Biography
The Groovocrats “…a unique sound of Rock and Psychedelic Funk…” --Katie Dumestre at Amelie G Magazine June 2010 PAPA! The Groovocrats are one of the most promising acts coming out of New Orleans fronted by: Orlando da Silva: Although born in Portugal, he spent most of his life in England where he attended the Ealing Art School; once frequented by Freddy Mercury (Queen), Pete Townsend (The Who) and Ronnie Wood (Rolling Stones). After graduation he was compelled to travel across the pond to the states. Within an hour of touching down in New Orleans, he was in the French Quarter jamming. But as the weeks passed, he grew disappointed and started to question if there was a place for his Fuzz Wah Guitar Style in such a genre-strict scene. With his bags semi-packed, on a night out he stumbled upon a Papa Mali live performance at Le Bon Temps Roule: “It felt like he knew where my mind was and with a god-like voice, he told me to simply do my thing”. Orlando was inspired! EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED! On the cold night in December Orlando found himself at The Bar in Metairie whatching a punk band featuring a pair of brothers on drums and bass. Orlando quickly noticed that these two had something more to offer than just a pattern of power chords. When the set was over he immediately approached the bass player who had held him in awe..."it was like watching Bootsy and Buckethead in one person." Rob Casey: This cool calm, and collected New Orleans native has 3 college degrees! Musically, Rob comes from a way more Experimental backgound and his extreme technical ability confirms the band's constant search for new musical colors. After one session with Orlando, Rob was sold and was ready to embark on The Groovocrat Project with Orlando. Doug Casey was next: This younger brother of Rob joined the jam with Rob and Orlando and was happy to find room for his dynamic, tight, technical sytle of drumming. Doug, was happy to take a breather from his time as a doctor at Tulane hospital to share the gift of music to the city. Doug, began playing snare drum while still in grammar school, but soon realized he needed more drums to complete his sound. Through high school, Doug kept the neighbors awake while perfecting his skill in his garage in Metairie. With the brothers now in the act, The Groovocrats had the solid backbone of their now trademark sound in place. THE CHERRY ON TOP! “The Groovocrats have always been open to anyone wanting to play music.” Jared Sternberg: The trio just happened across this California native Tulane law student. Jared, was a quick fan of the music and showed interest in being a part of this history. Jared's ability to play multiple instuments made the decision easy, and Jared was brought on to lend his talents on both the ivory keys and additional percussion. ON THE ATTACK! With the four-some finally assembled, The Groovocrats have stepped up their assault on the New Orleans music scene, by playing such venues as Tipitina's, The Hi-Ho Lounge and The Howlin' Wolf. The individual styles, influences and talents of each musician leaves the world with the dynamic sound of The Groovocrats. Funk, Rock, Groove, Indie…whatever you want to call it, a Groovo-show is an original experience in both sound and sight.
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.