Customer Reviews

The Fellowship of the Groove

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Qwiksand is a four-piece band that combines funk, reggae, rock, and ska influences for a stripped down California beach-tremolo sound with forceful vocals from vocalist Marlon Hawkins. It's a very simple but effective combination: stripped down funk-rock with a powerful backbeat. "The Fellowship of the Groove" is about as far away from over-produced as you can get; remaining raw and unscrupulous yet really damn funky. It's definitely got some serious groove, and I would recommend this to any fan of Sublime or subsequent projects. The band consists of T.J. Ferrigula on Bass, Marlon Hawkins on Vocals, Mike Wagner on drums, and R~A~S on Guitars. Visit their website at www.planetsquared.com. All content copyright www.maximumink.com

If Shaft was living in southern California and he invited Bob Marley and Jimi Hendrix over for dinner, The Fellowship of the Groove by Qwiksand could easily turn that dinner into a party. Combining elements of funk, rock, reggae, R&B and soul, Orange County quartet Qwiksand put the word fun into funky.

When a spaceship touches down on the opening track The Landing, Qwiksand immediately launch into UFO, where vocalist Marlon Hawkins simple yet compelling lyrics, whoa you're like a UFO, to everyone around you, whoa you're just so beautiful, when so much black surrounds you, convey a powerful isolation against conformity. If the melodic guitar by R~A~S and bouncing drums of Wagner and bass of Ferrugia, in $20 do not throw you around in the surf, Hawkins assures you that, I'm never gonna let you go.

Next, Qwiksand call for a cab in Beer Goggles where a wah-wah guitar and Hawkins make it laughably clear, anytime you come, I'll run away, let the music stone you all the way. Slowing things down outside the moment with Her Eyes, Qwiksand deliver next with Groove, a hard driving reggae-esque beat combining strong melodies with funk and R&B hooks.

More impressive is Concrete Cowboy, a rock anthem glorifying the life of a skateboarder who becomes wanted by the law. Taking cues from Morrison and the Beach Boys, Phukadelic offers ample sexual innuendoes and exhales to get your body moving. Qwiksand take things a step further with Black Hole, where jazzy bass, drums and guitar build steadily behind Hawkins who believes that without a soul, you're just a hole. The final tracks Fellowship of the Groove and Superfunk mix some classic funk to get you on down. The Fellowship of the Groove by Qwiksand will not cure cancer or save middle Earth, it's more like a musical camaraderie of steady good vibes for the soul.

While amusing, albeit simplistic lyrics at times, The Fellowship of the Groove starring vocalist Marlon Hawkins, drummer Mike Wagner, bassist T.J. Ferrugia and guitarist R~A~S combine the ska of Sublime, the funk of the Chili Peppers with the soul of Ben Harper. From one track to the next, these southern Californians dish up a strong plethora of musical styles ranging from rock, funk, reggae, blues, jazz. Whether you are a surfer, skater or funk junky, Qwiksand are licensed to chill.

Pros: Strong four-piece. Album/Artwork are made with eco friendly recycled materials.
Cons: A DVD would also be great for this live-based sound.

Verging raw melodic-surf-funk with laid-back beats and soulful undertones, The Fellowship Of The Groove by Orange County quartet QWIKSAND pave some new ground from the ethereal SoCal caldron. Songs like $20, Beer Goggles, Concrete Cowboy, Groove, and Superfunk have a low-key vibe that will more likely resonate with the unself-conscious party crowd. Some may find more musical diversity and memorable lyrics in the tracks Phunkadelic and Fellowship of the Groove that stray from today's Top-40 pop/rock norm, which for a band like QWIKSAND, is more likely to be the trend. Should I give them props for naming their band QWIKSAND to honor those who've drowned surfing a wave called the "Wedge" in Newport Beach California?... Yeah, only if the wetsuit fits.

This is an amateur effort by a power trio with a singer. I bought this album after reading a positive review by a local periodical, and because "groove" is in the title. I was greatly disappointed. It is a testament to the subjectivity of the labels "funk" and "groove". It is bland electric guitar chord-based rock. It is hardly funky at all, only briefly in places. They blend ska, reggae, funk, and rock into a mediocre, generic composite that lacks the interesting qualities of any of those styles. Save your money, I wish someone would've told me the same. Check out Billy Cobham's "Funky Thide Of Sings" for high-blast hardcore funk, or The Greyboy Allstars' "West Coast Boogaloo" for smokin' cool jazz-funk grooves. Peace.