Known as ‘Professor Groove’ to most, and ‘The Funk’ to others, Roland Kapferer is ready to party with his band The Booty Affair at Moruya’s Granite Town festival next month.
The Sydney funksters emerged on the music scene in the early 2000s, playing to smaller local audiences in the city pub circuit.
What began as a “serious joke” turned into 15 years of touring the country.
“People really liked what we did and we just really enjoyed hanging out together,” Kapferer said.
“We’ve been playing for at least 15 years on and off. It’s kind of a call to arms; when someone says we should do a gig, we just do it.
Today, Kapferer says they’re still focused on the local, thereby making Granite Town a perfect match for the band.
“We really like the idea of Granite Town, as something locally-oriented with a local vibe is important to us,” Kapferer said.
“There’s so much talent in Australia and in regional towns, but the regional places get overlooked all the time.
“There’s a lot of focus on dragging in massive overseas acts and too much emphasis is put on one or two players in the field.
“I’ve had the best times just dancing in front of a small band I didn’t know.
“Talent is not limited to mainstream acts.”
As the name shows, Professor Groove and the Booty Affair are all about having a good time on stage with their raw, uncut funk, combining disco and electro elements.
Likening their shows to “social bungee jumping”, Kapferer said the band liked to keep their gigs fresh and unplanned.
“A lot of what we do on stage is improvise; we don’t play the same song twice ever and we don’t know what the setlist will be,” he said.
“It’s a bit scary, but it means you’re more sharp and responsive to other players and the crowd.”
Granite Town will be held on September 23 at Moruya Racecourse. For details, visit granitetown.com.au
