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Way back, in the dry hot summer of 2009.....

_{The Wednesday Night Jam took off when a group of strangers picked up their instruments and went parading through downtown Calgary. Sharing a love of improvised music, funk, soul, disco, afrobeat, and reggae, the Jam sparked a movement which has evolved into an 8-piece dance party called FREAK MOTIF.}

_{Their live show is inspired by the spontaneity of their weekly jam sessions. Someone yells out a key, the percussion lights up, the band settles into a groove, The Weapons of Brass Destruction pierce the air with a melody, then vocalists and rappers step to the stage with the verse and a hook.}

_{The band started recording some of their jam sessions and composing songs, releasing their first album LA CASA BLANCA in December 2012. In keeping with the improvisation spirit, most of the tracks on the album were written, arranged, and recorded in a single session. “Refined, cleverly arranged, and catchy as f**k”- ffwd magazine.}

_{They released their follow up ACROSS THE NATION in January 2014. The title is a nod to the Freaks' collaborations with musicians from Montreal to California to New Orleans. If you boiled down a Freak Motif show to 10 minutes, it would be these 4 “Superb, groove-soaked, spaced-out instrumentals" - Calgary Herald.}

_{On July 1, 2014 Freak Motif released KILLIN' ME, a limited edition 7” on Calgary funk/afrobeat label KEPT Records. Featuring longtime collaborator Lady C on the A-side and the Busty and the Bass horns on the flip. "Modern funk of the very highest caliber.” - Craig Charles, BBC Radio 2.}

_{Their live shows now are half old school freak and half new school freak. Some songs are improvised from the ground up, and some album cuts are interpreted live. 'We love the songs we've written and recorded, but improvising is always at the core of what we do,' says guitarist Stu Wershof. 'So we perform semi-arranged versions of our songs.'}

_{Bass player Matt Walkey adds, 'the songs are a starting point, but we'll change the tempo, feature a singer on an instrumental track, try to surprise ourselves and our audience.'}

_{The spirit of the parade is always there, and shows often begin with the band marching in. The Freaks even teamed up with the Calgary Junos host committee to lead a parade through downtown Calgary in February 2016.}

_{A million and a half shows since the first parade, Freak Motif is proud to have shared the stage and recording studio with great Canadian bands such as The Souljazz Orchestra, Busty and the Bass, Five Alarm Funk, KC Roberts, Kalmunity Vibe Collective, as well as afrobeat pioneers Antibalas. Tour Highlights include: the Victoria Ska Festival, Calgary Improv Festival, Smithers Midsummer Music Festival, Astral Harvest, Cirque de la Nuit, Inshala, and Twin Butte Soulfest.}

_{Freak Motif's second full length album HOT PLATE is available now.}