About Me
Asphalt Panda originated as a tight, three-piece rock/jazz/funk band with an amazing work ethic, and a plethora of brand-new material, just waiting to be found and produced. The songs found on their upcoming album are all originally from the compositional drawing board of bassist Duane Day. The guitar chores are handled by Florida guitarist Matt “Mattman†Burns, and the drums played by Boston area Secret Army drummer Seth Ceders. This formidable power trio is balanced out by BOZFONK MOOSICK Head, and Parliament-Funkadelic keyboardist Danny Bedrosian, who tackled producing the upcoming album, as well as playing all the keyboards, and lending vocals to many of the tracks. The Soular System’s front man Rev. Desmond D’Angelo guests on, and conceives the PANDALISM idea, which both reveres and propagates the concept of spray-painting a Panda on the asphalt, thus “cementing†the acclaim and hype surrounding this brand new group.
The appeal is more than understandable-the album contains a hefty dose of Jazz/Pop/Funk/Rock/Alternative/R&B/Classical/EMO/Dance/H
ip-Hop Fusion that amazes all that hear it. The album is mixed by P-Funk sound engineer, and Take you There Studios studio engineer Dwayne Dungey, as well as Bedrosian at his Bozfonk stoodioze. The sound of this band is perfectly matched with the masterful production values of Bedrosian, and the crystal-clear mixing skills of Dungey.
With the April 2007 release of the CD debut PANDALISM (BOZFONK MOOSICK Label and Publishing BMI), Asphalt Panda is to embark on a slew of live work, and continued recording and rehearsal with the current lineup. Come listen to some of the new songs from PANDALISM right here on this site, and stay tuned for tour dates, upcoming media events, and radio play throughout the U.S.A.
WEFUNK SOUTH Groups:
WEFUNK SOUTH has a small stable of masterful artists, serious groups and monstrous bands that have huge marketing potential, and amazing raw talent. Here are short descriptions of but a few of them:
Danny Bedrosian & Secret Army - formed by Bedrosian, and membered by fellow P-Funkers and musical legends Dewayne “Blackbyrd†Mcknight, Lige Curry, Rico Lewis, and more, Secret Army is a musical collective combining Hard Funk with Ethnic Middle Eastern Music, other World Music forms, Jazz Fusion, R&B, Hip-Hop, and various classical music elements from keyboardist Bedrosian’s extensive 20-year long classical tutelage. The music is both approachable and innovative. Their first album was released independently with WEFUNK SOUTH and BozFonk Moosick Publishing heading it up, and has received rave reviews as being something never really heard before; a new fusion, carrying with it a tradition first put down by the original Parliament-Funkadelic members who fused various genres in their own right in the 60’s and 70’s. Secret Army is doing the same thing with new genres and sub-genres, new technology, and a new World audience. The overlying theme is unity in this multi-ethnic, cross-cultural, multi gender band. The second album, a double album, by Secret Army was recently released, and the band’s third is currently being completed. This group has already played all over the East Coast and Midwest; some of the key shows include opening for George Clinton at the House of Blues in Orlando, FL, headlining the FSU Hempfest in 2007, and playing the main stage at 2008’s Trinumeral Festival, to name but a select few. The band is currently planning several international tours.
The Soular System-an 8-piece Southern Funk/Bayou Soul band, with a lot of rock and jazz influences as well. Fronted by the Reverend Desmond D’Angelo, and featuring not only a blisteringly powerful rhythm section, but also a three piece horn section, various percussion in the mix, choreographed dancing, tight arrangements, grooving musical workouts, amazing lyrics, and diabolically interesting concepts. Their sophomore album, All the Way Out, and All the Way In, produced by Bedrosian with WEFUNK SOUTH, is receiving great response as the band continues a hefty touring and practicing schedule in the southern and Midwestern United States. The band has performed alongside Fishbone, Digital Underground, George Clinton, Chicago, and Earth Wind, and Fire.
Moon Child-a mixture of Alaskan folk music, Pop, Dance funk, Celtic folk music, Classical composition, Crunk, southern fried beats, and Beatles-esque songwriting, Moon Child is a very unique singer-songwriter, whose first album, produced by Bedrosian is a testament to the diverse styles and the quiet, angelic soprano of Moon Child. Also featured on the album is longtime P-Funk contributor Jerome Rodgers. Moon Child is currently working on new material for another album, and fronting her funk band,
Soul Hole in Fairbanks, Alaska.
UNFUNKWITABLE-Led by Dwayne Dungey, featuring keyboards by P-Funk's Danny Bedrosian, Secret Army guitarist Marc Munoz, and asphalt Panda drummer Seth Ceders, Tallahassee area bassist Jamie Campbell, and special guests. The sound is RAW FUNK with a METAL edge, and a psychologically transcendent lyrical side which is as multi dimensional as the music which goes from quiest as a mouse, to blatantly nasty at the drop of a hat!
Teresa Jimenez-a masterful jazz/pop/soul/folk/rock singer with a wide range of abilities and styles. Featuring a mixture of Secret Army and The Soular System forms the majority of her band, alongside guests such as jazz sessionmen, P-Funk’s Garry Shider, Russian funk virtuoso violinist Felix Lahuti, New England beatsmith Jon Picken, NYC artist Brian Maloney, an a hefty group of musicians from Sweet Motha’ Child. Teresa’s music can be anything from upbeat and pop-flavored, to steamy and jazzy, to sexy and funky, to solemn and refined at the drop of a hat. The majority of the compositions on this album are written by Jimenez, producer Bedrosian and Soular System/Secret Army triple duty guitarist/songwriter Mike Maloney.
Clonin the Wheel-A consistent, funky, dancefloor oriented EP, which started as a collaboration between Bedrosian and North Carolina multi-instrumentalist Chris Cornwell. P-Funk All-Star and solo artist in her own right, Miss Kendra Foster contributes to one of the more jazz influenced cuts on this dynamite EP. Clonin the Wheel also features Secret Army Axemen Marc Munoz and Mike Maloney, and BOZFONK-WEFUNK SOUTH staffer/beatsmith Jon Picken. But most of the fire is from Cornwell himself, and Bedrosian, who play drums, bass, guitars, keyboards, and most of the vocals throughout this surefire funk thrust of a disc.
Sweet Motha’Child - Bedrosian’s now defunct 18 piece funk conglomerate resurfaces on disc on the upcoming SMC the Best of 1999-2003. Though not encompassing the band’s entire career, this Best of album gives the p-funk or secret army fan an insight to Bedrosian’s pre-P music in his late teenage years. There are actually some great compositions and performances on this disc by Bedrosian and all the rest of the New England based group.
We thank you for your time regarding the many prized artists and groups, and the proud achievements of this fledgling branch of WEFUNK
