On July 26, the State Theater in Springfield will host Lit as Funk, a showcase of Dayton-area musicians presented by Art Parkd. Before the event, WYSO music Director Juliet Fromholt hosted a live interview and studio session with Lit as Funk performers Isicle, Dos.Grandiose, and Tronee Threat, as well as the concert’s organizers.
Isicle, an electronic musician and DJ based in Dayton, began the studio session with a live jam in WYSO’s performance studio. He told Juliet that his recent work is inspired by venturing into natural spaces with a small selection of electronic instruments. "It's been a lot of freestyling, improvised work," he said. "I've been using this little rig I have here, with two keyboards, a looper and sampler, and a couple pedals. I've been taking this to parks and wherever I can and just playing by myself or playing with other people."
Next, Dos.Grandiose, part of the Bad Genes crew, delivered a rap with live instrumentation by Billy Gruber on drums and John and Ryan Rong on guitar and bass, respectively. The Dayton MC expressed his reverence for Dayton’s rich history of funk, an evident influence on his music. "I'm not originally from Dayton, but I've always loved Dayton music,” he said “As a kid, that's all I listened to—Zapp, Zapp and Roger. So to be here, to live here amongst all of that, is crazy."
Yellow Springs rapper Tronee Threat rounded out the studio session with a freestyle backed by Isicle and Dos.Grandiose.
Between the musical performances, Fea Munoz and Jennifer Kash, organizers of Art Parkd, reflected on the event's significance. Kash explained the concept behind Art Parkd, which began in 2022 as a DIY music festival in an empty lot behind Munoz’ apartment building: "A huge part of why we started the event was because we wanted to find the artists that live in Dayton,” she said. “So we thought the best way to do that was to call them all to action and give them kind of a platform to perform."
Munoz said that Art Parkd has continued to develop since its inception, reaching to new venues and inviting new collaborators. "There's been so much growth in the past two years,” she said. “That feels like a long period of time, but really, it's short. To see the growth within the organization, and also within the artists, has been one of my favorite parts.”
According to the organizers, The State Theater's unique setup allows for an immersive audiovisual experience. "The State Theater has an amazing venue and they have this screen that they can project,” Munoz explained. “It's a movie theater, so it really turns the whole sonic experience into this visual experience as well." Live visuals for the event will be provided by Light Club, a project of Munoz, Billy Gruber, Ryan Rong, and other collaborators.
"Lit as Funk" represents an opportunity for Art Parkd to expand its reach beyond Dayton, the organizers told Juliet. "It's exciting to bring all this collaboration to a new space, and to create new energy there and hopefully meet new people that we can bring back to our other events in Dayton, and possibly beyond Dayton," Munoz said.
For more information about "Lit as Funk" and future Art Parkd events, visit their website, artparkd.com or follow them on Instagram.
Text by Peter Day based on a studio session recorded by Juliet Fromholt on July 17, 2024.
