Hello! Who are we speaking with and what do you ‘do’ in Mama Patch?
I’m Andrew Shakespeare, and I play guitar and sing backing vocals.
Please give us a brief history lesson in Mama Patch. How long have you been performing for?
Mama Patch has been around in one form or another for quite a few years, but we really only coalesced with the right performing lineup about a year and a half ago.
Melbourne has a great funk scene. What makes Mama Patch stand out from the crowd?
Mama Patch started off as a purist funk band, so we were mainly playing obscure deep cuts from the early ‘70s. Although that did go down well, we’ve softened up our hardline approach somewhat and have a bunch of songs we do that people will know. However, the rule of thumb in this band is that we won’t play a song just because the audience will know it; we have to all like the songs. I think that’s what makes us stick out: a mixture of deep cuts and favourites.
You’re performing at What The Funk Fridays at The Purple Emerald on Friday April 17. Tell punters why we should head on down.
We’re very much looking forward to this gig. It’ll be great to play in a place where the organisers obviously have a deep love of the funk genre. Without wishing to sound like a huge sales pitch, I can guarantee that when people see and hear us, they enjoy themselves. We get ‘em up and dancing.
Get down to MAMA PATCH at The Purple Emerald on Friday April 17.
