YELLOW SPRINGS, OHIO — In their guitarist’s garage, Mojo Power has spent the past few months getting back into their pre-pandemic groove.

What You Need To Know

  • Mojo Power is a funk band that performs primarily through improvisation

  • The band hasn't had a traditional live gig since the pandemic

  • Mojo Power has been coming up with its own performance venues like a truck bed stage or virtual concerts

  • They hope to have one more mobile concert before winter

The Yellow Springs band has been playing together for about three years, building their sound as they got to know each other’s style of music.

The result is a mix of funk, hip-hop, rock, jazz, and a whole lot of improvisation. Bass player John Skot Brennan said that’s the backbone of their band and how the band started in the first place.

“We went to Peach’s with that and then proceeded to have what was one of the best improvisational like moments around that,” he said after playing a short bass lick.

The band took a few months off during the shutdown, but came back together in late spring to put together a new album. The only problem is they haven’t been able to play any of that new music in front of an audience in months.

While the band’s traditional venues like bars and restaurants are back open at limited capacity, Mojo Power agreed they don’t feel comfortable performing for any large indoor crowd until the pandemic calms down.

“Gotta think outside the box really,” drummer Kyle Truitt said.

For Truitt, that goes for his day job as well. He works as a personal trainer at his family’s gym. Like all small businesses, he said coronavirus has made it a challenging year.

“Yeah, I had to close for a couple months, when everything first got shut down,” he said.

Truitt said focusing on one-on-one training brought most clients back and the gym is keeping itself busy with workouts by appointment. He hopes that same kind of creative thinking can get another part of his life back into the swing of things. Truitt said the band wouldn’t be practicing for practicing's sake.

They’ve planned digital concerts for the end of October, and have been working out ways to bring their music to their audience in-person but from a distance.

Guitarist Nathan Hardman said their best idea so far was a series of outdoor mini-concerts.

“We called it ‘Mojo on the Roll’ when we were on the back of a flatbed truck and we were going to play for people instead of people coming to you or in a confined space,” he said.

In September, they drove to seven locations, performing seven mini-sets in a day. The band hopes to do a few more mobile concerts before the weather turns too chilly.

“We’re just trying to give people a little taste of some music,” Truitt said. “A little taste of some normalcy in a safe way, so we feel like we did a pretty good job with that.”

While Mojo Power waits to return to their traditional venues, the bandmates agree — they don’t need a stage. It only takes a little creative thinking to put on a show.