Kicking off on the 6th of June, the new Funkin’ Thursdays Jam Sessions will commence at the Matisse club in Valencia. The event aims to bring together different communities across Valencia by opening up the stage to guest musicians and bands to exhibit their talent. The 24/7 Valencia team spoke to the director of Funkin’ Thursdays, Jason Faust, to find out more about the event and what to expect.
24/7 Valencia: What inspired you to start the Jam sessions and what is your aim for them?
Jason Faust: Funkin’ Thursdays was originally created to encourage a culture of musicians in the city to come together and play funky music every week. While it used to be a jam session for Berklee students, now our jam session is open to include all of the singers and musicians of Valencia and beyond with an aim to create a culture of bringing all different types of communities together through music, dance and enjoyment. Its aim is also to encourage musicians and guest bands to come play music that grooves including styles like funk, soul, R&B, and hip-hop with a goal of the more experienced musicians to inspire the younger up and coming musicians.
24/7 Valencia: Could you tell me a little more about your band?
Jason Faust: Yes, the house band for the jam is the quartet that represents and supports me, Jason Faust as a solo artist as well as the jam participants. Before the jam session starts every week, we will perform an opening set of classic funk/soul covers and some original music too. The band consists of myself on vocals/keyboards/trumpet, Sam Vilu on electric guitar, Kevin Reirson on electric bass, and Maru Valdez on drums. We will also close out each jam session with the house band to come back onstage to play one more song. Our main purpose is to support any singers or musicians that want to come up and play a song.
24/7 Valencia: What are you looking for in your guest bands/musicians? Is there any specific sound that you would like to hear at the sessions?
Jason Faust: We welcome any guest bands that play music that grooves and wants to showcase their music to a live audience. It can be a great way for bands to get the opportunity to perform and promote their upcoming shows. We also encourage musicians on any instrument to come be a part of the jam session, suggest groovy songs, and bring their vibrant creativity to create a fun environment for everyone jamming and dancing along.
24/7 Valencia: What makes the Matisse Club a good venue for the jam session?
Jason Faust: Matisse Club is a classic, very well known venue in Valencia. It has been around since 1995 (as long as me…haha) and is in a great location in the city for music lovers to find. Matisse is known to host many well known acts based in Valencia and abroad from Albert Sanz to Plena 79 Salsa Orchestra to Astral Voyage and more. It is a good venue for the jam because it is very well known and easy to get to.
Sign up to play at Funkin’ Thursdays by sending a direct message to @funkinthursdays on instagram. If you would rather witness the funky musical talent instead of participating in it, entrance is €6 on the door, or €5 for students. The Jam sessions will start at 22:30, and will be followed by a DJ set until 3:30am.
Report by Polly Watton
Article copyright 24/7 Valencia
Matisse Club
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