 Noelle Doughty |
A few band members are onstage, checking equipment. They appear to be partially in drag. They disappear. In the parking lot, Noelle Doughty is adjusting her giant wig.
About a half hour before midnight, an entourage of characters swarms the stage: a guy in silver sequined pants, a John Travolta disco shirt, and a brown fuzzy wig badly in need of some grooming; a chick in a yellow afro, purple sequined dress, go-go boots, and star glasses, à la Elton John; and soulful lead singer Doughty in a pink sequined top, silver sequined platform boots, and feather boa, with an enormous blinking ring and a purple afro as big as god. Is this a band of circus freaks? A cartoon extravaganza? The answer becomes apparent when the assortment of musicians suddenly raises the roof, the '70s sounds of "Get Down Tonight" blaring at a nearly unbearable volume.
Most on the floor attempt to dance, but it's nearly impossible since we're packed in like pickles.
Vlasic New Year, courtesy of Monica's Kneepads.
Noelle Doughty is still feeling a little bleary-eyed, a little brain-dead, when we begin our chat a few days later. Can't blame her. The 'Pads played well into 2005 that night, performing 25 disco/funk hits; as leader of the band, she's overwhelmed. Divalicious Doughty is cheerful, though, eager to answer questions.
"I'm still recovering," she explains. "It's a lot of work. I manage the band, do all the PR, and trying to get nine people together is definitely a job in itself. And it's not my only job; it's my hobby, my part-time job." When Doughty isn't onstage as master of ceremonies to this dyn-o-mite funk eruption, she's hitting boutiques, resorts, and spas across the country selling Green Dragon/Pink Lotus, a contemporary line of women's yoga wear. "It's great because the band allows me to make my own schedule and I get to travel. But it's hard to do everything."
Be that as it may, Doughty is enamored with the 'Pads. Here's how the love affair began: she was part of the Hudson Valley funk band Funktional Loonacy for six years, playing original music with three other 'Pads members. Their favorite joint? The Rhinecliff Hotel, especially on Halloween. After the band dismembered, the hotel owner asked Doughty to throw together another funky ensemble in October of 1998.
"It was around the time of the whole Monica Lewinsky scandal," says Doughty. "My drummer just called us that—Monica's Kneepads—as a joke. So, we played, got a really good response, and it stuck." Luckily the group kept getting solicited for gigs, but they did run into a bit of trouble. One venue objected to the name, and even threatened to cancel a gig because of it.
"We changed our name for them. But once we started to play, they realized it didn't benefit them to call us another name that people didn't know. Like, this is such a liberal area, what's the problem? So we now play exclusively as Monica's Kneepads."
The band has evolved quite a bit over the years. Starting out as a smaller group, they are now a bevy of nine. "The other founding member recently left the band," Doughty says, "so we've gone through of couple of personal changes. But we're still going strong."
Why did Doughty choose to work with a decked-out funkster cover band instead of showcasing her voice with, say, an original rock group? The world is already crawling with '70s bands.
"It was a genre of music we just loved. It was the music we put on at parties, the music we felt made people want to get up and dance. I can't tell you how many gigs I've played in my life where you see people come out and they want to dance, but they're afraid, or something is not quite moving them enough. We play music that's familiar, recognizable, something that brings people back to a time and place that gets them up. It's feel-good music, not heavy, not political. All the lyrics are about good times, dancing, moving. It's light and we try to keep in the spirit of a professional, whimsical band. There are definitely other '70s bands out there, but I think we're a little more gritty, more polished in the way we play. And we're more relaxed in it as well."
Some of the tunes you might hear at a 'Pads gig are "Play That Funky Music," "Le Freak," "Funky Town," "Jungle Boogie," "I Will Survive," "Brick House," "Lady Marmalade," and "Sex Machine." And, of course, to make it even more stupidly fun, the costumes are '70s far-out. Doughty explains that at some shows, audience members dress up. There weren't any costumes in the audience at Oasis that night; perhaps the younger crowd is afraid of looking stupid. But older folks know that looking stupid is where it's at, and they're not intimidated by glitter.
"Yeah, the younger people don't always dress up. They want to look cool. It's interesting. We've played places that don't know us at all, but know what we're about. You just never know who's going to dress up. Some people are really in the spirit of things and get very festive and have fun with it. We absolutely encourage that. I always bring extra costuming stuff, too, for people if they feel in the moment that they want to get dressed up."
Doughty says they search thrift stores, costume shops, and yard sales for clothing, and backup singer Molly Farley is a seamstress and hat designer—the purple sequined dress she wore onstage New Year's Eve was one she'd made just a few hours earlier.
"There's a lot of really creative energies in the band," Doughty says.
Let's meet this talented crew of funksters: Aside from being the lead singer and creative pulse of Monica's Kneepads and Funktional Loonacy, Doughty's been part of bands Lotus, the Dead Beats, and the Matt Turk Band. Her musical background is in funk, rock, Eastern, and jazz. Also from Funktional Loonacy is exceptional vocalist Wyl Muchrison, who co-created that band with Doughty, and also worked with Tongue and Groove. With a musical theater background, he's been a well-respected actor for two decades, performing in local, national, and international productions. Backup singer Molly Farley owns the upscale hat company Mo Wear, which caters to performers. A 'Pads member for just a year, she's sung with Jules Shear, Kate Pierson, Sara Lee, Spiv, and Dynamojo. Bassist Dave Robinowitz is a tattoo artist who has played with Anaïs Nin, Blindside, and Fuzz Deluxe. Percussionist Jon "J.T." Tornatore comes from a rock/disco/country background as a drummer and vocalist in West Coast bands The Brother Jones and Super G. Sax player Ryan Fu does the job of an entire horn section, his playing rivaling the greats of the '70s. Drummer Chris Reilly, or Dr. Rhythm, was a founding member of the 'Pads and a member of Funktional Loonacy; though he gave Monica's Kneepads its name, he's recently been replaced by drummer Hector Becerra. Energetic guitarist/songwriter Jonny Wa has been with the 'Pads for two years. And, finally, keyboard player Alex Mazur is founder of the Dead Beats, a Grateful Dead cover band.
Together they create a musical family that really works, selling out nearly every show and providing a few surprises. With a large and growing fan base, Doughty is constantly peppered with compliments. "I always tell my male friends they'd be fools not to come to our shows. We have the sexiest dancers you've ever seen! And our bass player, Dave, often gets naked at gigs. Completely naked. We play this little game, Spank the Bass Player, and a lot of people come for that. We're not uptight, we let it all hang out."
Perhaps we can all hang out at some upcoming gigs: Friday, March 18, and Saturday, May 14, at Oasis in New Paltz, and Friday, April 1, at New World Home Cooking in Saugerties. Monica's Kneepads is also available for just about any private festivity.
For booking, call (845) 430-9309, e-mail discofunkymusic@hotmail.com, or visit www.monicaskneepads.com. Meantime, may the 'Pads play that funky music till they die.