“Five Minutes With” West Coast Funk band, Gnarfunkel

Gnarfunkel is a Vancouver-based band making waves with their electrifying live shows and unique melange of musical styles. Their sound incorporates elements of funk, psychedelic rock, hip-hop, Latin rhythms, and eastern tonalities in a sound they dub “west coast funk”. They are known for their outrageous stage antics and performances that flow seamlessly from start to finish taking audiences on an energetic journey through time and space.

Under the guidance of Juno-nominated producer Tom Dobrzanski, Gnarfunkel recorded their debut album Gnarnia during the live music hiatus of 2021. Several singles from this album will be released in early 2022, including fan favourites ‘A Million Monkeys’ (out on Jan 21st) and ‘Bamboo Bong’ (out on Feb 18th). Gnarnia will be released in May 2022 with a limited edition vinyl pressing featuring artwork designed by renowned European artist James Fletcher. The album will be supported by a Canadian tour with stops in Western Canada and the band’s first shows in Toronto and Montreal.

Gnarfunkel

Name:

Gnarfunkel

Genre:

West Coast Funk

Founded:

2018

# of Albums:

1

Latest Album:

Gnarnia (out May 6th, 2022)

Latest Single:

‘A Million Monkeys’ (out Jan 21st)

Latest Video:

Favourite musician growing up:

Myles Hildebrand: Led Zeppelin

Tyler Lanigan: Billy Talent

Favourite musician now:

MH: Half Moon Run

TL: Red Hot Chili Peppers

Guilty pleasure song:

MH: Hello by Martin Solveig + Dragonette

TL: Hideaway – Kiesza (But only if the music video is included. That one shot dance music video is so sweet)

Live show ritual:

MH: Fitting all our gear into a vehicle that’s way too small.

TL: Would love to say something like meditation, or a group motivational speech, but in reality, it’s rushing around trying to fit everything we need in an Evo and trying not to get pulled over while going to the show (which has only happened once thankfully).

Favourite local musician:

MH: Five Alarm Funk

TL: Hey Ocean!

EP or LP?

LP

Early bird or night owl?

MH: Early bird

TL: Early bird for camping and travelling, night owl for jamming and shows.

Road or studio?

MH: Road for sure, then you know what should be in the studio

TL: Both are fun and necessary.

Any shows or albums coming up?

Our single ‘A Million Monkeys’ was released on January 21st. Our debut album Gnarnia drops later this year on a special limited edition vinyl pressing!

Where can we follow you? 

Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | TikTok

***

Rapid Fire Vancouver Qs

Favourite local restaurant:

MH: Chickpea Truck

TL: Sula on Commercial

Favourite street in your city:

MH: NW Marine Drive for post-wreck no-hand bike cruising.

TL: Commercial Drive for the culture, pizza and Cafe Deux Soleils.

Favourite park in your city:

MH: Sunset Beach Park, views, views, views.

TL: Stawamus Chief Provincial Park for the hikes and inspiration.

Favourite music venue in your city:

MH: Orpheum for sound, Commodore for the vibe.

TL: Commodore all the way!

Favourite music store in your city:

MH: Audiopile, always a great selection of new records coming in.

TL: Long and McQuade is my Disneyland. Minimum 1 hr spend there.

 

 

About Demian Vernieri 570 Articles
Demian is an Argentinian retired musician, avid gamer and editor for the Montréal Guardian, Toronto Guardian, Calgary Guardian and Vancouver Guardian websites.