“If you don’t work, you can’t eat”-James Brown

And the people who have keeping the funk alive have been doing just that.  Working tirelessly in bars, dance halls, and venues all around the country to make a living. This new series is about documenting and paying tribute to those who have pioneered it and are keeping it alive. These are The Figures of Funk.

By Jesse Davidson

In this edition, we caught up with percussionist Victor Orlando between sets at the Xen Lounge in Studio City.

JD: Can you give us a bit of background on how you got into the music industry?

VO: Hey! My name is Victor Orlando. I’m a percussion player. I started about 42 years ago from high school. Went from there to playing in local bands. Got good at what I was doing at home in Dallas, Texas. Then I came out to California and moved to Canada. I started playing with a band and stayed there for a year. Came back to L.A. and got with Buddy Miles, Billy Preston, and some real heavy weights. My name started getting around so I kept doing it and doing it. Ended up playing in Yarborough and Peoples and the Gap Band for about fifteen years or so. Basically, I’ve got the title now of “Percussionist to the Stars”. I’ve played with Chaka Khan, Bobby Womack, LL Cool J. Quite a few people.

JD: That’s awesome. I noticed in the club after the show, you were right on it with meeting people and saying hi to the crowd. Is that a skill you’ve honed over the years? Has that played a role in how you’ve got introduced to so many bands?

VO: Well I try to do something different from the stage and from me as a person that other bands do so that the audience, big, small or medium, can remember where they were and who they were with. So I try to shake everybody’s hand, meet ‘em, make sure they are taken care of, sell CDs or T-Shirts if I have to., and make sure they are happy with what we just did. And as the lady (a show attendee) said inside, “You guys are amazing. You do stuff no one else does.” That was the point I was trying to make. We don’t just play eight songs then sit in a corner and eat, then re-appear for the second set.

JD: Absolutely. That really comes across. When you’re playing live dates, how does that approach differ for you from the recording studio?

VO: As long as I have a date, I’m pumped and I’m happy and pushing toward that date for performing live. Whether it is tomorrow or the 8^th of November. That’s the big date. We are here every Sunday but that’s my birthday party so I’m pushing toward that. For every Sunday, I’m pushing to make sure we do as good as we did last week. But when I go into the studio, just call me up and send me an MP3 of the song. I have 42 year old ears. They can hear whatever you are trying to do. I’ve been called a “one take Orlando” and nothing is changed or I’ll go in and put a ton of stuff down and now you can cut, splice, and edit what you want. But I’ll play as many different things as I’ve heard and it works that way.

JD: As far as recording, I’ve read in interviews that you didn’t get credit on different albums or songs you’ve recorded. What are you some ways you’ve learned to avoid those pitfalls in the industry?

VO: It’s hard to follow up on people that can’t follow up on themselves. So, I’ve lost a credit with Billy Preston because they didn’t follow up and get it right and I didn’t either. I lost a credit with Gap Band and they didn’t follow up. But then I look up on IMDB and other sites and go, “I did that album?” because I’ve done so many over the years. Unless it’s big, I don’t really care. I just put my music and playing out there. But the one weird thing is, I know my playing anywhere. If I hear it somewhere, I’ll say, “Whoa, that sounds like me. That sounds my lick.” And it was. I know my stuff.

JD: Yeah. That’s interesting getting into drums and percussion because it takes a more trained ear to hear a specific sound on those instruments instead of guitarists or vocalists, which is easier to hear.

VO: Exactly. I’m on one of Tupac’s albums and I didn’t get a credit for that one. I went back and listened to it and found which tracks I was on. When I told tem they said, “Oh something happened, we’ll get it on the next shipment” Really? You’re going to make a whole other shipment just because you left my name off? I’m not stupid. (The song “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now” comes on in the background). Thank you for the experience. I know it’s me and that’s all that matters. I got my little pay for it and I know I’m on that album. But that happens.

JD: Yep. Ain’t no stopping you now.

VO: That’s right. That’s not going to stop me from where I’m going.

JD: I’ve had the good fortune of playing with you on a gig and I’ve seen you let loose when you get into your zone and you’re not thinking about playing. Can you describe what you’re feeling or thinking during that process.

VO: If the drummer is laying what he needs to lay, I can get on my spaceship and go. Be it funk or latin or whatever. I am in that zone. But if he’s back there, I call it, building a condominium on his drumset and I can’t do anything. People don’t know it but I can’t enjoy playing because other things are not in sync and not happening. Over the years, I learned how to go on and shut everybody down and do it myself and I’ll get more fun out of it that way. I’m gonna give everybody there due. But if I’m doing it, I don’t want you all in my lane. But if they are, I’ll just close everyone’s lanes and play by myself. I may even ask you to leave the stage because I’m going in the zone on my own, which I rarely do. But I can be more creative that way. I can do other things and not have worry about anyone come in and mess it up because I’m painting a picture. Be it a small one (an eight bar solo), a big one (a 32 bar solo), or be it a portrait where nobody is playing where I’m just doing the whole frame, outline, the picture, the colors, and then I present it to you.

JD: When you are painting a picture, do you find that you pull variety of influences into it that are both musical and non musical?

VO: Unconsciously, I am. It’s all embedded in me. So if I’m going somewhere, I may be playing 50 rhythms and don’t really know where I’m pulling them from. But if you separated them, you could ask how I did that. I don’t know. I just know they went together and they felt good. You can split them up and categorize them but I just played them.

JD: Just to wrap up with one last question, Do you have any advice for younger musicians or artists getting into the music industry?

VO: Best way to have longevity is to listen to everything because you never know who is going to call you up to play. You never know what gig you’re going to get. I’ve got Chinese gigs, Asian gigs, Indian gigs, Bollywood gigs and Persian gigs because I listen to all sorts of music. Once you listen to everything, you can play anything. It doesn’t have to just be percussion, it can be on any instrument. It’s great to be a funk musician but since funk is not riding the wave it rode in the 80’s, you need to get a paddleboat that can ride some other waves and be good at that. So younger cats, listen to everybody, create your own style, play with everybody, and form a passion for everything you are doing. That’s going to get you more than money, gigs, recording, touring etc. The passion for what you do is what gets you a lot farther than being stuck up and selfish. That’s the best thing to do. Just keep playing and don’t have any barriers.

Thanks Victor for spending time with us!

If you’d like more info, check out http://www.victororlandomusic.com or the videos below