When Funk Trek released its latest album, Plasticity, in November 2019, neither its six band members nor their fellow Omahans knew the prescience of the title. But as 2020 unfurled the COVID-19 pandemic, the concept of plasticity—defined in biology as “the adaptability of an organism to changes in its environment”—is an idea we’ve all had to embrace while adapting to a new normal.
“Change will happen in all of our lives no matter what—it’s the one consistency,” said Funk Trek bassist, vocalist, and chief songwriter Tom Murnan. “What matters is our ability to adapt and evolve—and that’s what music is: a progression of sound through time that changes and adapts. [A song] can start off really dark and end in a positive place. Music can show an individual’s struggle through an emotional response or a hard time period in their life, and then it can transgress beyond that into a lighter, happier portion of their life. Being able to describe that through music has been a great joy in my life and a fun creative process.”
Murnan said he particularly showcased that range of the human experience in the song “Boogieman,” one of 14 tracks on Plasticity. While their moniker makes the funk element of their music plain, Murnan said Funk Trek also incorporates elements of jazz chord progressions and horn lines, plus “a rock heartbeat.”
Jared Dietz, guitarist and songwriter for Funk Trek, agrees that the band has range beyond what its name indicates.
“Despite the name ‘Funk Trek,’ we really are a blend of funk, jazz, hip-hop, rock, and progressive music,” said Dietz, who also handles some marketing and business tasks for the band. “Tom has a very diverse musical palette and it really shines in his music. He’s always done a great job of writing songs that take you on a journey—hence the ‘Trek’ in Funk Trek. We’ll go from a steady trot to a full-on burst of energy and back again. Our sound is very danceable and dynamic.”
Dietz and Murnan gravitated to playing music as young children. Although Murnan began with organ lessons at age 6, things really started clicking for him at age 13, when he took guitar lessons from Mannheim Steamroller’s Ron Cooley.
“I started noticing the details that made up a song and appreciating them more,” Murnan said. “I’ve been making music ever since, and my greatest joy in music is creating and manipulating sound to tell a story, to paint a picture, to express an emotion as an artistic endeavor.”
Dietz agrees there’s much room for creativity within music’s finer details.
“Music was always fascinating to me because songs are a lot like snowflakes—they may have similar structures, chords, or even melodies, but each one is unique, so songwriting and performing really satisfies my creative itch,” Dietz said, adding that his main drive to play and perform is doing something creative with his friends.
Funk Trek, which formed in 2007 and played its first gig at a 2008 Elmwood Park peace rally, has changed its roster several times over the years, with the number of players ranging from four to 10. In addition to Murnan and Dietz, the current six-piece lineup includes Jake Reisdorff on drums, Blake DeForest and Travis Potter on trumpet, and Caleb Collins on saxophone and vocals.
While the band members love playing local venue favorites such as The Waiting Room and Slowdown, they’ve also had a pretty healthy regional and national touring schedule in previous years. Unfortunately, their tour plans were hampered by an August 2017 van breakdown in Reno and again by the pandemic.
“We had a big tour planned [for 2020] that we were really looking forward to, in California at a funk festival. But, of course, that got canceled,” Murnan said.
Similarly, plans to practice, record, and perform in 2020 have also been largely put on hold.
“If it wasn’t for the pandemic, we’d have more music coming out this year, but we haven’t really practiced or recorded,” Murnan said. “Live music is probably one of the last things that will be accepted back, just because it involves getting people together in close crowds indoors, so it’s not necessarily something I want to condone or encourage. But as time went on, venues got more creative, and we knew more about the virus, we’ve been able to play outdoors.”
Funk Trek returned to the stage for a safe, socially distanced concert at Falconwood Park on July 3. Murnan said he felt “jubilation” at the concert.
“We were back in our comfort zone, doing what we love to do, getting out of the house, and expressing ourselves. We didn’t skip much of a beat. We’ve been playing together for so long, we knew our songs, and just felt like we were right back in the saddle,” Murnan said.
Even though half the audience attended from their cars and the big dancing mob up front was missing, changing the dynamic between band and audience, Dietz agreed it was a much-needed reprieve from quarantine life.
“We had some pretty incredible moments onstage that night and it really reignited my passion for performing,” Dietz said.
A few more safe, outdoor shows are on Funk Trek’s docket for fall 2020, at venues such as The Down Under Lounge, Bellevue Berry Farm, and Brokedown Palace. But even when winter closes the door on outdoor performances for a few months, Murnan said there are still ways to support local musicians and venues while the world awaits a vaccine.
“You can support Save Our Stages and help support local bands by giving them your attention online,” Murnan said. “We have friends who do music full time, so they can really use the support of people buying merchandise online, watching them live on streaming platforms, giving them some tips if you have the means to.”
Murnan agrees it’s fitting that Plasticity, with its themes of adaptation and weathering life’s storms, dropped right before the world experienced a massive shift. For now, he and his bandmates will continue adapting and working to maintain their creative engine in new ways.
“We can still create new music and record at home—just do everything digitally and share that with people for the wintertime—or we could stream from home,” Murnan said. “There is still light and there’s still good in the world.”
Learn more about Funk Trek at facebook.com/funktrek.
This article was printed in the November/December 2020 edition of Omaha Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
