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Get Down Tonight
🕑 Added 2024-12-30 22:08:07 +0000 UTCAs the year that was 2024 winds down, with all its hellish moments and personal setbacks, I’ve planned a positive, forward-looking sendoff; Attending a New Year’s Eve concert by Florida’s very own maker-of-smiles KC & The Sunshine Band. Before you say “Disco ain’t cool, Vic,” I’ll tell you that it is. Harry Wayne Casey (KC) started out in the early 70s with a backing band that was funky as hell and quite cool actually. Check out this performance/track from 1974 called Queen Of Clubs. https://youtu.be/P9KxsHmZU78?si=8l-QClitnsvZLHCF
Listen to those horns blaring. The tempo is designed to get you up and grooving. It helps you forget about the awfulness in the world for 3 minutes. It’s totally fine and emotionally beneficial to put your head in the sand and drown out the news and shitty advertising and the internet now and then with KC’s beautiful, screaming falsetto. I know KC and his band of sunshiners will kickstart my 2025 by welcoming it in with positivity. There’ll be enough time to focus on life’s challenges. Take it away, Casey!
A quick side note: Neil Hamburger’s song Endless Roll leaned heavily on Queen Of Clubs for inspiration. I was lucky enough to be asked to create the music video for it, which at the time, I had no idea what the hell I was doing but made it work somehow. https://youtu.be/nMWJ7wFGljA?si=UJhfBwyml7R43Zy0
Back to Casey and how great he is! I love that he acknowledges that he’s overweight at this point and can make fun of himself while still performing all the demanding dance moves that he’s done in his shows since the start. He has a great look now; optional toupee, bedazzled jackets, the whole nine yards. He’s an inspiration. He loves life. Watch him spin. https://youtu.be/-ETnWdx144U?si=XsDBqJ3NEcpSbtoU&t=1271
Casey also had a career writing songs for other acts, penning the huge hit Rock Your Baby for George McCrae. https://youtu.be/Wdo-ZiHqbls?si=xPcFjx-5tuQ_NdHa Love that very analog sounding drum machine loop. Casey developed his own sound that shines through when other artists record his tunes. Gimme Some recorded by Jimmy Bo Horn in 1975 has that classic Sunshine Band feel. Also check out the cool music video for it. https://youtu.be/tyiORI-EFA0?si=bQynaFW00RQMojrU
I didn't even get into his huge hits like Get Down Tonight, Please Don't Go or That's The Way (I Like It, uh-huh, uh-huh) but I hope this inspires you guys to at least put on a greatest hits record or one of their funky early albums. I will let you know how the show is in the new year! Thanks for reading and thanks for supporting Office Hours. Cheers to a sunshiney 2025!
Comments
DAW
The endless roll video is nice! Good song 🎶
Russell Harlan
Jeez it's like he's got a fountain of yute or sumpin.
James Conrathe
Happy New Year to you and y’ol
James Conrathe
Winner thank you
Oopie Doopie
Vic, check out “Summertime” by KC. Should’ve been a huge hit!!
lilula9
I love disco and just discovered funk remixes--so thank you for your font of funk knowledge! I didn't know of your collab with Neil, thanks for the share. Excited to see you both in a month 💕 Thanks for being there for 2024, and we will have more fun in 2025 ✨
Tanuki
Hey Vic, do you know this song (album and band)? https://youtu.be/_QEdh1tcLtw?si=UrbsvBPnENEYl3Ce It seems up your alley.
Trevor
Lovely stuff Vic! Hope 2025 brings you lots of new guys and no intrusive thoughts
Tanuki
Thanks Vic, that's was beautiful.
Chalameybe
he didn't make millions kissing his mother with that mouth, cap! ^
Chalameybe
give it up, baby give it up (goo goo ga ga) ..or.. I'm seein' triples here... 9 Vics! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧
Tobias
Love that the toupee is optional - mix it up! Hair is just for fun!
Christian Aspen
Nanananananananananana baby give it up is unironically a bop
Donovan Olson
Listen to that classic album, folks… Maybe even skip the hits, and just listen to album cuts. I Get Lifted (though a cover) is SO DAMN HARD as a song. That syncopated guitar over that bass line is crazy. You might recognize it from Respect by the Notorious BIG. That florida scene was really going back in the day. Check out Little Beaver too. Jaco’s first placement is w/ him. Good call, Vic, as always.
brian bonelli
I saw KC (and the Sunshine Band) open for the B-52s with DJ Cummerbund a couple of years ago and was so pleasantly surprised! Guy put on a helluva show!
Melissa
Needed this dose of sunshine, thank you Vic ☀️
Alex Steele
Thanks for having my back skip.
Tim Heidecker
See. You’re a drag Tony -Matt
Tim Heidecker
You’re a drag -Matt
Geoffrey Thomas
I like the fact that KC was loved by so many people, even Rob Zombie did a cover of "Boogie Man"
Björn Lindgren
Thank you, Vic! I wish you a very good 2025.
Tony Millionaire
Vic, I’m sorry to be the one to tell you, KC is shit and so is his band.
Tony Millionaire
I’ll fight you
Maclaine
I once was on a flight with the entire band, all of us in coach, and they all had matching denim jackets with an enormous custom KCATSB logo embroidered on the back. They were nice.
Noah D
Disco is so back 🪩 thanks for the recs Vic 💖
Christopher Prochot
I saw them a couple years ago and it was insanely good. Sooo many hits and the band is fire. Enjoy
DanBo
Going to see him in March, legit stoked! Got him at the beginning of the month and Kraftwerk at the end of March. KC is a beam of light whose band and music still shines brightly to this day.
Kyle
The amazon review that Mrs Turkington wrote that inspired Endless Roll can still be found!
Journe
That scream on queen of clubs is amazing! I love how blown out and intense it sounds.
Ed Enayat
Thank you Vic! KC is cool, disco is cool and everything in this playlist is also cool - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4B0xOhN7EV0shE25duxQLS?si=rv681_lWQD--OrDCDlcsVw&pi=e--AHId8wTT-uq
Christopher Laramee
We park our cars in the same garage Vic! you prob know this banger but just in case...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HX8DcvFXzsY
Thomas Schermerhorn
One night I couldn’t sleep, and came downstairs to see my parents watching this: https://youtu.be/CjnuUDoyn54?si=lQLKuLHn0gcq5spc. It made a big impression on me. I’ve enjoyed KC’s music ever since.
Alex Steele
"Give it up" is a certified banger and I'll fight anyone that disagrees with me.
Chalameybe
This post was a heartwarmer! Thanks for your ever-positive attitude and your fresh take one jaded topics on the podcast. It was so great to watch you play keys for T and the VGB's boogie-woogies! Stay Indican' (I feel like you're an indica guy). I will try my best to do some sort of little dance this evening, followed by my mandatory getting down, hopefully with my partner, but I'll find an escort if midnight is approaching, per your suggestion. #kc
westend_td
great post Vic! Anyone thinking that "Disco Sucks" has not heard anything past the Top 40 hits (everyone was making disco!). Look up Leroy Burgess. He is the Disco/Boogie King. He and Patrick Adams shaped the sound of New York in the early 80's. Check out Logg (not Loggins): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mGuCD9XydYJizXqFbwQsPp_vQ9mSyIQ5Q you'll at least enjoy the record cover :)
