Photo by Ragin Randy Entertainment
When did Bunk Buddha start, who are the members?
Bunk Buddha was started about 5 years ago by me, Scott Donovan, with the intent of eventually transition from a DJ into a band. Around 2014 I started to jam with fellow Baltimore producer, Corey King and pretty much knew instantly we were gonna be in it together for the long haul. Corey played drums and really added this unique flavor in our live shows you can’t really catch on our studio tracks. Since I met Corey we have played with more than a handful of strong musicians throughout the years. In early 2017 I happened to post on the internet to see if anybody wanted to just jam and chill and that’s how I met Jon Hao. Again, I knew instantly that this was going to work out long term. Jon rocked the violin with us the entire summer and every show we just got better and better. People would comment how much they loved it and how he really redefined and gave a new sound to our songs.
What genre would you call your music?
The single hardest question ever. Our music has many influences but I can’t really put a select genre on it. We have a lot of bass music elements in our music and with the addition of Jon he brings a modern twist to classic violin that is flavored beautifully. We have a lot of improvised elements so I’d say we are kind of like live bass music mixed with a little jam with world music and classical flavors in the mix.
What has been the highlight of this residency so far?
The highlight of the residency has got to be just chilling in our hometown. Hanging with friends new and old. The 8×10 is like a second home to us. Abigail and Christina and all the staff are so good to us and the community that supports us and the 8×10 are second to none. The vibe is the highlight of the residency and we can’t wait to keep it up week after week.
How was last week’s show?
Last week’s show was amazing. Austin Litz opened with a live improvised looper set with some solo LITZ songs thrown in and remixed into electronic music. It was impressive to say the least, to see Austin’s talent without being distracted by the rest of those hugely talented dudes in LITZ. After him we played a set full of classic songs we’ve made. Some even from before Bunk Buddha existed and it was just nostalgic and exciting to hear them reinvented on stage in front of an attentive crowd. Tweed really reconfirmed why these guys are a powerhouse. Their funk is good, their jams are tight and they brought this very disco-esque sound that felt fresh and new since the last time we played together. Listening to Tweed on Wednesday was like taking a deep breath of fresh air. I’m very excited to see where these guys go.
Who are the guests this week?
This week we are performing with, for the first time, an 8×10 recommended, Goose. I haven’t heard much of these guys but Abigail said they are bad ass and it’d be a terrible mistake to not get them on the residency. They will be closing the night.
Opening the night is a debut project from another one of the LITZ boys. Also known as Plaeground, FFiiZZyy makes its debut this Wednesday. It’s music about how much Will loves fizzy water. A true love story if you ask me. He’s been telling me about this project for a hot minute now and I *might* have heard some of these songs . You don’t want to miss this. He’ll be accompanied by ELM drummer Evan Lintz.
How do you select the supporting musicians to play with you?
Selecting the supporting acts is one of my favorite things ever. We really take the opportunity to link up with old friends who we don’t get to see as much since we’re all diving deeper into our careers. I also love working with the people who have shown us their support over the years. It’s the perfect opportunity to show some love back. A lot of our fans are artists and musicians as well so we’ve got a long list of projects we want to help support and the residency is perfect for that. We also work with Abigail to find some new bands that we have never played with before and since we love making new friends and finding new music that’s always exciting as well! This is our fourth residency at The 8×10 and every time the process is pretty different. There’s no method to our madness.
Thank you so much Scott! We can’t wait to see what you have in store the rest of the month.
