Prolific bassist, Marc Brownstein, remembers the day John Lennon died. Brownstein, now 47, grew up in New York City. And on December 8th, 1980, he remembers the news and the outpouring of emotion that stemmed from the murder of the Beatles legend. He saw people flood the streets, make signs, talk on the news. Odd as it may seem, the multitude of responses propelled Brownstein to investigate music more. Whatever could provoke this amount of response had to be powerful. Soon, Brownstein became a Beatles fantastic, diving into their complexities. And his adoration for music continues today with his new funk project, Star Kitchen, which is set to release its debut single, “Entirely,” here with American Songwriter.
“I’d never seen anything like that before,” Brownstein says. “Seeing the responses got me interested in the Beatles’ music. I wanted to know what was behind all those people pouring into the streets to celebrate somebody’s life. So, I asked my parents for some Beatles music to understand those emotions.”
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Another pivotal point for Brownstein, who is an integral member of the popular jam band, The Disco Biscuits, was seeing Phish perform live. The iconic jam band has since provided something of a blueprint for Brownstein’s bands, from the way the Phish builds its fan base to the massive, inclusive crowds it creates for any number of its live, elongated improvised performances.
“I like community,” says Brownstein. “When I saw Phish, that was the first moment when I could see a path to how to make a life as a musician work. The music industry is often so gated off. But if you look at the jam community – I look at the jam community as home. Phish has thousands – now millions of fans. And it all comes down to grass roots.”
Star Kitchen, which is named in partial homage to a favorite dim sum restaurant, which serves its meals “improvisational,” says Brownstein, has been playing together for over two years. In fact, the band just celebrated the two-year anniversary of its first show this month. But “Entirely” is the group’s first single release into the world. When you’re a band known for improvising solos and sections, weaving into new sonic spaces with the audiences in real time, it can be difficult to capture that magic in the studio. So much of what makes jam bands great is the freshness of each night’s performance. Yet, “Entirely” works. It’s contained but never rigid. Exciting but never repetitive.
“Part of the whole jam band experience is taking the audience on a journey,” says Star Kitchen guitarist, Danny Mayer. “You don’t know what will happen when you start, or where the hell we’re going. But I really do feel like this song did a great job of capturing that.”
What differentiates Star Kitchen from their improvisational colleagues is the band’s solid backbone. There’s a thickness to the music that few other jam groups can boast. Much of that fullness comes from the musical influences and inspirations that permeate the band members, from Brownstein to Mayer to drummer Marlon Lewis Jr. and keyboardist Rob Marscher. Lewis, says Brownstein, brings a rhythmic sensibility that is especially necessary, one that harkens to hip-hop and it anchors the band, grounding Star Kitchen and its elastic front man.
How the band came together, though, is another milestone moment for Brownstein. In 2017, he was in search of a new project. After delving into funk and R&B music researching, which included a 1,600-song James Jamerson playlist, Brownstein decided he wanted to bridge his jam background with a funk future. Practically no quicker had he admitted than did the members for Star Kitchen seemingly appear from thin air. Happenstance, new neighbors and a 45-second drum tryout brought the quartet together quickly and it’s been mirth ever since.
“I went from not knowing how I was going to start a funk band to these dudes just moving into my neighborhood,” Brownstein says. “Then we were auditioning drummers – and with a funk band you can’t fuck that one up, you have to have the best drummer in the whole world. And we found him!”
While there is much ahead for Star Kitchen – surely the band’s future will wend, wax and wane just like one of their 17-minute songs within a song on stage – the band’s debut song is a sure standout. “Entirely,” which is named from an “entirely” too much amount of weed smoked during the song’s recording session, will turn heads, raise eyebrows and demand attention from new fans.
“It’s all about chemistry,” Brownstein says. “It’s about finding the vibe. When I met these guys, I thought, ‘Did we just become best friends?’”
“Entirely” comes out on Color Red, music platform and record label founded by Eddie Roberts of The New Mastersounds, on July 17th.
Photo: Andrew Blackstein