Maeby Funk
By Kimberly Leder
For those of you familiar with the popular Fox/Netflix comedy Arrested Development, then the name Maeby Funkë won’t be a mystery to you.
With her undeniable sass and powerful presence, it’s no wonder why a group of friends were inspired to name their band after her.
Maeby Funk, particularly focused in the New Brunswick and Asbury Park area, classify their sound as “funky pop bliss,” combining hip-hop and funk beats with pop rock melodies and 80s synths.
This band is made up of high school friends with a passion for creating and performing music. Members include Krissy Lassiter, vocals and guitar; Anna Maynard, vocals; Anthony Guidi, bass; and Saranya Ganapathy, DJ/keyboardist.
Lassiter is one of our own; a current freshman at Westminster Choir College studying theory and composition.
Inspired by the band Muse, Lassiter said that she was amazed by their ability to combine theatrical orchestrations, choirs, and classical piano with rock.
“I bought myself a guitar and started watching tons of YouTube tutorials on how to play,” said Lassiter. “Fast forward five years and I have grown from writing simple songs for just guitar and voice, to writing for full a cappella ensembles, rock bands, classical piano. I’ve started to be able to apply my own unique compositional voice into any genre I decide to experiment with.”
Their first gig was at The Banana Stand, a basement venue in New Brunswick, where the crowd was all about Maeby Funk. The venue is also an Arrested Development referral.
“The crowd support blew my mind,” Lassiter said. “The crowd got so into it; singing along to songs even though they were hearing them for the first time. The amount of support and energy we received during our first performance made the entire band’s faith in ourselves as a group even stronger. Creating music and seeing people get happy from those creations is one of the best feelings ever.”
Although Lassiter does most of the compositional work with the songs, many of their lyrics are inspired by the life and experiences of Maynard, a junior at Monmouth University.
Being friends for so long, Lassiter says she listens to Maynard talk about things in her life and turns those rants into poetic material, giving them a melody.
“Saranya and Anthony usually take the percussion and bass material I give them and make it more complex/suitable to their playing style,” said Lassiter. “But the other three members should be writing songs soon, too. I’ve heard their solo material and it’s awesome, despite what they might think about it.”
