Richmond to host jam session with Motet

The Motet’s drummer, Dave Watts, wants you to sweat.

“(Our audience can expect) lots of dancing and sweating. If we can satisfy our desire for playing music…and have our audience come out of it drenched with sweat then we’re happy,” he said.

To prove their love for the audience having a blast at their show, one of The Motet’s shirt designs proudly states, “Dance Your A-s Off.”

It is no wonder why these good ol’ boys are colloquially called a jam band, their influences are a mouthful. They draw from funk, jazz, Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, and West African according to Watts.

“We spent a lot of time in Cuba…. (The music is) what drew us down there,” he said.

Watts isn’t totally content with their jam band label, although it seems to fit them.

“I think there are more jam audiences than jam bands. (Jam bands are) loud jazz bands that can go deeper into the groove,” he said.

Watts had a great deal of musical experience before The Motet got together. He had played with Keller Williams, Tony Furtado, Shockra, and The Theory of Everything. With a number of Boulder, Colo. musicians he formed The Motet to capture what was going on musically at the moment. They continue to hold onto their roots as they expand and evolve.

“It started out as a collection of music from the Boulder scene and we’ve branched out…. It’s pretty far reaching at this point,” Watts said. “But Boulder has been our strong home base.”

Their current east coast tour is coming to a head in New Orleans with Jazzfest. Watts and The Motet have an affinity for the city made famous by Mardi Gras. When we spoke about music he began with, “we love the music of New Orleans.”

He went on to speak about the festival itself, which he was also fond of. They played for four hours, slept for two, and then got up to watch all of the other great jazz bands play for the rest of the day until they had to play again. Although it was a hectic schedule, it sounded like he loved it.

While the wild and crazy festivals have their appeal, Watts also has an appreciation for the audiences at shows that specifically came to see The Motet.

“I love festivals because it’s outdoors and there are so many great bands to watch, and I love intimate concerts too… the focus is great,” he said.

Hopefully Richmond will have enough energy to satisfy this ‘lust for life’ band. There is no doubt that The Motet’s show will be unpredictable and fun, and who knows who might show up.

“We’re good friends with The String Cheese Incident so they usually come out and play with us,” Watts said.

Be sure to catch The Motet next Wednesday April 16 at The Canal Club (1545 E. Cary St.). playing the Post String Cheese Party. Call 643-2583 for more information and get tickets through SCI Ticketing and Music Today. The show is for all ages.