(upbeat rock music) - [Announcer] "Ocean State Sessions" features performances by New England musicians and brings you the stories behind the songs.

Coming up on "Ocean State Sessions," Beauquet brings in their indie A game.

(light rock music) Jabbawaukee is coming hot off the heels of victory at the 2023 Motif Music Awards.

♪ Oh, head out to the Amazon ♪ ♪ With the animals and plants ♪ ♪ In the hefty jungle air ♪ ♪ And feel its decadence ♪ ♪ Oh yeah ♪ - [Announcer] Jabbawaukee plays progressive funk.

- All right, this next one is called, "How Come You Always" and it's gonna go into another song called, "I've Been Changing."

And the full title of that is, "I've Been Changing Into Exactly What I Am."

So it starts in a place of growth and misunderstanding, and it turns into a place of confidence and compassion.

So, here we go.

(upbeat rock music) ♪ How come you always say that thing ♪ ♪ How come you always say that thing ♪ ♪ Because I can handle more than pain ♪ ♪ He keeps a fire in the rain ♪ ♪ Oo ♪ ♪ Oo ♪ ♪ I'll catch your hands if you catch mine ♪ ♪ I'll catch your hands if you catch mine ♪ ♪ How many roads you take this time ♪ ♪ I'll have you know, that I loved you ♪ ♪ All the same ♪ ♪ Same ♪ ♪ Ow♪ (upbeat rock music) (upbeat rock music) - Oh, here he goes.

Odie has been around for my whole musical journey.

Since I've gotten my first guitar, played all the songs that I've written.

The pleasure is all mine.

Yeah, he's really part of the band.

He's the fourth Beauquet.

My name is Ava and I'm a musician.

I live in Providence, Rhode Island.

And I've been a music lover for my whole life.

♪ I thought that I had everybody ♪ ♪ On my side ♪ ♪ But I went and blew it ♪ ♪ All sky high♪ - I think that there's like an inner child in me still that comes out in my music.

And it really adds to being more creative and expressive and invulnerable.

(funky music) It's cheeky.

It's very like vibey.

It's... ha, ha!

It's very inviting for anybody.

I think anybody can listen to it.

Me and Tessa are best friends.

Me and John are best friends.

There's a lot of emotion and silliness and just stupidness happening.

We have no problem giving each other flak.

It doesn't get more Beauquet than this.

- So good!

- Yeah!

And we have no problem giving each other copious amounts of love if we need that too.

I'm very much content with where I'm at and just bringing our real life influences into this project that's kind of like our baby, you know?

I don't want to exploit it.

I don't want to push it further than it has to go.

I like where our creative process is.

(funky music) ♪ I've been ♪ ♪ Changing ♪ ♪ Into ♪ ♪ Into exactly what I am ♪ ♪ You have been ♪ ♪ Let's face it, you've been ♪ ♪ In all the thoughts I'm carrying ♪ ♪ I've been ♪ ♪ Changing ♪ ♪ Into ♪ ♪ Into exactly what I am ♪ ♪ I've been ♪ ♪ Changing ♪ ♪ Into ♪ ♪ Into exactly what I am ♪ (funky music) (funky music) ♪ Into ♪ ♪ Into exactly what I am ♪ ♪ I've been ♪ ♪ Changing ♪ ♪ Into ♪ ♪ Into exactly what I am♪ (funky music) - How are you doing, everyone?

We're Jabbawaukee from Rhode Island.

Throughout the entire state.

And Stu, our drummer, is actually from Boston.

I'll introduce everyone.

On keys we have Jack Skiffington.

He sings and plays keys.

Song writer extraordinaire.

We have Stu here, Stu Taylor.

He's the drummer, singer, sing-writer, songwriter.

Dave Hobson on guitar, vocals, songwriting as well.

- [Jack] And Brendon "Low B."

- Brendon "Low B" Murano on the bass.

Thank you, sir.

- We're gonna play a song called "Homesick."

I wrote the lyrics, these gentlemen wrote the music.

And it's about, I mean the chorus covers it pretty much.

- [Together] Homesick for a place.

- You've never been.

- [Brendon] I've never been.

- One, two, three.

(funky music) ♪ I haven't been to Tokyo, yeah ♪ ♪ I hear it's pretty nice ♪ ♪ The sushi is to die for ♪ ♪ And it's always neon bright ♪ ♪ Or the sandy deserts of Egypt ♪ ♪ To see the ancient pyramids ♪ ♪ Ride on down that river Nile ♪ ♪ With the sun unlimited ♪ ♪ Oh yeah ♪ (funky music) (funky music) ♪ See the outback, Australia ♪ ♪ The land of surfing and kangaroos ♪ ♪ Hang out with the aborigines ♪ ♪ And let me play the didgeridoo ♪ ♪ Or ♪ ♪ Head out to the Amazon with the animals and plants ♪ ♪ Breathe in the hefty jungle air ♪ ♪ And feel its decadence ♪ ♪ Oh yeah ♪ (funky music) ♪ Homesick ♪ ♪ For a place I've never been ♪ ♪ Homesick ♪ ♪ For a place I've never been ♪ ♪ Homesick ♪ ♪ For a place I've never been ♪ ♪ Homesick ♪ (funky music) ♪ Some people never even left their hometown ♪ ♪ So I betcha can understand ♪ ♪ Why I'm not trying to stick around ♪ (funky music) (funky music) (funky music) (funky music) (funky music) (funky music) (funky music) (funky music) ♪ Homesick ♪ ♪ For a place I've never been ♪ ♪ Homesick ♪ ♪ For a place I've never been ♪ ♪ Homesick ♪ ♪ For a place I've never been ♪ ♪ Homesick♪ - I've been playing music throughout most of my life.

When I started thinking about getting into it seriously was honestly after a show I got invited to and I watched someone destroy their guitar in front of me.

And I was like, I want to do this for the rest of my life.

I played at an open mic at this place called the Pump House.

And our bassist, Brendon, was the sound engineer there.

And he was like, hey, we are in the process of getting a new keyboardist.

Would you like to join a band?

And I played my first show with them at Dusk in Providence.

I had my car broken into, but wouldn't trade it for anything.

Maybe for the suitcase and clothes back, but no, I don't need those anymore.

(funky music) - It's like an epiphany at times, you know.

- Yeah.

- You know, like one of us has an idea.

You come up with a guitar riff.

Brendon comes up with some lyrics or something.

- Yeah, sometimes the best stuff comes when you're not really trying too hard.

You just have to-- - Oh, absolutely.

It's just like, you're just all of a sudden walking down the street and it hits you like a ton of bricks.

- Yeah.

(funky music) - I feel like when I'm playing with Dave, Brendon, and Stu we're all listening to each other and trying to hear what the other is saying and then adding our own part to the conversation.

You know, so it all works well together.

Musical pitch and notes aren't necessarily, you know, just one note.

It's a whole bunch of notes stacked on top of each other.

By using that, I'm able to try to uncover new melodies and try to find even semi-tonal playing in ways to really just create a whole new sensation and a whole new feeling when you're sitting there or dancing and you'd have this whole, you know, all that tension and release.

You know, the freedom, the gliding, the going, just going with it.

♪ Wasting my time ♪ ♪ Time flies by ♪ ♪ Wasting my time ♪ ♪ Oh ♪ ♪ I know I'm wasting my time ♪ ♪ My time♪ - I guess what it really comes down to is being surrounded by music.

It always felt very structured.

You know, with classical training you've gotta know, you've gotta play the song exactly right.

You could do whatever you want.

You could destroy your guitar.

You could stand up there and scream into a plate and you could just make noise and make a performance.

And it would be freeing.

For not just you, but for everybody in the room to be like, to be inspired the way that I was inspired.

That you know, you could just create something out of nothing and really start painting time with colors and atmospheres that people hadn't heard before.

- I want to play Red Rocks.

That's my dream.

- That's your dream?

- Yeah.

- Playing Red Rocks?

- Yeah.

- You know what?

I'd say that's a similar dream of mine.

I kinda just wanna tour across the country, you know, and see all the different places.

- See new places and new faces?

- New places, new faces.

Exactly.

- He wrote the lyrics of, maybe you.

- I wrote the song, yeah, and the lyrics.

But he sings it.

Yeah, we're weird like that.

Like, he'll write a song that I sing.

And yeah, so I wrote all the music and the lyrics to this song.

It's the name of our album, "Family Tree."

And the song is about basically anxiety that is passed on, in generations.

And just how it affects different people's lives and you know, how to cope with it and all that.

Everything I write, everyone usually has a very kind of esoteric way of being created in terms of, you can't really tell what I'm talking about unless I explain it.

People interpret it as like a party song and things like that, you know.

But it's actually like probably some of the deeper lyrics I've written.

Who starts this?

(chuckling) I'm used to just going into it.

(funky music) (funky music) (funky music) ♪ I feel I don't get out ♪ ♪ As much I would like to be ♪ ♪ Confined inside my head ♪ ♪ It's a problem in my family tree ♪ ♪ Whether its fake or real ♪ ♪ It's real to me ♪ ♪ There's got to be a solution ♪ ♪ For anxiety ♪ ♪ There's a problem in my family tree ♪ ♪ There's a problem that's inside of me, yeah ♪ ♪ Let go of your insecurities ♪ ♪ It's only gonna set you free, yeah ♪ (funky music) ♪ Give me a life ♪ ♪ Give me a life, yeah ♪ ♪ Give me a life, yeah ♪ ♪ Give me a life, yeah ♪ (funky music) ♪ Get out and take a deep breath ♪ ♪ Of the outside air ♪ ♪ It's got a beautiful odor ♪ ♪ One that you should try to share ♪ ♪ There's no preconceived notion ♪ ♪ In the wind or ocean ♪ ♪ Beauty is the eye of the sea ♪ ♪ Allow yourself to be set free ♪ ♪ There's a problem in my family tree ♪ ♪ There's a problem that's inside of me, yeah ♪ ♪ Let go of your insecurities ♪ ♪ It's only gonna set you free, yeah ♪ (funky music) ♪ Give me a life ♪ ♪ Give me a life, yeah ♪ ♪ Give me a life and make me ♪ ♪ Give me a life and make me ♪ (funky music) (funky music) (funky music) (funky music) (funky music) ♪ How did I find this place ♪ ♪ It's made for us to be ♪ ♪ Revitalizing ourselves independently ♪ ♪ If you can find me out, your powers must be pure ♪ ♪ Am I the one you want ♪ ♪ This time you must be sure ♪ ♪ And don't give up on me if I lose myself in flight ♪ ♪ I think that it's about time to ♪ ♪ Give me a life ♪ ♪ Give me a life, yeah ♪ ♪ Give me a life, yeah ♪ ♪ Give me my own ♪ ♪ Give me a life, yeah let me♪ (funky music) (upbeat rock music) - [Announcer] For more "Ocean State Sessions," plus all your Rhode Island PBS favorites, visit RIPBS.org.

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