https://smokeythegroove.wixsite.com/smokeythegroove
“If we were a TV show we would be Sesame Street but if Sesame Street met the band from the Muppets,” explains the talented group of goofballs who make up Smokey the Groove.
The group reminisced over burgers about how their band met, the group dynamic and revealed a proposition that they have for Chico State students.
Smokey the Groove is made up of local musicians who all met in Chico but have since brought their groovy music to places across the west coast. The sound can mostly be described as light-hearted psychedelic rock with a side of jazz. What makes this group stand out is their large stage presence of not only instruments but band members as well. The band currently consists of six people: Austin Farwell on vocals and bass, Eric Jones plays the guitar and Byron Drumming plays the drums, who says he likes the drums because “drums have that ADD sound to them yet they flow.”
But what really ties out the group is their set of jazzy horn players. Dean Simcox plays the trombone, Kevin Killion on saxophone and Miles Van Housen brings it home with the trumpet.
“We started out as a group of four but the thing was we wanted to stand out. We needed that one thing that would set us apart from the rest of the bands in Chico,” Simcox said.
The band admits they didn’t think making the group larger was the thing that would set them apart but are very happy with the results. The men have played everywhere from Portland to Santa Cruz, and their favorite venue is the Bogo in San Francisco. The close-knit vibe of the group makes it evident their relationships with each other are just as harmonious as their music.