![]() ![]() Afterward, however, Sparks refused to rejoin the crowd, and the vocalist and co-lyricist has been a part of the Workhorse Movement ever since. ![]() During one show, the band invited him onstage to guest on a song. A prior fan turned band member, Sparks was a regular fixture at Workhorse Movement gigs. Soon thereafter, the Workhorse Movement added the infamously crazy character Chris Sparks to the lineup, who had earned the nickname “Cornbread ” because of his striking resemblance to a bearded Amish farmer. ”Īfter developing enough songs for an album, the group released a self-produced, self-financed debut in 1995 entitled Dopamine, selling about 2, 000 copies of the record at shows and local record stores. “I think we belong on stage with Led Zeppelin in ’69 as much as we do with Limp Bizkit today. “We ultimately strive to be a rock band because we all love the dirty sound of rock music, ” remarked Piper, as quoted by Roadrunner Records. ” But because of their use of disco and Motown flavorings as well as psychedelic grooves reminiscent of dark, 1960s rock, the Workhorse Movement defies comparisons to most of their rap-metal contemporaries, although similarities do exist. “Whatever we listen to somehow ends up in there. “Everything from Elvis to Sabbath to the Doors to Cypress Hill, you name it, ” said Rea, citing the array of influences incorporated into the Workhorse Movement formula in an interview with the online magazine Unimitated. Intending to create music that would appeal to a wide variety of listeners without sounding derivative, the group arrived with a unique, heavy urban rock sound that blended traditional hard rock with soul, jazz, and hip-hop elements. ![]() Piper, in particular, took the opportunity to explore different genres, techniques, and textures other than jazz. Before long, local gigs and writing songs started to take priority over their schoolwork, and the Workhorse Movement spent increasingly more time honing their playing skills and experimenting with various forms of music. Bandmate Piper studied jazz theory and guitar, but was also playing along to records by just about everyone from Monster Magnet to Public Enemy. Rea, who had originally been recruited to the college to play basketball but was forced to quit after a leg injury, became a biochemistry student who aspired to become a college professor. The band ’s name was inspired by a group of free-thinking characters in the Tom Wolfe novel The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, who coined the phrase “workhorse intercourse, ” meaning devoting oneself one hundred percent to both work and pleasure. The Workhorse Movement was formed in October of 1994 when core members Rea, Piper, and Makie started jamming together more or less as a hobby while students at Central Michigan University in Mt. It ’s an innovative brew of hip-hop melodies, dark psychedelia and jazz interludes set against slabs of guitar fury. However, as New Musical Express writer Robyn Dorelan pointed out, “The Workhorse Movement isn ’t your straight-ahead nu-metal. The Workhorse Movement -comprised of vocalist Matt “Myron ” Rea, guitarist Jeff “Freedom ” Piper, drummer Joe Makie, bassist Pete Bever, and vocalist Chris “Cornbread ” Sparks -represent the latest band from the Motor City to hit the hard rock scene, gaining momentum not only in their hometown but across the United States and in Europe as well with their critically applauded 2000 album Sons of the Pioneers. In addition to producing the famous Motown sound, the city of Detroit has also produced some of the most recognized faces in classic rock, like the MC5, the Stooges, and Kiss, as well as platinum metal-rap artists Kid Rock and Eminem. ![]()
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