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Fusion Masters of Jazz, Rock and Metal: Bafoodus Performs at Black Cat Tonight; Doors Open at 10:00 p.m.

Cover Art For Latest CD

April 5, 2012. The very talented Bafoodus will perform at Black Cat tonight.  Doors open around 10:00 p.m. Bafoodus fuses jazz, rock and metal and its collective influences include Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Mr. Bungle and Oingo Boingo. For more information about the venue and show, call 828-263-9511. For more information about the bands, click www.myspace.com/bafoodus.

Want To Watch?

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Check out a past High Country Press on the band below.

In 2006, a band with a weird name burst onto the Boone music scene that was quite unlike any other group playing the area watering holes. Their grooves were super tight. Their solos were fast, furious and mind-blowing. Instead of the usual jamband fodder, the quartet were covering ‘80s pop and R&B masters like Prince and Michael Jackson while pumping out originals that infused heavy doses of jazz fusion, progressive rock and metal with relentless dance grooves akin to the funkier side of Steely Dan. 

The band in question was Bafoodus, and since its debut five years ago, the quartet has become one of the most unique and talented units to grace local stages. This Thursday, September 15, the band will finally unleash its proper debut album with a CD release party at Boone Saloon. The show will start at 10:00 p.m., and there is a $5 cover. Flying Field will open the show. 

Comprised of bassist and vocalist Scott Haynes, guitarist Andy Page, keyboardist Mike Runyon and drummer Ryan Lassiter, Bafoodus is second to none in terms of shear musical ability, regularly wowing music lovers with a sound that is as technically challenging as it is catchy and instantly danceable. After more than a year in the works and the recent success of a Kickstarter campaign, the band is finally ready to release the album.

Recorded at famed Asheville facility Echo Mountain Studios with the band handling production duties, the self-titled disc’s 15 tracks capture the band hitting on all cylinders. From the air-tight opening dance groove of lead-off track “Sunshine Ladies,” it becomes quickly apparent that Bafoodus worked hard to bring the energy of their live show into the studio. 

“We recorded almost all the tracks live with Ryan and fine tuned parts as necessary,” said Page. “All the solos are improvised and developed organically as we rolled tape. The inspiring tones we got in the studio raised our performance level.”

Brimming with energy, finesse and deep grooves, Bafoodus’ recorded debut recalls all of the band’s collective influences, including soul legend Stevie Wonder, weirdo prog rockers Mr. Bungle, the aforementioned King of Pop, Oingo Boingo and many more. 

Both Page and Runyon get ample opportunities to strut their instrumental stuff throughout the proceedings, peeling off inspired solos that glide over too-funky dance grooves and weave jazzy brilliance throughout the disc’s ballads. Bringing it all together is Haynes’ signature R&B vocal work. 

According to Page and Haynes, the disc has been in the works for some time, with each band member contributing to both the writing, arranging and execution of the tracks in the studio.

“We spent years working on the songs for this album,” Haynes said. “All of us wanted every track to be something we could really feel good about. Between Andy, Mike and myself, we wrote them all, but all good things take time.”

Bafoodus’ debut release is also an showcase for ASU alumni across the board. The recording sessions were engineered by Uncle Mountain multi-instrumentalist and ASU alum Dan Shearin, mixed by Haynes and ASU alum Cameron Johnson, and mastered in New York City by ASU alum Dan Millice. 

While Page and Haynes agree that the band has enough original material to record another full-length record, they’re currently focused on finally getting this first disc out with the hopes that it will spread throughout the High Country and beyond. 

Copies of Bafoodus’ debut release will be for sale at the show for $10 and will also be available for purchase online. 

For more information on Bafoodus, click to the band’s Facebook page. For more information about this Thursday’s CD release show, click to www.boonesaloon.com or call 828-264-1811.