Helmed by the indefatigable Vic Foresta, a.k.a. Lord Scyentifik, The Force explodes on stage, pumping out a relentless sonic assault of raw energetic hard rock laced with funky grooves and motor-mouthed vocal spit. Like many of the frontier funk groups before them, The Force isn't merely a band- they are an act. Their shows invariably turn into whacky spectacles, involving the entrance of beautiful female back-up singers from the audience, bizarre dress codes, and Scyentifik not so much dancing to his band's music, but violently convulsing in time.
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With song titles like "All Hollows Eve," "Insomniac Dreams" and "Razorblade" it's apparent that these guys dig horror movies, and it shows in their sound. Scyentifik's verses, while often playful, are laden with references to blood, sex and pain. GOOD FUN! Their six-minute "Insomniac Dreams" wails with images of lust and loneliness in dark city streets. Backed with an eerie synth organ and powerfully haunting vocals.
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Immediately recognizable in The Force's music is their love for Mike Patton. Their twisted amalgamation of heavy distorted funk and rock riffs with rapid fire vocals draw heavily from 90s era Faith No More and Mr. Bungle albums.
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Each member brings impressive musical chops to the table, and their strong chemistry honed in the Greater Boston rock-club circuit, carries through into the studio.
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The Force, like its name suggests, makes you listen to them and, in some cases, inspires your body to move in unnatural, should-only-be-done-at-home, ways.
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This isn't the dark side. It's the sexy rock side and exists in a galaxy far, far away.
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IT'S A TRAP!

Aotearoa's Jake Lerman and Ilan Gitter cut their teeth on the back roads and highways of New Zealand's primeval terrain. Rooted in the urban tangle of Chicago, the raw island elements ignited the passions of these two vagabonding minstrels, forging a duo of funk-rock nomads. Abandoning the alluvial plains and saw-toothed mountains of the south pacific, the pair of multi-instrumentalists now perpetually tour the four-lane veins of the United States.
With a sound and show steeped in The Talking Heads, James Brown, Fela Kuti and Parliament Funkadelic, Aotearoa uses live looping to thicken a set already heavy with jungle-funk percussion. A steady rotation of instruments between the four hands and feet of the band keep a never wilting flower of funk in full bloom.