Q&A The Fabulous Techniques Show Band
During this relaxed interchange with George, he opens up and allows us inside his personal space. His presence is strong and vibrant, yet easygoing and unassuming. George’s intuitive grin and rolling chuckle are contagious and we’re welcomed by his witty humor. You get a true view of this compassionate authentic American artisan. The knowledge and respect he brings for his craft is undeniable. It’s real.
We gotta start with your story. Give us a little about your musical history. I was a kid in Cleveland and started out on guitar, but later moved to bass. I wasn’t sure what the role of the bass was. I just knew it look cool and sounded different. It seemed like a good choice, besides it only had 4 strings. There was a local band in the neighborhood I grew up in that played in the basement of a Catholic Church we lived next to. My twin nephews and I would look through the church basement window and see the people dancing to the music. When we saw the musicians and heard the guitars and the drums making those sweet sounds, well, that did it for us! We knew then and there that music was what we wanted to do with our lives. We formed my first group, “The Fabulous Techniques Show Band”. Russell Moye was on rhythm guitar and Randy Moye was on drums. You can still hear Russell and Randy playing every Sunday in Lorain at the New Creation Baptist Church. We were the nucleus of the band. Later we added vocalist, Scelestine Creer "Malina's Mom" Ronald Jackson, vocalist Nathan Daniels, lead guitar Mark Leach, keyboard Buddy Miles Express, piano Jamie Huff, sax Cornell Thompson and trumpet Kent Wallace. We performed locally and regionally in northeastern Ohio. My skills soon developed not only as a bass player, but as a musical arranger of my family band. We had an excellent 10 year run. After the disbandment of the group, I started receiving calls for studio work and I was able to do numerous recording at Suma Recording Studio in Painesville, Ohio. Recording with the acts at Suma was a great experience. It introduced me to working in major studio environments at a very formative stage, which left an indelible mark of hunger for more studio recording. Today, I play bass, rhythm guitar and love arranging music as well. "We knew then and there that music was what we wanted to do with our lives."  The Original Five Blind Boys of Mississippi
There was some pretty directional music coming out of Cleveland back then. What were you listening to? Growing up I loved listening to The Beatles and The Stones and couldn’t escape the sound of Motown records filling the house. My sis loved Motown. There was a dance hall in Lorain called the Elks Farm and they brought in entertainment from all over the northeastern Ohio region so I had a great opportunity to see firsthand the up and coming groups of the day. They were my influences - The Mighty O'Jays , Bobby Womack, Roger & Zapp, The Ohio Players, Slave, Lakeside and Parliament-Funkadelic to name a few. I watched these entertainers weekly at the local dances, thinking, man these guys can be stars. Well, the rest is music history.
Where there other great musical influences in your life? My biggest musical influence was my cousin the late great Rev. Willie Lee Mincey who sang and played guitar professionally with the Original Five Blind Boys of Mississippi. He was always on the road, but when he came home he would play the guitar and sing for me. He told me I had great hands and was a great player from the first note I ever tried to play. He was so encouraging. He would say, “Wow that was fantastic. I’ve never heard anybody play a note that sweet.” It’s the same encouragement I have passed on to my daughter Malina and any students I have taught.  With Bernard Allison
You’ve recently done quite a bit of European touring. Will you share some fond moments? After spending so much time in Europe, that fan base has become so important to me. They are so supportive and appreciative of the music and I’ve learned so much from them. Both stage and studio work are good gigs to get, especially internationally. In 2010, I recorded with The Bernard Allison Group live in Freiburg, Germany. It ended up turning into a DVD & double CD on Jazzhaus Records – both a venue since 1987 and a record company since 2006. Bernard Allison (guitar, vocals) is the son of Luther Allison (1939-1997), who was famous for his rocking take on the blues, a style he originally honed backing up masters like Freddie King and Otis Rush. I did several tours with Bernard in Sweden, Germany, Holland, Czech Republic, Poland, France, Italy, Austria, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Belgium, Norway, Ireland, and the USA.
"It’s the same encouragement I have passed on to my daughter Malina and any students I have taught." Did you attend NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) 2013? I always try to make it out there. This year it was crazy for me to perform with my Malina (Malina Moye, daughter and national recording artist). We demoed at the AmpKit booth for Agile Partners. That’s some wild technology! I also did a performance / demo at the Warwick Bass Guitar booth. It gave me a chance to groove with my man, Andy Irvine.
Tell me something about your musical life off stage. I’m proud to be a member of The Recording Academy (The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences or NARAS). Voting members play a huge role in determining who wins the Grammy. They say we’re dedicated to improving the quality of life and cultural condition for music and its makers. I’d agree with that. Ever attend? Yes, the 52nd and 55th Grammy Awards. How do you stay real? In my "non-musical" life, I'm an active member and engaged in sponsorship for individuals seeking lifestyle change. What keeps you going? My goals are to continue playing the bass, recording and touring the world and to be of service to those who suffer from chemical dependency. |
PROFILEGeorge Moye a|k|a Dr. Funk Musician: Bass guitar, rhythm guitar, music arranger Current Style: Funk, Blues, RnB and Gospel Hometown: “Steel City” Lorain, Ohio, USA - a western suburb of Cleveland Resides: Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA Religion: Christian Birth Date: February 22 Zodiac Sign: Pisces Height: 5’11” | 71in | 180.34cm Weight: 184lb | 83kg 
LOGISTICS
Location: Mort's Delicatessen, Golden Valley, MN
Coordinates: 44°59′33″N 93°21′33″W Conditions: 67°. Clear skies. Light westerly winds. Moon Phase: Waning crescent Date: Sunday in mid October Time: 1900 CST Eat: Bowl of tomato basil soup with extra saltines Drink: Iced tea with 3 sugars Dessert: Single scoop of vanilla ice cream Wear: Hat by Kangol, t-shirt by Ames Bros, zip hoodie by Akoo, denim by 7 for all Mankind, Retro Air Jordan by Nike Accoutrements: 18” white gold chain and cross, single diamond stud, Prada frames, Rado Swiss watch, Swiss Army backpack MUSIC FACTSMy 1st Guitar: Gibson Medley Maker My 1st Bass: Fender 1975 Precision I’ve Shared The Stage With: Malina Moye, Bernard Allison, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Gary "Jelly Bean" Johnson, Shemekia Copeland, The Ohio Players, Roger & Zapp, Cameo, Eric “Raw Dawg” Gales, Buddy Miles, Andrew "Jr. Boy" Jones, Buckwheat Zydeco, Lance Lopez, Donald Barrett, Mark Leach, Sam Butler Jr., Dan Mahar, Scelestine Creer Fav Festival: Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival Fav Euro Club: Café De Noot – Amersfoort, Netherlands Fav US Club: Buddy Guy’s Legends – Chicago Fav Local Room: Famous Dave’s BBQ & Blues Club – Minneapolis Recordings: Barnard Allison's Let It Go, In the Mix, and Live at the Jazzhaus, Malina Moye’s Bad As I Wanna Be, Diamonds & Guitars, and Rock & Roll Baby, Layzie Bone Presents Conrtist Entrapment Book 1, Dan Mahar’s Long Stone’s Thrown, Samuel Butler Jr.’s I Commit, Danny Coco’s Lady of the Stage, Pepe Rivera’s Full of Love I’m Currently Listening To: Unorthodox Jukebox – Bruno Mars My Gotta Have Classics: Make it Funky – James Brown, Superfly – Curtis Mayfield, Close To You – Carpenters, Kashmir – Led Zeppelin, Pick Up The Pieces – Average White Band, Sweet Emotion – Aerosmith, Purple Rain – Prince, I Wish – Stevie Wonder, Brown Sugar – The Rolling Stones, Jet – Paul McCartney & Wings, Atomic Dog – Parliament-Funkadelic and anything Motown featuring The Funk Brothers |
MY MIXTAPE
- Sir Duke – Stevie Wonder: Stevie's got this ability to give us that big band sound with his incredible vocal range and the horns and bass lines by Nathan Watts mimicking each other. Come on, who thinks of a dominant mode that way! Stevie is the Mozart of our time.
- The Payback – James Brown: It’s all about the groove - the bass plays two notes during the verse and the way he lets the song breath while the drummer just lays in the pocket with the guitar counter rhythms on the two and the four - that is what James gave us, true funk. You can’t help but feel it when you hear it. Too Funky!!!!!
- Papa was a Rolling Stone – The Temptations: The Funk Brothers, James Jamerson bass line is so simple and effective that anytime it’s played people young and old know it - along with the drummer laying that hi hat rhythm just opens the groove up for some Dennis Coffey “wah wah man” with the two and four hand clap. They are giving you some good old praise felt rhythms and taking you to church and you don't even know it. You are too busy singing that catchy melody.
- Bootsy's Rubber Band – Bootsy Collins: Always attacking on the one of the beat with his bass grooves and the horns hits on the one and drummer just pushing the envelope. All on the one!!! I also love how he mastered the envelope filter, giving us that “wah” affect on his bass guitar. So with a combination of bass lines, horn lines, rhythm guitar lines, back ground singers, and counter rhythms with his lead vocal while all the whole time nobody is getting in the way of the other players. One word – INCREDIBLE!
- The Jam – Larry Graham: What can we say; Larry is the “king of thump and pluck”, in his own words. I have personally first-hand experienced it. Larry is the Jimi Hendrix on the bass guitar in our time! His bass effects are incredible. I have never heard anybody play the bass with such a rock, funk and forceful feel as Larry and he has complete control. I also love his baritone voice. Need I say more?
- Dream On – Aerosmith: What I love about Aerosmith is even though they are consider rock they are too funky. I love Toys In The Attic and remembered when it first came out. I played the record and fell in love with it because it reminded me so much of the other influences I just mentioned. If you ever wonder why Sweet Emotion grabs you, it’s rock meets funk. It’s because of that funky groove - think about it!!!