Silky wears his baseball cap backward with the rim nearly touching his eyebrows. He's pumped. Silky knows he can rouse the crowd. He removes the microphone from the chrome stand and moves the mic stand off stage. The Jonze frontman knows the stand will do nothing but hinder him. The rest of the band makes sure there is a certain amount of room near them. Even the drummer, The Funky Chicken realizes the once the music starts, nothing is safe around the.

The Jonze combine funk, rap, and hard-core into a high-energy performance that keeps the audience rocking their heads up and down like pisons. While their crowd thrashes their heads, the may miss a superb performance on stage. Silky barks, sings, and screams his lyrics. The lead vocalist combines the best of James Brown stage performace with edge of a bar brawl. He throws himself about on stage with finesse and bravado. Outwardly, his moves look violent and erratic, but if you look carefully, you'll notice a nearly flawless connection between the slamming music and his physical performance.

The rest of the band backs Silky with not only tight musical performances but with tripping physical presence. Stoo Dawg, the guitarist, wears his sandy blond hair in little dreads. While normally associated with mellow reggae or with "hippie" music, Stoo's hair shouldn't disarm the listener. His guitar rips and pouns the music into the listener. In some songs, Silky drops away from lead vocals and Stoo takes over. But Stoo doesn't merely sing. He raps. While he does, he slips his guitar to Silky who picks up where he left off without a noticable break in the music.

The Funky Chicken, and The Man, the bassist drive the music forward faster than you can drive a stolen porshe. Both musicians play their instruments with smooth professionalism. The Funky Chicken's drumming cracks into your skull with delight. And The Man defines the funk sound so well associated with the band. But the rhythm section contributes dramatically to the high octane on stage performance. The Chicken's hair shoots off from his head like Medusa's serpants as he hammers his head up and down. His hair, also in dreads, gives him an exotic look that keeps drawing the audience towards him. When his head isn't shaking, he often looks possessed by his own drumming. His eyes roll back, his head cocks slightly and a peaceful and blank expression smacks across his countenance.

And if The Funky Chicken looks possessed, The Man looks like a mad scientist who periodically sees God while having sex. It must be seen to be believed. His shocking blond hair explodes from his head and becomes a platinum blur when he jams. During some of the musical breakdowns, he jumps up and down lifing his feet 20 inches off the stage while continueing to slap the bass.

The music can best be compared to Rage Against the Machine with more funk. Most of their music is original, but they also do a few covers which the make their own. Their music is young and wild. its antiestablishment mood, no only against "the man"(lowcase "m") but also against some of the conventions of rock, parrels the rebellious spirit of rock legends such as Hendrix, the Clash, and Parliament. Their topics spans topics such as lost love, lost dreams, good times, friends , and nights spent in jail. For all of the band's talent and on stage testosterone, it doesn't take itself terribly seriosly. Funk and a good time take precendence over chaos and mayhem.

If you're up to seeing once of the liveliest on stage performances by a local group, limber up your neck and catch The Jonze. Warning, it's not traditional "date" music. But if you get dumped during the date, this is the band to see. They'll leave you fueled for a rematch. Grab a Busch, stand near the stage and let the music pummel you. You'll be glade you did.