>>From the second floo of the Orlando Public Library, welcome to Melrose in the Mix, our series of live recording sessions from here at the Melrose Center.

Hi everyone.

I'm Jim Myers.

Today's session features Chris LeBrane's Campaign, from their performance at las summer's Melrose Pop Festival.

Chris is a well-known figure in the Orlando music scene, most notably as the drummer for a number of bands.

In fact, Chris has appeare on previous Melrose in the Mix episodes as a member of Steve Garren and the Guarantees, Universal Funk Orchestra, and The Left Joins.

Now he's fronting his own project, a synth heavy funk voyage that also includes Peter Lutringer, Joshua Weidenhamer, Omar Rodriguez and John Panaccione II.

In addition to the session, we also had a chance to talk to Chris about the campaign, his songwriting process, future plans, and more.

>>What I hope people take away from, Chris LeBrane's Campaign is that, we live in a pretty crazy time these days.

There's a lot of music out there that is, you know, very empowering, but it's very much in a in the form of protest and, you know, it.

There's there's a lot of emotions, anger, sadness you know, like all that stuff.

And now all of that is needed.

But sometimes you just need to dance.

And if I can provide that for people, just a little bit of a respite from the crazy times we were living in.

Then I think I've done my job.

What about you?

>>No you said it, everybody dance.

>>Everybody dance.

Come on.

♪♪ We'll be tripping out.

Underneath the purple sky.

We'll be hanging out.

Never mind the reasons why.

We're just doing what we have to do.

Just to have a little fun, baby.

Cause everybody's being a tool to what they have to do.

And that ain't cool.

So we are doing this for you.

Cause we're the New Wave Party Peopl for the campaign of the galaxy.

Yeah.

We're the New Wave Party People for the campaign of the Galaxy, yea!

Ain't no doubt about.

Where it is you need to go.

So just come on out.

Come on out, enjoy the show.

Lemme tell ya.

It don't matter how you like to groove.

You got to shine a little love, babe.

Cuz everybody's coming to dance and try and lighten the mood.

And that is true.

Cuz this is what we came to do.

Cuz we're the New Wave Party People for the campaign of the Galaxy, yea!

We're the New Wave Party People for the campaign of the Galaxy, yea!

We're the New Wave Party People for the campaign of the Galaxy, yea!

We're the New Wave Party People for the campaign of the Galaxy, yea!

[VOCALIZING] I don't wanna be the on to tell you what you need to do.

It's all on you, babe.

It's all on you, babe.

I don't wanna be the on to tell you how need to groove.

Do your do, babe.

It's cool, babe.

We're the New Wave Party People for the campaign of the Galaxy, yea!

And if our beats and grooves don't show and improve that feeling it's a fallacy, yea!

We're the New Wave Party People for the campaign of the Galaxy, yea!

And if our beats and grooves don't show and improve that feeling it's a fallacy, yeah, yeah.

Oh.

Oh, breakdown.

I don't want to be the on to tell you what you need to do.

♪♪ I don't want to be the one to tell you what you need to do.

Yeah.

>>The evolution of Chris LeBrane's campaig truly starts with the first band that me and Pete were in, which was a band calle The Aristocracy, which was early 2005 2006, all the way until 2009.

And we have been doing a funk rock trio, myself, Pete on guitar.

I was playing bass at the time, actually, and our friend Chase Richard on drums.

We were doing that for a while, but we were also experimenting with dance music, you know, on the side in different things of that sort.

And when that band kind of went on an indefinite hiatus, I slowly started coming up with some different tracks, just merely, for my own creation sake and, slowly but surely.

Which means, I don't know, seven, six, seven years later, I started showing Pete some of these things.

♪♪ [VOCALIZING] ♪♪ Listen, you've got a secret.

That's made up of the right stuff.

I know you're tired of holding it inside.

You really wanna give it up.

If you've got a secret that is burning, you can tell it to me.

>>I'll keep it to myself.

>>I'm the only one that understands your dreams and fantasies.

>>I won't tell no one else.

>>If you've got a secret that is burning, you can tell it to me.

>>I'll keep it to myself.

>>I'm the only one that understands your dreams and fantasies.

>>I won't tell no one else.

>>You've got to tell it.

It's information when it's said and done.

But whether dark or ligh or for the sake of having fun.

This won't put you on the run.

'Cause I'm the only one.

>>He's the only one.

>>If you've got a secret that is burning, you can tell it to me.

>>I'll keep it to myself.

>>I'm the only one that understands your dreams and fantasies.

>>I won't tell no one else.

>>If you've got a secret that is burning, you can tell it to me.

>>I'll keep it to myself.

>>I'm the only one that understands your dreams and fantasies.

>>I won't tell no one else.

>>Oh, it's alright you ain't gotta worry about it.

I know you've been burning to tell me all these beautiful things.

But come on, you know you want to.

What you gotta say?

And say what?

♪♪ [SCREAMING] Listen to me now!

Let it be know that I'm the only one that knows what's discussed between you and me.

I swear to God.

But if you told someone, I would not be surprised.

'Cuz I'm a hell of a guy, yea.

Get down!

♪♪ I keep it to myself.

♪♪ I won't tell no one else.

I keep it inside, all my life.

>>I keep it to myself.

♪♪ >>My background is, in performance, actually, growing up, playin in high school, concert bands.

But, I soon learned that, the trumpet wasn't for me.

And I picked up a guitar, and, then, you know, once I moved down to Florida at the prime age of 18, I met this guy.

And, you know, as the res they say, is is kind of history.

But, even after picking up the guitar I mean, I've still dabbled and, drums and a little bit of keys here and there.

But, but guitar really has been my one love and and it's really led me to everywhere I've been so far in the music world, especially even, talking about my - in audi engineering and in the studio.

It's a very, it's very helpful to be able to speak guitar.

For sure.

>>Indeed.

Yeah.

And you do it well I've seen you coach other guitarists.

>>Yeah.

>>Yeah.

>>For me, I grew up church kid.

So basically music was just always around me.

Parents and my brother were in the choir.

♪♪ It's starting tonight for sure.

So what the hell are you waitin' for?

They are doin' it right, ya know.

Just steppin' it on the dance floor.

Ain't no talkin' about your woes, just finding something to live for.

Leave your troubles and doubts alone, just leave them on the dance floor.

>>You thought you had it all but nothing comes for free.

>>To cope and bear it all.

Come take a lightwalk with me.

They ain't talkin' about no pain.

The things that make your heart sore.

We'll be throwing it out into the rain.

The light is ever-present, so dont worry anymore.

Pick up and make it happen.

Do it for yourself.

Believe in yo because there ain't nobody else.

Just keep it positive.

And remember all that's true.

No one can make it happen but you.

You thought you had it all.

But nothing comes for free.

To cope and bear it all.

Come take a lightwalk with me.

♪♪ It's good to meet you guys.

You you you you you and all of you.

Telling you we just wanna dance here.

Feel free.

Everybody dance, come on!

Come dance with me in the LED glow.

Come dance with me in the LED glow.

Come dance with me in the LED glow.

Oh, You thought you had it all.

But nothing comes for free.

To cope and bear it all.

Come take a lightwalk with me.

You thought you had it all.

But nothing comes for free.

To cope and bear it all.

Come take a lightwalk with me.

You thought you had it all.

Had it all.

You thought you had it all.

You thought you had it all.

>>For me, it's been a, a myriad of influences.

So everything from Michael Jackson and Prince and Parliament-Funkadelic and Rick James and all the stuff you would imagine on the R&B and funk spectrum to Genesis and Kiss and, Frank Zappa and all the others, differen elements from the rock side and, you know, everything in between.

Just like listening to everything that's just on the radio, college radio especially, you know, that's a great, breeding ground to just hear a bunch of different music.

And just put it through the synthesizer.

And yeah, that's wha it kind of came out, honestly.

>>I think I think it was about a decade earlier than you in my in m musical taste.

>>Yes you were.

>>I was into LED Zeppelin and Black Sabbath and-- >>Almost exclusively.

>>Yeah, yeah, yeah.

But bu you you really brought me into, you know, the Funkadelic, you know, and and that world, it opened my mind.

>>Yeah.

>>I can, I can remember, I mean, I know I know, the song Superstition.

>>Yeah.

>>But but I remember just going to that and you just laying out the funk for me and-- >>Oh, yeah.

>>But it blew my mind and really, really opened up a whole new world.

>>Because of that, we starte this sort of cultural exchange where, we lived in a house with not only our other bandmate but another friend named Matt.

We all had huge music collections, and we would just all borro each other's music collections, and that just increased everything.

Party People in the place to be, we are The Campaign!

On synth bass, John Panaccione!

On electronic drums, Omar Rodriguez!

On keyboards, Josh Weidenhamer!

On guitar, Peter Lutringer!

And not that it's important at all, I'm Chris LeBrane.

Let me lay down something for you.

Alright, part people let's get this straight, our mission is about the groove.

About the get-down and the synthesis, an we ain't got nothin' to prove.

Got makeup on my face and I'm in your place Time to make the people dance and sing.

While you spout your diatribes about doing it right, when it never meant a doggone thing.

O-way-A.

♪♪ Check it out.

Our Campaign is on, our Campaign is strong.

So come and check on what we do.

A synthesized funky trip around the rock.

We make it pop and the waves are all new.

So drop your inhibitions and come on in.

The funk is way too dope to say no.

But don't you think for a second that you're offa the hook.

Your obligation's to let yourself go.

Designed to keep you up and not down.

Rock your body to the Campaign sound.

Get out the funk with the funk.

Get out the funk with the funk.

Designed to keep you up and not down.

Rock your body to the Campaign sound.

Get out the funk with the funk.

You can dance... even if you can't Get out the funk with the funk.

Get out the funk with the funk.

The Campaign's coming and movin' and groovin' across y'all.

Get out 'cha funk with the funk.

Tryin' to change the vibes of the world, and the Galaxy itself.

Get out 'cha funk with the funk.

If you'll excuse u for a moment, we gon' get down.

♪♪ The Orlando music scene.

As it was, I guess we were kind of like, on the outskirts of it.

Like when we first started, you know, being Full Sail kids on on that side of town.

I mean, I don't know, I can't speak for Pete, but I didn't even really kno much about the Mills 50 scene.

I didn't know much about downtown other than it was very chaoti for a Louisiana child like me.

But other than that, we would be at places like the Haven, which is now Conduit.

We'd be there often.

>>Oh, yeah.

>>Oh, yeah.

Did you know you're really out for one and it shows.

Make the plan for something new.

So cold.

But you claim it's all the same.

No change, so I'm told.

But this is a means to an end.

>>You are the picture of vainglory.

Your every step was to sadden me.

Although you took it as flattery.

You led me on, done me wrong.

>>For sure.

>>To pimp another one's sanity.

Is all a part of your vanity.

Can't keep it bottled inside of me.

Let it out, get it out.

>>Don't try to tell me 'bout your way out.

And what it's supposed to be.

'Cuz when it comes to being the one.

It don't mean much to me.

Don't try to tell me 'bout your way out and what it's supposed to be.

'Cuz when it comes to being the one it don't mean much to me Strangelove.

Had really got ahold of me.

I never would have gave it up, for sure.

And because of your attitude now I know.

You never really were my friend.

>>Tried to make you a part of me.

Let you in and then made you see.

All of the things that you could be.

But you let it go.

You really could have started the flow.

>>To pim another one's sanity.

Is all a part of your vanity.

>>Oh.

>>Can't keep it bottled inside of me.

Let it out, get it out.

>>Don't try to tell me 'bout your way out and what it's supposed to be.

'Cuz when it comes to being the one it don't mean much to me.

Don't try to tell me 'bout your way out and what it's supposed to be.

'Cuz when it comes to being the one it don't mean much to me.

You could have bee a really big part of the show.

But you're all cock, fire, all systems go.

But I can't get away.

Get away!

>>We've only come to move.

We've only come to groove.

Groove all over you.

We've only come to move.

>>Sing it!

>>We've only come to groove.

Groove all over you.

We've only come to move.

>>You could have been a part o the show.

>>We've only come to groove.

>>But you had to pick up and go.

>>We've only come to move.

We've only come to groove.

>>Groove all over you.

>>There's a wealth of talent, in this town.

And, like, like you said, if there's, if you.

All you need is the want to go out and find a stage, and you can find a stage for yourself, whether it's hardcore or whether you're a hip hop artist or, a rock band or a metal band, you know, it's it' it's it's really especially that that Mills 50 are is, is really all encompassing.

>>It's very all encompassing.

>>And it's and it's and it's been great even even in the last 20 years just to see it change and the eb and flow of everything.

>>Yeah.

On any given night, like on Mills 50, you go pas Uncle Lou's or you go past Wells or whatever, you see a different crowd of kids every night.

You might see some kids that look like they just got out of high school.

May still be in high school.

Then the next night, it's a bunch of people that were in the scene in the 90s before we even had a thought to come here.

So it's that for where it's sort of like, you know, it's not like ousting the old and in with the new.

It's just a big melting pot of everybody.

Alright, one!

Two!

Three!

Come on, come on!

♪♪ [VOCALIZING] As the evening turns to midnight I feel the magic flow.

And as you walk into my mental I feel the urge to let go.

Imagination is the ultimate thing to all we want.

And in my mind and in my daydreams.

Your body's what I really wanna taunt.

In my mind, our body's groovin'.

Your love is what I'm moving.

People don't know what I'm doing.

>>Thanks for joining us for this episode of Melrose in the Mix featuring Chris LeBrane's Campaign.

We'll see you again soon for another live recording session here in the Melrose Center at the Orlando Public Library.