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Union centre boulevard bash

Band set to bash

The Dayton-based group made famous for radio hits "Fire" and "Love Rollercoaster" will bring its funky style of sound to West Chester Twp. this weekend.

The Ohio Players takes the stage at 8:30 p.m. tonight at the Union Centre Boulevard Bash, sponsored by the Union Centre Boulevard Merchants Association and the Downtown Council of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber.

The eclectic group formed in 1968 and scored with a few minor hits before jumping into the mainstream in 1974. Between September 1974 and July 1976, the group hit the Top 40 pop charts six times. The Players' biggest hits, Fire and Love Rollercoaster, were No. 1 on both the pop and R&B charts.

The Ohio Players' current lineup is anchored by founding member Leroy "Sugarfoot" Bonner (guitar, vocals) and longtime members Williams (drums), Billy Beck (keyboard), Clarence "Chet" Willis (guitar, vocals) and Robert Jones (percussion). The touring band is rounded out by Darwin Dortch (bass), Ronald Nooks (keyboards) and horn players Kenny Anderson, Johnny Cotton and Joe Wesley Boston.

Band manager and drummer James "Diamond" Williams, who joined the band in 1972 on its "Ecstasy" album, spoke recently about the upcoming gig and why Ohio was so funky back in the 1970s.

Q What is funk music?

A "Funk music is something that's relative to something like R&B, but it's a little bit more rhythmic. And it's got a little more syncopated pocket, meaning it's not straight and it's not even.

"Really, our albums have been a depiction of a lot of styles. Mostly, all the music does have that syncopated rhythm, but not all of it has that funk groove."

Q What's your favorite Ohio Players song?

A "As a drummer, it would have to be 'I Want to be Free,' because it starts out with a drum solo. It starts out like Animal from the Muppets beating the drums. I am an Animal character myself."

Q How many shows do you do a year?

A "We probably do somewhere close to 40 or 50."

Q Are most of them local?

A "We go everywhere, all around the world. We've been to Japan several times, spent up to five weeks there. We've been to Europe and all over the United States."

Q How long will continue to tour?

A "Good musicians don't die, they just fade away. I'm 56 years old, and I'm having a real good time and everything's going great. I have a grandson who is 2 years old, and I'm trying to teach him the ropes before I leave the ropes alone."

Q Will the Ohio Players always be around?

A "I think so. The Ohio Players is an institution that is bigger than any individual, and it should go on. Something I hope to achieve is that it does continue on."

Q How would you describe your show?

A "We do have a good time up there, and it shows. We just try to have a good time with it. We understand in this day and age we are somewhat dinosaurs because we do everything live and don't use computers."

Q Do you have audience interaction?

A "We do. Not a lot. But we do have some interaction, and we try to get 'em hyped up."

Q Do you have any new albums coming out?

A "We're just about ready to do something ourselves. We have many songs. It's really possible that before next summer we'll have something that will be out that's brand new."

Q Are you still working on new material?

A "Absolutely, and with other artists. I worked on some arrangements with Jason Mraz, and I did the horn arrangement for three of his tracks. That's our horn section on his tracks. We're just waiting for the perfect situation to enter into the mainstream again."

Q Is Ohio still a hotbed for funk or is that music scene faded out?

A "It's still a hotbed to a point for funk music. There were quite a lot of bands that came from Ohio. If it weren't for the fact of Motown being in Detroit, we could have had as many artists coming out of here as anyone. I think it's continuing. Dayton has had so much of the foundries and industries closing that has made for a ghost town kind of feel, but there is still quite a lot of musicians and entertainers."

Q What message would you give to people coming to your show Saturday night?

A "I would tell them to get prepared to see a band that prides themselves in being good entertainers. We like to think that people have been very receptive to this band. I don't know — other than what songs we play — what they're going to do. I just let them go. Be prepared to have a great time. And it's a family fun thing."

Q What do you think of music today, rap and hip-hop?

A "I'm very much aware and a little bit leery where we're taking our music and for what reason. It's almost like genocide if you understand what I'm talking about.

"I think that these artists who are making these songs who are having children will look at it kind of differently when their kids grow up and ask them, 'Did you say this on your record?'

"I've been married for 38 years and had two daughters, and I was very conscious, not wanting to say certain things and not being embarrassing to myself or anyone else.

"All the violence and stuff that's going on in the street can be true, but I think there are other ways to be more positive with what we put out on the airwaves. I don't want to hear about the problems, tell me about the answers."

Q Who do you listen to?

A "I listen to pop music and what's on the radio and oldies. Alicia Keys, Stevie Wonder, Toni Braxton, thank God Carlos Santana is still around and Chicago and Earth, Wind and Fire. There's nothing right now on the radio that would compare to what was written then, with the storylines and the words. I listen to Mariah Carey and what's coming out. But there is a lot of artists I care not to listen to."

How to go

When: Noon to midnight today and noon to 10 p.m. Sunday

Where: Between Union Centre Boulevard and West Chester Road in West Chester Twp.

Cost: Admission is free, but there is a charge for parking

For more information: Visit www.unioncentreblvd

bash.com

Entertainment:

Saturday

3 to 4:30 p.m. — Blue Stone Ivory

5:30 to 7:30 p.m. — Off the Hook

8:30 to 10 p.m. — The Ohio Players

Sunday

1 to 2:30 p.m. — The Remains

3:30 to 5 p.m. — Leroy Ellington & the E-Funk Band

6 to 7 p.m. — Rick Derringer

7:30 to 8:30 p.m. — Classic Rock All Stars

Correction

The story in Friday's Go! entertainment section on the Union Centre Boulevard Bash was incorrect. The correct line-up of entertainment appears on Page A4 today.

Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5127 or cfullam@coxohio.com.