Rising out of the "swampy stew of North Florida" comes a band rich in southern funk rock. Full Black Out, a quartet of Florida State graduates, has been a local favorite for years, best known for its numerous performances at Yianni's, the Beta Bar and Potbelly's. The band consists of Ben Munroe on vocals and guitar, Dillon Bradley-Brown on drums and vocals, Jeff Davis on bass and Kip Kale on vocals, harmonica, and guitar.
Most of the members of Full Black Out grew up with intense musical influences, which accounts for the variety of instruments and the band's completely original sound. Kip Kale, a former member of Tallahassee bands the Fatty Tea Bags and Jess Franklin and the Best Little Blues Band, described the band's sound.
"We like to incorporate a lot of harmonies, a lot of branches," Kale said. "We're not afraid to chew up songs, stretch them out and jam them, especially live."
The band, which cites its primary influences as the Allman Brothers Band, Jimi Hendrix, Blues Traveler and Frank Zappa, has been together for several years playing local venues and cementing its style. After years of hard work, the group has reached the culmination of its steadily developing musical maturity.
With the release of their self titled debut album, the members of Full Black Out have set out on a mission to prove to music lovers everywhere that their "primary focus is to produce music that will move its listeners and keep 'em movin' and shakin' till well after the party's over."
Produced over the course of one year in the comfort of Log Cabin Studios, owned and founded by Kale, the group put its all into 12 blues rock tracks that stake their claim in the land of funk.
Due to its recent release, Full Black Out has begun touring, trying to spread its musical message to the world outside of Tallahassee.
"We're trying to focus on festivals and get out and about as much as possible," Kale said. "We're promoting this harmonica and guitar-driven southern funkin' rock."
In branching out and playing larger venues, the group hopes to expand its audience. One taste of the "unbridled creativity" that the band has to offer is sure to bring audiences back for more.
"(Our shows are) loud and in your face, but not in a heavy metal rock way," Kale said. "We're not afraid to rock out."
Even though the band's debut effort offers several soulful ballads, Kale claims the band doesn't play many of these songs live.
"We incorporate a lot of vocal harmony, but we don't play many ballads live," Kale said. "We try to keep it upbeat, we try to keep the crowd interacting -- high energy, no doubt."
Full Black Out is a band full of talent and vision but, most importantly, a band full of love for the booty.
On its Web site, the band boasts that "Full Blackout is all about bringin' the party" and describes itself as "a seriously booty movin' rock/funk/blues outfit."
"If you wanna have a good time and shake your booty," Kale said, "come out to a Full Black Out show."
