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JULIA. Brings The Intergalactic Spirit Of Funk To The Stage

WUNC News | By Frank Stasio,
Amanda Magnus
Published November 1, 2019 at 12:02 PM EDT
The band JULIA. are re-imagining classic funk.
The band JULIA. are re-imagining classic funk.
The band JULIA. are re-imagining classic funk.
Credit Courtesy of JULIA.
The band JULIA. are re-imagining classic funk.

A four-piece group from Chapel Hill brings classic funk back to North Carolina’s music scene — with a modern twist. The band JULIA. draws a lot of its influence from 1970s funk, including Parliament-Funkadelic. Frank Stasio talks to JULIA. about their band, audience and upcoming album.

The group reimagines musician George Clinton’s character of Dr. Funkenstein as an astral spirit that has returned to possess them and bring back classic funk. All of the band’s members have alter egos when they are on stage: Lead singer Torin Alston becomes Dr. Funkenstein; guitarist Danlee Gildersleeve transforms into Moon Dog; bassist Sean Meehan assumes the form of Count Slapula; and drummer Todd Davis changes into The Creature from the Groove Lagoon. Together they blend classic funk with modern influences like Kendrick Lamar.

Host Frank Stasio talks to JULIA. about their band, audience and upcoming album. JULIA. will be at the Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 9 p.m.

Copyright 2019 North Carolina Public Radio
Frank Stasio
Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.
See stories by Frank Stasio
Amanda Magnus
Amanda Magnus grew up in Maryland and went to high school in Baltimore. She became interested in radio after an elective course in the NYU journalism department. She got her start at Sirius XM Satellite Radio, but she knew public radio was for her when she interned at WNYC. She later moved to Madison, where she worked at Wisconsin Public Radio for six years. In her time there, she helped create an afternoon drive news magazine show, called Central Time. She also produced several series, including one on Native American life in Wisconsin. She spends her free time running, hiking, and roller skating. She also loves scary movies.
See stories by Amanda Magnus