Cindy, the talented bassist and founder of Montreal's Boogie Wonder Band, joins Joe Kelley on the "Musicians Reveal" podcast to discuss the dynamic world of disco and funk music. With over 25 years of experience, Cindy emphasizes the importance of delivering an authentic live performance, showcasing the band's commitment to musicianship without relying on tracks or backing vocals. Listeners are treated to insights about the challenges of touring during winter months, the intricacies of managing a ten-piece band, and the excitement of performing alongside legendary acts. The conversation also touches on Cindy's influences, her love for classic funk artists, and her experiences in the music industry, including memorable performances and upcoming shows. As the Boogie Wonder Band prepares for a big New Year's Eve celebration at the Mohegan Wolf Den, Cindy's passion for the music shines through, making this episode a must-listen for fans of the genre.

Cindy, the dynamic bassist and founder of Montreal's Boogie Wonder Band, shares her journey and insights on the vibrant world of disco and funk during her engaging conversation with Joe Kelley on the Musicians Reveal podcast. Throughout the interview, Cindy reflects on the band's long-standing history, dating back to its formation in 1996, and discusses the challenges and joys of performing with a ten-piece ensemble. She reveals the intricacies of managing a large band, including the logistics of traveling for gigs in winter weather, and the importance of having external drivers to ensure safety on the road. The episode captures the essence of live music, emphasizing the exhilarating experience of performing for audiences and the connections formed with fans over the years.

One highlight of the discussion is Cindy's passion for the original disco sound and her commitment to honoring the music of the past while delivering an authentic experience. She shares her admiration for legendary acts like Earth, Wind & Fire, KC and the Sunshine Band, and the Ohio Players, expressing how these influences shape the band's repertoire. The conversation also explores the technical aspects of performance, from the physical demands placed on bass players to the necessity of maintaining good sound quality on stage. Cindy's candid reflections on the challenges of playing demanding songs while staying physically fit resonate with musicians and music lovers alike, showcasing her dedication to her craft.

As the episode unfolds, listeners learn about the upcoming New Year's Eve performance at Mohegan Sun, filled with anticipation and excitement. Cindy discusses the unique atmosphere of the Wolf Den and her fond memories of past performances there. The episode wraps up with a glimpse into the band's future, with mentions of new albums, cruises, and a commitment to keeping the spirit of disco alive. With her warm personality and infectious enthusiasm for music, Cindy leaves a lasting impression, inviting listeners to celebrate the joy of live music with Boogie Wonder Band.

Takeaways:

• Cindy discusses the challenges of performing during winter and managing travel logistics.
• The Boogie Wonder Band focuses on honoring disco music with a live, energetic performance.
• Cindy emphasizes the importance of connecting with fans through meet-and-greet opportunities after shows.
• The band has performed alongside iconic acts like Chic and Earth, Wind & Fire.
• Cindy shares insights on how she prepares for demanding bass solos during performances.
• Cindy reflects on the impact of the pandemic on their touring schedule and performances.

Links referenced in this episode:

• boogiewonderband.com

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• Mohegan Sun
• Chic
• Earth, Wind and Fire
• Casey in the Sunshine Band
• Ohio Players
• Cool and the Gang
• The Family Stone
• Ultimate Disco Cruise
• Rock and Romance Cruise
• Tele Quebec

Well, what's the most demanding song as a basis to play that, that boogie Wonder Band plays?

I would say probably Brother Johnson.

We do stomp.

I, I have to do the bass.

My next guest on Musicians Reveal is a long time friend.

She's a tremendous musician and the founder and bassist with the Premiere disco and funk band.

They hail from Montreal.

Still together, they've joined on stage with Chic Earth, Wind and Fire and many, many more.

They are about to play a big show at the Mohegan Wolf Den Mohegan Casino in Connecticut.

New Year's Eve.

We welcome.

Right now we're used to talking on radio.

Now we're here on YouTube and all the other video outlets.

Boogie.

Cindy, how you doing?

Cindy?

Hi.

I'm doing very well.

And you?

I'm doing fine.

I, I mentioned before we had some snow.

You know, the past two years haven't been too bad.

But you know, you're from the land of snow, so.

Yeah, it's, it's snowing right now.

Oh, okay.

Are you, are you right in, in Montreal?

Yes.

Oh, okay.

Montreal right now.

Right.

So the band getting up back on the road, I mean, you stay pretty consistently busy throughout the year.

What's it like traveling during the winter and going to gigs because you, you just don't stay in your local place.

You're headed down to Connecticut?

Yeah, well, you know, we, we have lots of shows in.

December is a busy month for us.

We do all those Christmas party parties and we have like a lot of theater shows, so we have residencies most of the time, so we can stay two, three nights in the same theater, which is nice.

And when we go on the road, we have to deal with the weather conditions and so, you know, we have to, to see if there's a snowstorm or if there's like icy roads.

And hopefully we don't have to fly too much because it's another story.

Who, who's the best driver in the band?

Oh, we have external driver.

Oh, okay.

Yeah, that's nice.

You got it good?

Yeah, it's, it's safer for everyone, you know, because we travel with all our gear, so it's, it's a heavy load.

Yeah.

Do you, do you have a lot of backline gear?

Oh, yes, we do.

You know, it's a ten piece band, so we have all, obviously the drums, the percussion, which is a big setup, the keyboards and the amps, and we travel with all our microphone and the wireless units and all the lighting.

So it's a lot.

Yeah, yeah.

Well, the Wolf then, which I believe you told me you're doing an 8 o'clock show and then a midnight show or thereabouts.

Yeah, we do 8 and 11.

8 and 11.

Okay.

And we've seen the Boogie Wonder Band at the Wolf Den.

Guaranteed fun on your feet dancing.

It just.

It's a show, it's a spectac.

And you won't be disappointed.

Yeah, you played there a bunch of times, right?

I.

I'm not sure how many times yet, but I would say we did at least seven or eight New Year's Eve there.

Ah, okay.

Plus sometimes they, you know, we go throughout the year as well.

It's.

It's one of our, you know, one of our favorite gig ever.

So we're very happy to return this year.

And you were there, I think, the night Prince played, right?

Yes, we were there.

Yeah, that's my last time I saw the concert.

Yeah.

Yeah, Prince was there for three nights, I think, in the arena.

Yep.

And yeah, that was exciting.

Exciting.

We got to see part of the show.

It was phenomenal.

Yeah, we.

We went to the last show and yeah, it was great.

Yeah.

So starting the band back in, was it 96?

Yes.

Okay.

And what, what was your idea on putting together such a big production like this?

Or was it smaller?

Back then it was always 10 musicians.

I mean, this.

It's the same idea as today.

Basically.

We're trying to pay tribute to the disco music, I would say in easy words.

So we try to do it the best way we can, which is like, you know, if we look at the bands when they were performing in 76, 77, 78 was always big bands, big sound, a lot of dancing, a lot of flashy outfits.

And, you know, we try to do it in a way that's not comical because I think a lot of people laugh of that and I think it's.

It's wrong.

Right.

I mean, we try to, to show our love to the music, to the original artists.

So we do it, you know, the best way we can.

So since, you know, we.

We chose the instrumentation to, to really copy and emulate as it was on the albums back in the days.

So tell, tell us about some of those 70s, early 80 bands that you were drawn to.

I really, really enjoy to watch old video of Casey in the Sunshine Band.

Oh, that was, that was mine growing up too.

Yeah, I mean, live.

I mean, I've seen them live now.

They're very good.

But back in the days they were like outstanding.

I really enjoy, I mean, I'm talking about live stuff, obviously.

Ohio players.

I love to see like old footage of them.

Earthwin and Fire, of course.

Cool.

And the gang.

I mean, I really like those big bands.

Yeah.

And the horns on a lot of those bands, you know.

Oh yeah, you've got, you've got horn players that they're moving and playing at the same time, right?

Yes, we do.

We have two guys.

I mean, we missed six of them, but.

Right, right.

Yeah, but you know, they're working really hard.

Right.

And you yourself, you play bass, but there's no standing in one place for you, right?

Yeah, you know, I, I'm, I, I move a lot.

There are some songs I can't, I just can't.

It's too, it's too demanding.

But what is it, what does it take for a basis to stay physically fit for that and also to not make a fool of yourself and hit the wrong notes while you're playing.

Hey, listen, it happens.

Oh, okay.

Don't point them out to the crowd.

Well, they can probably hear it.

But yeah, I mean, you know, I, I, you know, you, you, you, you gotta have good sound.

You gotta, you know, we use in ears, molded in ears, so the sound in my ears is like flawless.

It's like a record.

So to hear myself well and to hear the drums so we can play in the pocket together, I think that's the, the most important.

You know, some songs where it's like big slap lines, I cannot jump around because it's, you know, I'm just gonna hit it wrong, I guess.

Right.

But some songs, it's, you know, I'm used to play them and I know them well and I can just have more fun.

Hey, I want to thank you.

Let me be myself again.

Well, what's the most demanding song as a basis to play that, that boogie Wonder Band plays?

I would say probably Brother Johnson.

We do stomp.

I, I have to do the bass solo.

So that's, that's one of the, there's also maybe, I mean it's not that demanding, but like Lakeside, Fantastic voyage, it's a 2 baseline.

So I play, I have to play with the basin together.

So.

Right.

Yeah, yeah.

Our viewers and listeners, I gotta recommend you checking out YouTube boogie.

Cindy hosted a great two season series behind the Groove.

Right?

Yeah.

You watched them?

I watched them, yeah.

And you broke down so many of the songs that I loved.

But as I'm a non musician, I started to think, oh, okay.

You know, and you Explained.

You went into great detail.

You took a lot of time to Karen putting that together.

I did that during the pandemic because first of all, I needed to keep my base shape.

So I kind of.

I kind of challenged myself to learn note by note, some of the songs, you know, I really like, you know, picked up every note I could.

And some songs we play, but sometimes some songs we just play, let's say the verse or the chorus.

So I try to learn the whole song.

And some songs we never played, but I love them very much.

So I thought, you know, why not?

That's a good moment and a highlight.

You were jamming with eq.

Eric Young, right?

Yeah.

Yeah.

He's a great performer.

We got to meet.

It's so funny because we met online and I asked him if he wanted to do it with me, which he agreed, you know, but then we boogie.

Wonder Ben has been doing some musical cruises.

Yeah, right.

We do the ultimate disco cruise and we do the Rock and Romance and on one of the crews we got to play with the Family Stone.

Yeah.

My friend is the lead singer, Swang.

He's the keyboardist, vocalist.

I don't know if you met him.

Oh, I know him.

He's fan.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

From New York.

We used to, you know, he's been on the show.

Great guy.

Yeah.

So.

So Eric was.

Well, EQ was subbing their bass player on that cruise.

So it's so funny, you know, like a year after we meet and we're just like together and you know, it was.

It was a beautiful moment.

So he's on tour now with Confunction.

I think.

I think he moved on.

I think right now.

I mean, he does all those bands.

He was with Charlie Wilson and then I think he's with the OHI players now.

Oh, okay.

I remember he was with this a few years back.

Steve Arrington from Slave.

He did well.

Yeah.

Have base, will travel.

Right.

You need a base player.

That's a guy you need to call.

Yeah, right, right.

He knows them all.

Yeah.

So in demand and you know, as a.

Was playing the bass your first instrument grown up?

Yes, always.

That was my first love.

It's all.

It still is.

Right after.

After retired from the pro bowling tour.

Right.

That didn't work so well for me.

How many years did you bowl for?

It was like a one time thing.

Oh, okay.

All right.

Now.

Now you're from Montreal.

You know, you've been there for.

For a while.

Long time out of Montreal, the band.

But Toledo, Ohio is where.

Where it began.

Where you were born, right?

Yeah.

Talk about moving from.

When did you move from Toledo?

Oh, I was super young.

I don't have much memories, to tell you the truth.

So.

Yeah, yeah.

Why'd you move up to Montreal?

Oh, you know, you follow your parents when you're a kid.

Yeah.

You weren't involved in the decision, right?

Yeah.

Now the music scene in Montreal, when we used to go up for the Montreal Jazz Festival all the time, I remember listening to ckut.

Okay.

Radio station, they played some funks, I think on the weekend.

And what is there any radio out there that's.

That's playing the funk?

You know, Montreal is a very.

It's not a very funk town, I guess.

It's not a funky town, I think.

I think like even for us, when we choose what we're gonna play live, when we go in the States versus Montreal, it's a very different repertoire.

So if we play Rick James here, people think it's our song.

Oh, okay.

Maybe, you know, you know, so, so, so I would say Montreal was more influenced by the European disco.

So here, Bonnie M, Abba.

I mean there's some songs that are super strong here and when we play them in the States, again, people don't know them.

So.

Yeah, but yeah, you know, when, when, when I got married to G, when she brought her records here, I remember seeing a couple bony M.

Yeah, he's in there.

And I grew up on Rick James seeing, you know, Rick James, Prince, Michael Jackson.

Yeah.

And Cooling the Gang.

Yeah.

Playing around the world.

I think that's one thing we notice.

It's like, you know, like a phenomenal, you know, like your favorite song here might not be as popular somewhere else.

So when we go to abroad, we always try to find out what worked.

Like we played in South America.

I mean some songs they love more, like the love songs.

Right.

And when we played like in India or you know, our Asia, people would know more the European stuff.

So we really have to adapt.

Otherwise we're going to play songs and people will have no idea what we're doing.

Yeah.

So you got to do a lot of research.

Right.

Well, you know, we got to prepare accordingly.

Yeah, right, right.

So a ten piece band, I mean you, you've had this band together since 96, which to move to 20, 25 almost.

That's not too many bands stay together or, you know, are doing what they do.

So credit to you and your band mates.

Thank you.

I mean it.

We, I think time flies by so fast.

We have lots of fun doing what we do.

I Mean, we're playing music that make people happy.

I mean, it's the best job in the world.

Right, Right.

You know, it's people who come to our show to have a good time and party, so it's, it's never a dull moment, you know, Down.

How about the original members?

Do you have any originals still in the band?

Oh, I would say half of it, yeah.

Oh, okay.

I know you're.

You're a drummer, percussionist, are they?

And guitarist.

Originals.

Right.

And the Stardust.

Oh, yeah, Stardust.

Yeah.

She's.

She's been a big part of the show as well, on vocals.

Yeah.

So some of the members have changed out.

You have a new male vocalist, relatively new.

Well, you know, he's been there almost eight, nine years, so.

Okay.

No, that's not new.

Yeah.

Right.

Yeah.

Newer.

Foxy Bees no longer in the group, right?

No, no, I mean the, you know, of course, over the years, some people change and.

Right.

You know, it's part of the game.

But I mean, people.

It's a fun show and the people.

Every time we have a member that change, it brings a fresh, freshness, you know, it's.

It's always positive.

I mean, it's sad we lose people, but it's.

We always, like, gain something else from another member.

So it's fun.

Right.

How about the, the newer members that come into.

How.

How do you wind up getting them to audition for the band?

Where do you find your musicians?

Well, you know, it's a lot of a word of mouth, I would say, you know, if we're going to have a new horn, of course I'm going to ask the new, the horn player that's there, you know, who you would like to play with.

And, you know, it's, you know, people need to.

To, I guess we meet or we see other musician and, you know, you, you think in your head, oh, this person would be great, you know, and it sticks in when you need it.

Then you're like, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Right.

Yeah.

So our viewers, we want them to go to boogie wonderband.com we'll have the, the tagline and, you know, beginning and end of the interview, we've got some snippets of the music we're gonna be playing in and out.

But boogie wonderband.com, very colorful site.

And more importantly, people can buy some new music.

Right?

Yeah.

We have our new album that just came out, Disco Honey.

It's the, the title song of the album is our original song and we have it in vinyl there.

Oh, okay.

And we have it as a.

Oh, wow.

Right.

So, I mean, we're gonna have, you know, we have them at our shows.

You.

We.

We sign them for the fans after the show always.

And it's.

It's.

It's a lot of fun.

It's all the songs that people want to hear.

It's a souvenir of the show, plus the new original song.

So.

So, so what's on.

What's on the record?

You have original Disco Honey.

What are some other tracks you have on it?

I mean, Relight my Fire by Dan Hartman.

We have.

Oh, go ahead.

Yeah, so we have a lot of medleys that we perform live that we, you know, on record.

You know, there's some, like, Bonnie M.

We were talking about.

Yeah, that's right.

I mean, there's like this new medley we build.

We do the.

These cruises.

We did the Rock and romance cruise.

So we build this more like disco funk.

It's a mix of Rod Stewart.

Do you.

Do you think I'm sexy going into.

Miss you from the Rolling Stone going into some family Stones.

So that one's 3D, edgy.

Right.

Right Now.

Now, I know you're a big fan of Prince and did you do Sexy Dancer was in the.

The mix last time.

No.

What was.

What was the song we played from him?

I left my mind.

I don't know if it was I want to be your lover or I.

Want to be your lover doesn't want.

Okay, Right.

Yeah, I remember.

Remember you put some prints in the mix and you play.

You and I.

Right?

Yeah, yeah, but we don't play it anymore.

Oh, okay.

No, I mean, you know, we always.

I'll have to put some requests into the Boogie Wonder Band Mailbox.

Right.

So you were, you know, you were able to go see Prince, his last concert.

We.

Hey.

It was toward the end of December where he played three shows and you were playing at the Wolf Den.

Yeah.

He had, I think, 11 horns on stage with him.

Yeah, that was amazing.

Like, you know it was.

I just had his trumpet player from the Revolution Map List, Atlanta Bliss on the show, and he was talking about, you know, at the end with 11 horns.

That's crazy.

Yeah, that was very impressive.

I think they had two bass player, right?

Yeah.

Ida Nielsen.

Yeah.

And Andrew Gue.

Yeah, yeah.

And they swapped.

When Gue came out and played was more of the funk stuff.

Yeah.

Moved over to the guitar.

So.

Yeah, that was, you know, it.

I mean, if you.

If you can do it, let's.

Let's Go.

You know.

Right, right.

I mean, it was so impressive to watch that show.

So, yeah, he, you know, it wasn't.

I would say it wasn't the best print show I've ever seen because I've seen shows since Purple Rain.

But it was.

It was interesting.

Like, you had mentioned that many people in and out.

Yeah, it was very.

Exactly.

And I think he required the horn section.

They had to dance and move.

That was one of the requirements.

And they.

And they were coming from Simon.

Arabic.

Yeah, that's right.

Yeah.

Yeah.

You work them real hard, right?

Yeah.

How about rehearsing your band?

How often and where do you rehearse?

The band that big?

Well, I mean, you know, rehearsing is always something.

Because we play so much, it's.

It's hard to call people on their day, their few days off and do rehearsals.

So we try to really.

People have to show up ready.

Okay.

So we know what we're gonna play.

We know, you know, people have to do their own works at home.

And we are gonna rehearse mainly when we have new material we're bringing in.

Otherwise we're probably.

Probably gonna rear during sound check and things like that.

Makes it easy.

We're all, like, set up with good sound because when you go in the rehearsal space, sometimes you don't hear everything and it's.

Right.

It's not as fun.

So.

Yeah.

And I don't know if you're aware, but we also do our show from time to time with the Symphonic Orchestra.

Oh, okay.

Tell.

Tell us about that.

Yeah, yeah.

You know, I always had the idea in my mind because if you listen to not all the disco stuff, but a lot of it has a lot of, like, Symphonic Orchestra playing in the studios with them.

So if you listen to, like, some Donna Summer.

Right.

Bee Gees, Barry White, I mean, it's like symphonic.

And so we had all the arrangement made for Symphonic Orchestra and we started to.

To perform with some all over the states.

And to hear.

I mean, even just like, I will survive with the full orchestra, it's.

It's pretty magical, you know, our Dancing Queen, or, you know, it's.

It brings the show to another level.

And to have like 50 musicians in the back of us with the conductor.

You know, there's definitely rehearsal for that, right?

Oh, yeah.

Oh, yeah.

But when, you know, we're very solid.

So when we show up with.

For the orchestra, they're basically sight reading the charts, you know.

Okay.

And we get some orchestra that are Very, very good.

Because people don't expect disco to be hard.

Yeah, right, right.

But there's some, like, for example, we have two songs we know they Better be good.

It's a shake your groove thing.

There's a big string line in there.

Oh, okay.

The intro of Disco Infernals.

Oh, the Tramps.

Right, yeah, yeah.

That's a good one too.

That's the test of their orchestra.

Right?

Yeah.

It's interesting because like the Philly sound had a lot of strings, right?

Yeah.

And even Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, although it was on the keyboards, but there was a lot of string grooves along there.

Yeah.

So, yeah, yeah, it brings some like, depth to the music to.

Especially to see it live because those, those things were made in a studio.

Right.

It's, you know, with the harp and the intros and it's very impressive.

Yeah.

So.

So when you were growing up, tell us about how did you get into this kind of music?

Or was.

Did you grow up on other music and just gravitated later years?

I, I don't have much souvenir.

I mean, I always loved music when I was a kid, but it's really one.

You know, like in my teens I just like heard some disco and funk and, you know, I wanted to play.

You know, I was playing bass.

It was just like it went easy into each other.

Right, Right.

Yeah.

G, G.

My wife was telling me about her and her sister going to the.

The discos in Montreal.

She said she was like 15 years old.

I'm thinking, how did you get in this place?

But wasn't there a place called the Limelight?

Yes.

Yeah, yeah.

That was big in the 70s and then it's reopened in the 90s.

We played there with the band.

Oh, okay.

It was not the same, obviously, after the disco had died.

Yeah, right.

But you know, they, they tried to revive it and it was a.

Interesting, Interesting.

Discotheque was on the second floor.

Was not convenient for a man at all.

Oh, no.

I.

I used to DJ parties and lug in the gear up flights instead.

That's.

That's.

Yeah, yeah.

I'm feeling in my knee right now.

So.

Yeah, so I've been to Metropolis and Club Soda.

Those are like famous places out there.

Have you played over there?

We played Metropolis a few times.

We did some party there with Gloria Gaynor.

Actually.

We backed her up back in the days we did Club Soda.

Did we play there because they, they moved.

Right, Right, yeah.

Oh, they did.

Okay.

Yeah, yeah.

So I think we didn't play in the original one.

We played on the newer version on St.

Laurent Street.

Oh, okay.

Yeah.

How about the Festival de Jazz?

Do you play that?

No, no, no, we're not jazzy enough.

Well, I saw Prince there.

Yeah, yeah, he qualifies.

We.

Yeah, yeah.

Was that, Was it Wilfred South Pelletier?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, we saw him.

We had the second, second row seats.

I had Prince's hat.

He threw in the crowd.

I had it in my hand and a girl behind me ripped it out of my hand.

She said, how come you didn't hold on to it?

I said, I thought I had it.

So.

Yeah, yeah.

Now, now, your band, as far as disco and funk, the other members, have they always been into that?

Well, I think, you know, it's.

I would say probably not, but know, it's.

It's a music that's worth discovering.

Especially all the instruments we have, you know, horns.

I mean, they have to listen at one point or another or twin and fire or cool and gang.

I mean, it's not.

If, even if they didn't before, now they do.

Right.

So.

Yeah.

Who.

Who controls the.

The radio or stereo in, in the van coming down?

Oh, we don't listen to music.

Oh, okay.

I mean, you got to get in.

The mindset the, the driver is the only one allowed to touch the radio and.

Yes, music.

Because sometimes people sleep, you know, sometimes we have long hours of driving, so you don't want to blast music the whole way there, otherwise.

Yeah, that's true.

So the.

Let me also talk about.

I.

Did you pre record this?

The Belly Bomb?

Yes, yes.

Okay.

Talk about that.

Yeah.

So we were invited to perform for their Christmas special.

It's gonna air on the December 24th at 8pm it's gonna be obviously Quebec.

That's in Manoir in Quebec, but it's going to be also available, I think online, so.

Okay.

Yeah.

So people if, if they miss the first airing of it, I think it's going to be available to watch again and again, so.

Right.

I mean, it's going to be a lot of French music.

It's Christmas French music.

Right, right.

You know, we play in the beginning.

I would say maybe the.

In the first 10, 15 minutes.

It's an hour and a half special and then we, we close the show at the end, so.

Oh, okay.

Wow.

Is that the first time you've played.

That, that, that show?

Yes.

We did a lot, a lot of other TV show, but this one is special because it's, it's very music oriented.

You know, it's for the people in the States.

That don't know.

I mean, I would say it's.

How could I come.

How would you compare that to Jimmy Fallon with his band.

Oh, the Roots.

Yeah, yeah.

I don't know.

It's.

Anyway, it's for music fans and.

Right.

So it's gonna be fun.

Yeah, we ourselves, we have TV5 Mond and we get the Quebec shows a little.

A few days delay, you know, here and there.

As long as you said it's online.

Tele Quebec.

So.

Yeah, yeah, it's gonna be online.

I think we put the link on our website so people can be here and either watch it live or watch it a few days after when it's gonna be online.

Yeah, you've.

You've got.

People can check out your website as far as gigs and the two cruises.

And you play a regular spot out in Saint Eustache, right?

Yeah, we do that.

That's the next show.

Uh, that's right before New Year's Eve and, well, Christmas and New Year's Eve, we're gonna be there.

It's almost sold out.

I think there's 20 tickets left.

Is that Lazenith?

Yes, yes.

Oh, okay.

That's.

We.

We play this place every year.

It's.

It's a lot of fun.

And then we're coming to, you know, Mohegan sun for the Disney and then.

Yeah.

What a way to celebrate.

Are you.

Are you.

Do you gamble at all when you hit the casinos or.

Not really.

Okay.

You need it for the customers.

Yeah, that's right.

Yeah.

Yeah.

When I go to see a show, it's.

It's funny.

I never, never gamble at the casino when I go to see the music show, so.

Oh, there you go.

I mean.

And I think we have other shows on the east coast coming up as well.

And correct my me if I say it wrong.

Wouldn't suck at Rhode Island.

Perfect.

Better than I would.

And February 1st will be at the.

The Pillow Music hall in the Derry, New Hampshire.

So.

Right.

Oh, Derry, New Hampshire.

Yeah.

We've got a friend who lives out there.

Yeah.

So it's not too, too far.

No, no.

So, you know, you like to stay busy with the, with the band and going back to the pandemic days.

I mean, it.

We were talking off air about how difficult it was and for a lot everybody had their own situations going on.

But as a working musician, what happened with you?

What happened with the band?

And.

Well, you know, you know, we all stay put and you know, we, You Know, it was, I guess, for like everybody else around the world, we didn't know what would happen and how long would it take.

But what, what happened is we got our.

We had to get the vaccination early on so we could travel again.

And while everything was still closed in Canada, we can still still work in the States.

So we ended up doing a lot of shows in the States.

Okay.

So.

But that took a while and you, you kept busy.

Stressful because we had to travel and get tested all the time.

And, you know, we're a big group.

We travel 14.

So, you know, we were.

Every time was the stress of if one person is sick, then we're quarantined.

Oh, yeah, yeah.

You know, we're so happy.

This part is.

Yeah.

I mean, and I had the last booster for the vaccine and that was like the sickest I've been for a while.

And, you know, you just don't know.

Yeah, well, you know, it's, you know, we.

We were lucky.

The band is still together and we were able to perform here.

And, you know, it closed a lot in Canada.

I was more, much more severe than in the States, I guess.

And, you know, thank God for traveling.

So no more.

I remember I had the app to travel into Canada.

I have to fill out all the information and.

Yeah, I don't think we have to do that anymore.

Right.

I think you can use the app for just like the custom now.

It's easier.

Oh, okay.

To go through.

Yeah.

The customs.

I've had some, Some crazy experience I actually drove through one time when I was dating G and I had the prince symbol sticker on the side of my window.

And the guy comes up and he goes, what's this sticker about?

You know, and he was asking questions.

So, yeah, it's.

It's always a little stressful going through, right?

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

So people can look, you know, on your website and also, you know, you've been amongst the giants in the world.

You know, parties with Celine Dion, Trump, and so many.

What.

What are some memories that stick out performance wise?

Like, you know, you tell everybody in your family, we just did this, you know.

Yes.

We did so many shows.

Sometimes, you know, a lot of them were very, very special.

And sometimes I forget things because we did so many.

Right.

Oh, much more than that now.

Like probably closer to 35, 3, 600 shows together.

It's.

It's a lot.

It's a lot.

And.

But, you know, we had the chance to perform for as you say, a lot of, you know, like giants.

And we did some shows in New York.

We did the Saturday Night Live after party at the cutting room at 4:00am oh, really?

Okay.

Wow.

Yeah, we did things like that.

So that's, you know, it's part of the mystery and yeah.

I've got a.

Yeah, a couple friends played the Cutting Room.

They, they like playing.

It's their CD release.

Parties were there.

Yeah.

Oh, it's such a great room.

We love, love, love it.

I mean, you know, we played for Celine Dion when she was younger.

We.

And over the years she hired us quite a few times.

I'm trying to remember.

Top of my head.

But you know, I would say lately, I guess the cruise would be a good souvenir because we get to perform alongside all our idols.

Right?

You know, to see the Spinners live and.

Or to see the trams.

I mean, even if they get up there, they're still fantastic, you know, and it's such a blessing and an honor for us to, to be able to, you know, to, to share the stage or you know, invite them on stage with us sometimes or in the band.

You know, it's a ten piece band.

There's no sequence, there's no track.

So we're totally live.

So it gives us the, the liberty of inviting people, stretching the song or whatever it's needed.

Well.

But yeah, I, I guess that would be in my memories, some of the great stuff, you know.

And yeah, as far as you guys are playing the original stuff, I mean, you're just like, there's no Memorex, nothing.

You know, you let it Real, real musicianship.

A lot of bands don't do that.

Even big stars now.

Like, I mean, I'm sure you see.

And you're like, you know, in my head I'm like, wow, they had like huge selling records.

Where's the band?

Yeah, I mean, you know, it's.

I, I think, you know, show business is a business and a lot of artists have lots of pressure when they go on tour and if you're, I don't know, you're a single singer, you know, your solo.

What happened if, you know, do you cancel the tour?

Do you, you know, what do you do if your voice is not there?

I mean, it happens, you know, it's.

Right, it's not because you're not good, it's just, you know, you catch a cold or whatever.

So I think a lot of people have like tracks to protect them if it happens.

So the show can still go on, but it's gonna be like the sub track playing instead of the singer singing.

Yeah, I mean, I get it.

We have three singers, you know, and if one night, one is a bit, you know, tired or something, we're gonna just give the person less song to sing or less big song and we can switch it around.

But if you're alone, you know, what do you do?

You know.

Yeah, so.

And also, also, I really am.

I think it's, it's.

I don't know how to say that without being offensive, but a lot of people now with the, the new technology, they have like iPads on stage and they have their L front of them and it's something I don't really like to see.

I want to see the person memorizing.

That's right.

You know, I get it.

If you're like on tv, you know, as like a side musician and you know, you do 600 song in that night, you have no choice.

But right.

As the band members, if I'm gonna go and see a show, I kind of want to see it live.

I don't want to see somebody reading the music in front of me.

Yeah, yeah.

As a musician, that's gotta.

That's gotta bother you in a way.

Well, you know, especially like the singer.

I mean, it's.

If they have like everything in front of them, how can they connect with the crowd?

100 they're reading the lyrics, but it's just me, you know, it's.

Right.

So we, you know, obviously when you come and see us, there's no, There is no music stand.

Yeah, that's right.

You're all over.

You're all over the stage where you're.

Basically them off, maybe.

Yeah.

Right.

With the pink strings and everything.

Yeah.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah.

Speaking of growing up, as far as bassists, I.

I know you broke it down and behind the groove, but talk about some of the bases.

Who really had an influence on.

And have you met some of your.

Your musical idols?

I.

I didn't meet enough of them.

Okay.

I mean, I, I would.

I never met Larry Graham.

I had him on the show.

I was going to tell you something real quick about Larry.

I had him on the show twice.

Never met him in person.

I've seen him in concert in person.

But I asked him a question like, of rehearsing to the bass.

You know, how do you rehearse?

He said.

And he didn't say arrogantly, but he said, well, when you create us your own a style, you don't have to practice it.

That's what he said.

You Know, you probably would understand it, but that's what he.

Yeah, because you know, he's the guy who created the slapping base, you know, so I guess he came up with the technique himself, which was pretty impressive.

Right.

So I guess he doesn't need to practice.

But.

Yeah, no, I would, I would love to meet him.

You know, I never did.

Oh, I keep in interrupting on this, but Larry Graham, the Molson Sentra.

We went to see the.

The Rainbow Children tour and Larry Graham came, came on stage for the encore.

They did a 20 minute version of Days of Wild and Prince had a, you know, the Canadian hockey jersey on with number one Prince on the back.

Oh, that's cool.

Yeah.

Okay, now you go ahead and talk.

Yeah, well, so, you know, top of my.

I mean there's so many.

There's so many guys or girls I really like, you know, I'm in awe of them.

But I would, you know, I would have loved to meet Louis Johnson.

I mean this year on the cruise we're going to be playing with brother Johnson, but it's just the guitar player, George.

Yeah, yeah.

I mean I would have loved to meet Lewis.

You know, what can you do?

I really like the bas from Slave again, Mark Adams.

You know, he's passed, so that's again, another.

No.

Yeah, there's.

I mean, I really like the guy.

What's his name?

From the Silvers.

Lewis Beyond Silvers.

Yeah, yeah, right.

He's still there out there.

I would love to meet him.

I mean, he has such a unique sound and style.

I mean, I would love to meet him.

Right.

Oh, I.

I guess that, you know, quickly.

Of course there's a.

The Bernard Edwards from Chic I would have loved.

Oh yeah, I didn't write.

He.

He died.

I think he was early 50s tops maybe.

Right.

I don't know what's happening with all the bass player.

They're dying very young.

Well, hopefully you're not included in that club.

We need you a few more years around, but.

Yeah, no, but all those guys were like, you know, and more.

I mean, Verdine White, I've never met him.

I would love to meet the guy.

That'S another guy who plays his instrument, moving around like you.

Yeah.

So phenomenal.

I mean, I've seen him live and you know.

Yeah, but I've never had the chance to shake his hands, you know.

You mentioned Mark Adams.

I grew up.

Slave is one of my favorite groups.

And when he passed away, we put together Sean Carter from Public Enemy was helped to get a Lot of people.

But we did a tribute to Mark Adams.

And Drac from Slave called in.

Victor Wooten called in.

I mean, I've got the tape somewhere in the.

The archives here.

I got to convert and upload it.

But there were a lot of other bases, you know, you.

When they wrote the song, when they wrote slide, he was 13 years old.

Oh, wow.

I didn't know that.

I'm 17 or 13, maybe.

It's.

But I think it was nice.

Cool.

You know.

So, yeah, that's another group.

I mean, we've had.

Kurt Jones is a friend of ours.

He was with Slave and Aura.

But yeah, I mean, great losses, guys who passed away too young.

Dracula passed away not too long after that.

Yeah, but you've worked with Rhonda Smith, right?

You guys studied a bit?

Yeah, yeah.

That was.

What did.

What did Rhonda teach you?

I mean, what kind of did you learn from her?

You know, she.

She.

She stood out because I was saying, you know, Montreal is not like, funky.

And she stood out because she was already, you know, playing Larry Graham and all that funk stuff.

So she kind of like introduced me to that very young.

And I was in music school at the time when I met her, and she opened, like, this window of music to me that was not taught in school.

And, you know, I.

I will always be grateful for that.

I mean, she, like, her talent is incredible, you know.

Right.

And, you know, I.

I have no words to describe how, you know, phenomenal she is.

And talented.

She is.

You know, so I was a great.

You know, that's the lesson I was looking for every.

Every week.

Yeah, it was at McGill.

No, I was going to her house.

Oh, okay.

I got you.

Yeah, I think her.

Her brother's in music too.

Or he.

Yeah, he's a trouble player, I think.

Yeah.

Okay.

Yeah.

So.

Yeah.

Yeah, now she's doing Jimmy Kimmel's show, the house band.

Yeah.

So.

Yeah, well, she deserves everything.

I mean, as I said, I.

I sat in front of her, I heard her play.

Right.

The Real Deal.

And you're the real deal.

Yeah.

So I was very humble to have the chance to learn from her.

You know, one thing I forgot to mention you.

The Boogie Wonder Band played.

I think it was a playoff game for the Montreal Alouettes.

Yeah, that's.

We just did that in November.

Wow.

Yeah.

Was it the championship?

It was the east coast conference.

Oh, okay.

So, you know, I would say like the semi.

Semi finals.

Oh, okay.

Yeah.

So we did the half time.

Yeah.

Did they win the game?

No.

Oh, okay.

But they.

They've won some.

They've won some games.

Nothing to do with the.

The Boogie Wonder.

Man, I.

I wish they did win so they would hire us again to be a good luck chart.

Yeah, yeah.

How about the.

The hockey team, the Canadians?

Have you played any gigs?

We did some crazy things for them.

We did some Halloween party back then.

They invited us to play for, like, we got our singer to do the national anthems also.

We did.

The last thing we did for them was like a Christmas, like, private, private event for all the players and their wives.

Oh, okay.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

So the Habs gotta have you back.

Yeah.

I mean, you know, that's.

Those things we do that nobody really knows about that are super fun, but, you know.

Right.

Private parties.

Right?

That's what.

Exactly.

Yeah.

I remember going to the.

The Olympic stadium the last year the Expos were playing and it was funny.

My friend who's not a baseball fan at all, I think we were at.

Is it Nichols, the restaurant?

Yeah, I.

I don't think there is anymore.

But yeah, it was like across the street.

He goes, you want to go to the baseball game?

I said, you don't even like baseball.

He said, come on in.

Let's go.

So we go there, we go buy tickets.

He goes, where do you want to sit?

I said, here's our ticket.

We got to sit here.

He goes, you can sit wherever you want.

It was like 2, 000 people in the Olympic stadium.

Yeah, I know, but they were trying to get him back downtown, I think.

Right?

Yeah.

It didn't work.

Yeah, right.

It's still a mess with the Olympic stadium.

They have to redo the roof.

Oh, it's still.

It still exists, right?

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Well, you used to play the casino there, right?

Yeah, we do.

We.

We still do.

I mean, you know, like two years ago, we did all the Christmas run at the casino.

Last year we did the one near Ottawa.

Okay.

Shows this year we're gonna be there for Valentine's Day, so.

Wow.

Yeah, it's gonna be fun.

Yeah.

In Demand, the Boogie Wonder Band.

Right.

Hey, we try to be.

Give a good show.

Do you do your own booking or you have someone who looks out for you?

Okay, that's good.

Yeah.

We have agents for Canada and we have some agents in the States.

And when we do a symphonic orchestra, it's a different type of agency that takes care of that.

Do you understand?

Right.

We have shows coming up.

Yeah.

We have two crews coming up.

And also we have a private party this year in Thailand that we're going in, so.

Yeah, it's a lot of traveling.

I.

I used to live in Taiwan for three years.

Did you ever play out there?

No.

We played Macau twice.

Played Tokyo.

Hong Kong.

Yeah.

And Mumbai and India.

So that's like our eastern day.

Yeah.

That's a lot of travel.

I remember 16, 17 hours.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

We'll talk about the cruise if, if anybody wants to go because it's.

Is power sold out?

They're sold out.

But there, there's like the 20, 26 cruises that are going to be coming on sale soon.

I mean, we do, we do.

We did two different ones.

The first one is the ultimate disco cruise.

I mean, this is by far the most fun thing any musician lover would have to do in his life.

I mean that love disco.

Yeah.

Right.

If you don't love disco.

Yeah.

You're on the wrong cruise.

It's a five day.

I mean it's, it's not the typical cruise.

It's a charter boat by Starvest, you know, and what they do is they have about 40 shows in five days on the cruise.

So it's a marathon to catch all the apps.

Do you play every night or every day?

We do three shows.

Oh, okay.

Right.

So we do like the last years we've been doing the Sail Away party and then, you know, there's different venues on the boat.

There is the pool, there's like a lounge, there's a main theater.

It's a, it's a thousand seats theater.

It's pretty big.

So we've been doing, you know like the night time at the pool, the Sail Away and the lounge upstairs where they were gonna have like later shows.

So you, you know, we played.

I mean the last time we did it was the Whispers was on there.

Rolls Royce.

Well, Casey was there a few times.

Gloria Gaynor did it once.

Thelma Houston, I mean it's all that, you know, the Spinners.

You have cool in the gang.

It's pretty impressive.

The gang just inducted Rock and Roll hall of Fame.

Yeah.

They're so good.

They're.

They're really so good.

And we do the other cruise that comes right after is the Rock and Romance cruise.

Oh, okay.

It's.

It's like 70s soft rock.

So like when the, the one time we did it was with the orchestra, the Electric Light Orchestra.

And we.

There was like this year coming up there's going to be Air Supply, there's going to be she neist and there's going to be, you know, so many Family Stone is on there.

I forget them all, but they're all good.

Dennis Refin of Chicago was there with his band.

I mean, okay.

Yeah, it's a lot of great concerts, and it's more like soft rock.

And for the romance, they go into, like, dancing, like the disco us.

Yeah.

I was gonna ask, how did you get it?

You and the Family Stone get into that?

Well, you know, I guess.

Yeah, it kind of fits because it's not just rock, it's rock and romance.

So for, like, I guess the couples, maybe, like, the guys are more into, like the rock star stuff, but the lady, you want to have, like, a party at the.

So, yeah, as soon as they hear, like a Stay in a Life, you know.

Yeah, they're.

They're out of their chairs dancing, you know.

But, you know, as I said, we.

We learn some of the songs, you know, like, miss you from the Rolling Stone.

It's like crossover, you know, we do like some Blondie.

It's crossover.

And at the end, people, I mean, are just like.

They want to reminisce the 70s and have a good time.

And people that go on, those crews, they pay a lot of money, but they have like, the rock and romance is seven days.

They see a lot of shows.

It's pretty impressive.

Yeah, yeah.

You got to do the Soul Train cruise one of these years.

Oh, listen, I've been telling them they don't want to hear from me anymore.

Oh, okay.

So you've been trying.

Yeah.

Oh, God, that looks like a lot of fun.

Oh, my God.

You should.

The Boogie Wonder Band should be on that cruise one of these years.

If anybody's out there watching or listening, you know, you know where to contact Cindy wonderband.com and let's quickly remind, before we say goodbye, the New Year's Eve party is New Year's Eve, Connecticut.

It says Wolf Den.

I forgot.

That is Imagine Tuckett.

No, those are the end.

Uncasville.

Uncasville.

Yeah.

Right.

And Mohegan Sun.

Yeah.

The Wolf Den.

One of our favorite place we've seen Boogie Wonder Band there.

We saw the time there on New Year's Eve years ago.

The revolution we saw.

And yeah, it's you.

You must love playing that place, right?

Oh, we love it.

It's at the top of our list.

Yeah, it's like classy and.

And it's.

I saw P Funk there one time.

And the way if people haven't been there, you can watch the concert from the outside right by the machines if you don't get in.

And yeah, two shows, eight and 11.

Right.

Exactly.

So, yeah, so we, we're gonna ring the New Year's together.

We're gonna keep on playing a bit more and then, you know, we're gonna let people do what they need to do in the casino.

That's right.

Yeah.

The casino never stops.

No, it doesn't.

Yeah, we, we moved up here to Saratoga and I just popped in the casino one time to take a look.

It was like in the morning and we're like, wow, Connecticut.

We were spoiled.

It was nice.

But Connecticut has a couple really nice casinos up there.

Oh, yes.

Yeah, Foxwoods and, and bring extra money because the cd, the album.

And you always do meet and greet.

You're always personable with the fans.

You know, we, we.

I think it's part of the, the.

We want to see our fans.

And you know, sometimes, you know, some people, you know, they come back year after year.

It's, it's.

It's so hard.

Warming.

Sorry.

Right, right.

And you know, just take a picture after the show or sign something.

It, you know, it means a lot for certain people and it does to us.

Mainly to us.

So.

Right, Yeah.

You have your core fans who like stand by, you travel to see you talk about your post online and then you, you pick up fans who seen you for the first time, which is great.

I think we're blessed, you know, and we, we really appreciate all our fans.

From all over from Thailand to.

So.

Hey Cindy, thanks.

I mean you've been on the show several times.

First time we did the video thing, so it's cool.

And we'll also be having this on all the podcast outlets, the big Spotify, all the who's ever out there distributing it.

And YouTube where we're recording this now, and MixCloud, we'll be having some your music in there.

So we'll have you covered.

Thank you so, so much.

Yeah, thanks, Cindy.

Join the well born and eat do I respect.