Soundz
Dondi Marble
Founder of 12-piece funk band Cosmic Slop
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 06.02.2005
Age: 49
For the record: When Dondi Marble attempted to launch a funk band with his brother as a young man in the mid-1970s, the idea eventually fell through. The Funkadelic fans lacked the musicians and time to get the project off the ground.
Nearly 30 years later, and Marble is finally seeing his dream come to fruition. In December, the capoeira instructor formed Cosmic Slop, a 12-piece ensemble composed primarily of students from his Brazilian martial arts classes. The band didn't get its start until late last year but is quickly rising to the top as one of the Old Pueblo's premier funk bands. C-Slop plays a benefit show for the Pima Animal Care Center at City Limits next Thursday.
Cosmic Slop is only 6 months old but already has an extensive repertoire of covers and original material. Was it hard to teach these songs to such a large group in such a short amount of time?
"It hasn't been hard. These guys have been playing music since they were kids. Our youngest member has been playing since he was 10. I've got guys in my group that are in other bands also. They've been playing jazz and blues since they were kids. And we do covers some of them already know. We cover Jimmy Castor, War and Parliament Funkadelic. We've also done Curtis Mayfield."
From what I understand, Cosmic Slop's performance schedule is filling up quickly. Are there any venues that you someday hope to play?
"We're looking forward to anything right now. Everything is like a step for us. I hear Plush is a nice place here in town. I'd really like to play out at the Desert Diamond Casino. We have been trying to arrange it so we can open up for Cameo out there. From there the sky's the limit. We'd like to go to Phoenix, New Mexico and, hopefully, someday L.A."
What do you think is the main draw to your music?
"A lot of people haven't seen this type of thing in a long time. P-Funk is not touring as much any more. A lot of the 12-member bands hardly exist anymore. Our performance is a show. We really get down. People nowadays don't really know what that means. Especially the way hip-hop is taking over the world. Everyone is using backtracks and recording machines. We want to go out there so people can see the way the music went down in the '60s and '70s."
You are a capoeira teacher by trade. Capoeira is often performed with musical accompaniment. Do funk music and capoeira go together?
"For me and my school it does. Ever since I started teaching capoeira I would play all types of different music when we train. I was already turning my students on to funk, reggae, roots and dancehall. But a lot of schools, especially if they are run by Brazilians, don't go for that type of thing. My capoeira teacher from Berkeley, Calif., wouldn't care for a lot of that music."
You are performing a show to benefit the Pima Animal Care Center next Thursday. Are you a dog person or a cat person?
"Right now, I have neither. Before, seven years ago, I had three dogs and three cats but that was with a previous wife. We broke up, and she kept all the animals."
