The collision of country and funk

If you’re like me, you have often been struck with the dilemma of choosing between the wandering country of Willie Nelson and the sexualized disco of P-Funk.

Well, struggle no more, my friends, the answer has come in the form of Portland’s Quick and Easy Boys. Jimmy Russell (guitar), Sean Badders (bass) and Michael Goetz (drums) met through other bands while going to college in Eugene. For over two years they have been performing as The Quick and Easy Boys, playing their own brand of “honkadelic” or “funky tonk,” as they describe it.

Goetz was kind enough to give the Vanguard a few words on the band’s curious synthesis.

Daily Vanguard: How do you define your music? How do you view your sound, which seems to span quite the range?
Michael Goetz: We are all over the place playing honky tonk, disco, rock ‘n’ roll with funky bluesy undertones. The sound is manifesting every time we practice [and] play together.

DV: Did you guys intend on making your music sound the way it does, or did it just happen?
MG: Our sound just kind of happened. We all love funk, and old-school bluegrass and honky-tonk/western swing, and basically any and all good music in general, so we just started jamming and that is the sound we got. Over the years, we have refined it to include elements of any and all kinds of music we like.

DV: What can an audience expect from the Quick and Easy Boys at a live show?
MG: The audience can expect to see a show packed with energy and foot stompin’; all musicians very dedicated and having a hell of a lot of fun on stage. You can guarantee to be yelling a “yeah bud” with us as it is our battle cry. Basically, you want make sure your shoes are tied and you have a cab’s number for after the show.

RO: Best or worst show?
MG: Our best show would probably be the last time we played the Doug Fir for our CD release party. It was packed with a beautiful audience and a sassy energy. Worst show, Salt Lake City. No offense, but Mormons can’t drink, or at least they poor really weak drinks, and I don’t think it helped they were putting up the barstools and chairs while we were finishing our last blastoff.

DV: Any good stories from the road?
MG: We were once arrested in Moscow because one of our members fell asleep on the sidewalk right outside the van. The funny thing is we always carry guns with us, for those desolate drives through Wyoming or Idaho, and the police report noted Mike as sleeping with a shotgun. We were also right outside a bank in a big white van.

Usually there is a good amount of welcomed flashing at most of our bigger shows. One of our best friends got on stage at Hood River and sang “Foxy Lady” completely naked. Besides partying harder than most of the crowd after the show there are many noteworthy stories I just don’t think they can be published. 

DV: You mentioned your CD. What is the band’s recording history and any plans to record in the future?
MG: I guess you could say we got a DIY punk attitude. We recorded one album, Bad Decisions With Good People, that was released last spring. We are currently working on a new album that should be out in September/October.

DV: Any differences between the first album and the emerging one that you are noticing?
MG: The last album was more of us experimenting in the studio, layering songs in a way that we don’t always duplicate live. This new album is being made to more accurately reflect our live sound. A bit more raw. We’ve gotten the songs together though and every time you record you learn something new.