately sheâs been doing all that from roughly 20 feet off the stage.
Itâs the latest installment from a band that prides itself on coma-busting concert presense: Knicole, on an aerial hoop, belting out notes with each hypnotic swing, mesmerizing the crowd with her funk-meets-performance-art.
âYes our music is great, and you can throw the record on the player and have a good time,â Knicole said, âbut I always wanted to be that band that you just have to see in person.â
And that is the case in many waysâKnicole is fierce and hypnotizing live, her voice booming off the same ceiling sheâs dangling from.
âPerforming live is such a communal experience,â said saxophonist Walter Kolhoff, one of the three core members of the group. âIt is all about taking everybody in the room on a journey, and once we are finished everybody feels a little betterâwell, at least until you wake up in the morning.â
Or, after a weeklong slumber.
They have had plenty of time to perfect their presenceâeight years to be exactâcutting their teeth in campus-adjacent dives five nights a week during their inception, a grueling task when splitting $100 seven or so ways (depending on the night) means doing it for more than the money. Nowadays, they have earned the right to call themselves career musicians.
âI was filling out a form for jury duty the other day, and when asked my occupation I answered âmusician.â That was a really weird feeling, to see how far we have come,â said Knicole. âIt is extremely validating; Columbus has always shown us a lot of love. I think it something that we had to earn; nothing has ever been handed to us. We have never been a âwhatâs hot right nowâ band. We have always been this slow burn.â
Lots of love is rightâour dear readers voted Mojoflo Columbusâs Best Band of 2016. Their momentum has gained them a sponsorship with Gateway Film Center, who recently premiered their most recent music video, Crazy 4 U, this past February.
In many ways, this partnership demonstrates the full turnaround of the band, as one their first gigs was a street performance playing Christmas covers outside of the theater in the middle of the winter. Now, PromoWest has brought them into the fold, putting them up at the iconic Newport Music Hall December 2.
Talk about a serendipitous full circle.
âWe did things just for the hell of it back then,â said Kolhoff. âNow we have schedules, debuts, and recording session. It is just crazy.â
In addition to the upcoming show, the band is working on their first full-length album, arguably one that has been eight years in the making.
âThe point of doing this album is so that we could take everyone on a journey, âsaid Kolhohf. âOur EPs have always been little 30-minute tastes, but now we are finally ready to take people away. That is the existential side of things at least.â
Mojoflo will be debuting songs from their new album at Newport Music Hall December 2. Their first full-length record will drop next summer. - 614 Columbus
Discography
Album: Waiting EP
Year: 2009
Album: Whatcha Think about that? EP
Year: 2010
Album: Home to you B/W Dance 7" Vinyl
Year: 2011
Album: Right On (Single)
Year: 2012
Album: Music Makes It Alright (MMIA) (Single)
Year: 2015
Album: Crazy 4 U (Single)
Year: 2016
Album: Any Other Girl (Single)
November 2016
Photos
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Bio
Neo funk group, MojoFlo, is as known for their captivating stage performance as their infectious rhythms and catchy lyrics. Named âBest Bandâ (2016) by both Columbus Monthly and (614) Magazine for their dynamic live shows featuring vivacious vocalist Amber Knicole. From aerial performances and Soul Train lines to hula hoop choreography and near-cringe-inducing leaps off the drum riser in 6-inch heels this lady has a knack for leaving audiences enthralled.
In combining hard hitting horns, seductive melodies and a meticulously crafted stage show, MojoFlo has built a fiercely loyal fanbase. This self supported band tours routinely to bring their show to a national audience.
MojoFlo has shared the stage with Rebirth Brass Band, Trombone Shorty, Big Samâs Funky Nation, Joan Jett, KC and the Sunshine Band and the Dynamites featuring Charlie Walker. Theyâve played festivals such as Nelsonville Music Festival (2016), Tribal Connection (2015), All Good (2013), Mad Tea Party (2015), Be Kind Gathering (2016) Independent's Day (Columbus 2016).
MojoFlo released their debut EP 'Waiting' in 2009 followed in 2010 by âWhatcha Think About Thatâ. Since 2011 they have released a series of singles including âHome to Youâ (on vinyl), âMusic Makes It Alright (MMIA)â, and âCrazy 4 Uâ. Their much anticipated next single âAny Other Girlâ and accompanying music video are due November 2016.
Band Members
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