Have a Kow

June 21, 1997

The other week, while coming home from seeing DayTrippers at the Enzian (which was excellent) I stopped into Wills for what I thought would be $2 beers. I was a bit surprised by a $3 cover, but was told there would be live music - a band called Kow - and $1.50 beers!

I dig funk but almost never get to hear any (though I'm sure there's some out there). For this long unfilled hunger, Kow was a tasty treat. The four man band had the energy to pull off a good all-funk show. The drummer (Dan Fadel) and bass player (Matt Lapham) pounded out strong rhythms with the guitarist (Bobby Koelble) helping out and providing blazing, though not overdone, leads. The lead singer (Anthony Cole) danced around and really seemed to be enjoying himself. He also played sax and keyboard, and he did a hell of a job of it.

I caught Kow again Monday night at The Sapphire Supper Club when they opened for Big Ass Truck. Once again they rocked. This time I was prepared and spoke to Matt about the band and the music scene in Orlando. Matt tells me the band members have all been touring musicians for years but have only been together as Kow for 8 months (they are damn tight for such a "young" band). The group evolved from a few friends getting together to play their favorite funk covers (James Brown, Parliment Funk, etc.) to a largely original, highly improvisational, very skilled band.

In regard to Orlando's music environment, Lapham says there are many more venues putting on live shows now than there were a few years ago. This allows for a pretty good variety of styles to be heard, including funk. Orlando is finally starting to grow musically. So when you're in the mood for good music you can't help but dance to, I recommend checking out Kow.

J.D. Ashcraft
Born in 1880 to a coal miner and an alligator wrestler, I came to Orlando after the great depression to take part in the new media revolution that was television. Now, some 50 years later, I am still active in new media via The Slant. Der wiesel ist in der flub!.