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Thursday, March 28
The Indiana Daily Student

arts

The Dynamics bring high energy funk to Players Pub

Arts Filler

A young man dressed completely in white and a backwards flatbill cap stood amongst an older crowd. He stuck out as he waited for the band onstage to start.

Then, all of a sudden, he ran on stage and introduced his band.

Bloomington-based funk group The Dynamics performed Saturday at Players Pub.

The Dynamics, led by vocalist Darran Mosley, started its show with a cover of Wilson Pickett’s “In the Midnight Hour.” A few songs in, patrons began moving onto the dance floor, dancing and swaying to covers such as Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely” and James Brown’s “I Feel Good.”

“I should warn you, avert your eyes,” saxophonist Dennis Rhoades said to the crowd after the band’s first song. “We’ve been known to hypnotize.”

After a while, Mosley returned to the floor to dance with the audience. The audience hollered with excitement.

“They’re just a blast,” patron Sophie Bird said. “They’re playing some great songs. We’re having a good time.”

The Dynamics play night clubs, festivals and college parties in Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Ohio. According to the band’s website, its members are “old school funkmasters.”

After upbeat, high energy songs such as James Brown’s “Get On Up” and Cameo’s “Word Up,” audience members were singing along, waving their hands in sync with Mosley’s and jumping up and down to the beat.

The dancing became more energetic as the night passed and more people crowded onto the floor.

“I’m just resting for a minute, and then I’m going back up,” Bird said. A few minutes later, she rejoined the dancing and swaying crowd.

The Dynamics have been playing funk, R&B and blues since they formed in the late 1980s. The eight member group has won national and state level contests and titles, such as the National W.C. Handy Blues contest and the B.B. King Lucille award for “Best New Talent” in 1990. The band has released three albums of both live and studio cuts of original and cover songs.

Players Pub was packed Saturday, a sign of the venue’s recent turnaround.

In November, the Players Pub management staff announced the venue would be closing permanently. Owners Joe and Vicki Estivill decided they couldn’t afford to run the business any longer.

However, community support, improved turnout and a GoFundMe page have helped the owners keep the business open.

“The bands are always great. It doesn’t matter when you go,” Bird said.

The Dynamics will perform at Players Pub again July 3.

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