The Groove on the Floating Stage in 2016
The Groove made its debut in 2012 playing to strong crowds in many of the top dance clubs and show rooms primarily in the Erie region. The group has earned many Rock Erie awards and are in the Rock Erie Awards Hall of Fame. Even with this success, The Groove wanted to continue to take their performances to an even higher level. In 2014, The Groove added their fabulous 3 piece horn section and the response to the 9-piece band has been phenomenal.
Everyone in The Groove comes from a strong background in R&B music. When ideas were being considered for names, the thought of the most critical and fundamental component of any song came up. That critical component for R&B music is "the groove". "Once we made that connection, we knew we had found a very fitting band name."
The Groove is based in nearby Erie PA and graced the Bemus Bay Pops floating stage in 2016. The band voted Erie's Best in 2018 has become a shining example of workplace synergy. Their secret?
"We just love being together,"explains guitarist and manager Tony Ferrara. "I look forward to practice, to being around my band family every time we rehearse. When your band doubles as a close-knit family, you're always working from home if you can call having the time of your life .. work."
This group featuring the dynamic duo of Roy Hollis, Jr. and Brittany Morton on lead vocals, Ferrara on guitar, Tim Papotnik on keyboard, Wayne Howard on bass, Anthony Stefanelli on drums, Brian Hannah on trumpet, Kent Tucker on trombone and Geoff Wands on saxophone is perfectly within their element on the stage. And off it, they don't hesitate to mingle with their audiences, even mid-performance.
"We are an entertainment band," Hollis clarifies. "We move about the stage, do different steps, go into the crowd and interact with the people, get them involved. We just have fun."
And that makes all the difference, especially to those who would lump them in with any other run-of-the-mill "cover band". For better or worse, the "cover band" label often implies uninspired, replacement-level musicianship, but The Groove exuberantly disproves this notion. Not only are they talented musicians who play their parts with technical proficiency, but they also dress and act the part with tremendous charisma. They wholeheartedly immerse themselves in their source material and sell it to the audience as if it were their own. And if packed dance floors are any indication, people have bought in. They "get into the groove".
Of course, you can't put on a feel-good show without feel-good music and that is the primary test any song must pass before being added to the band's vast repertoire. Ferrara estimates it to be near the 100-song benchmark. First of all, it must feel good to the audience .. something recognizable and immediate, compelling them to "shake what their mamas gave them".
"We don't necessarily want to educate people on music. What matters is do they recognize it and can everyone have fun with it?" says Ferrara.
Secondly, it must feel not only good but also right for the performers, in particular, the two powerhouse vocalists of Hollis and Morton. Hollis rose to prominence through the competition circuit, traveling to cities throughout the country in the Sound Choice and Talent Quest karaoke contests finally breaking through in the late 2000s. Ferrara and Hollis, who were acquainted through the Motown tribute band, Crosstown Rhythm & Blues sought to form their own separate band around that same time frame and auditioned several female singers, but could not find the right fit. That changed when Hollis received a call from Morton, winner of the 2011 Erie Idol singing competition.
"They are an incredible combination", said Ferrara. "Roy through his background will do these steps and Brittany will start doing the same thing. Then there's the vocal aspect of what she brings. I believe a female vocalist of her caliber only comes along once in a generation, as far as people that are able and willing to sing professionally."
Beyond being great singers the two are great listeners which helps spice up and add the original "twists" to arrangements the band prides itself in. Ferrara compares Hollis to a "coach" with an innate understanding of how each band member might best execute their assignment for a successful and well-orchestrated play. "Roy will hear little things and point them out, like 'this needs to be here' or 'can we do that?"
"When I'm learning my part, the instruments are bleeding in on my mind," Hollis explains. "Brittany is amazing in that she can hear something in one song and then something in another song, and ask 'Can we blend those?"
She has such a knack for it, in fact, she has been delegated master show coordinator. While Ferrara books the gigs fairly evenly divided between public and private events, Morton is the one who decides what they will play compiling a fresh set list each week. The bulk of those set lists are constructed from R&B crossover hits from the late 70s through the early 90s when artists such as Earth Wind and Fire, Chaka Khan, Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston ruled the airwaves. However, do not be surprised if rock staple, Steely Dan or top 40 smash hit Bruno Mars trickles its way into the mix.
"Everyone is humble in this band and when you feel like you can continue to grow and learn, you can go far," says a grateful Hollis.
And for now, though, they graciously thank Best of Erie voters who paid them the ultimate respect not as a cover band, but a band. With chemistry like theirs, it's not hard to stay in The Groove.
Portions of this story were taken from an article written by Matt Swanseger who writes for the online Erie Reader.
Prior to The Groove's upcoming appearance in 2016 .. Tony Ferrara gave me the perfect quote .. "We can't wait to float!"
www.thegrooveerie.com
Be safe.
Pat Locke
Maestro Muse
