A Different Kind of Groove : Black Daphne Melds James Brown Rhythms, Guitar Pop

If the members of Black Daphne seem to be enjoying their music more these days, James Brown deserves some of the credit.

Their guitar-oriented pop has been hard to pigeon-hole, with influences ranging from Echo & the Bunnymen to King Crimson, but lately the band has been taking some of its musical cues from the Hardest-Working Man in Show Business.

Vocalist Kevin Utsler “got a James Brown CD, and it’s just a whole different kind of groove than what we’ve played,” bassist Wes Jackert said recently during an interview in a Long Beach cafe. “We’re starting to write stuff more around a groove, concentrating more on the rhythm of a song.”

As tribute to “the godfather of soul,” Black Daphne now covers Brown’s popcorn-funk workout “Superbad.” That in itself is something of a change in attitude for the band, whose on-stage demeanor until recently was rather serious.

“We’re a serious band, but we’re not afraid to have some serious fun,” bassist Wes Jackert said. “We’re taking off our shoes--but not literally.”

The Long Beach-based quartet, which includes Jackert, lead guitarist Martin Beal, Utsler and his brother Keith, on drums, will headline a show Friday night at the Meadowlark Country Club in Huntington Beach. Also on the bill are Orange County bands Smiling Face Down and Redhouse.

“The decision to play more rhythmic stuff came out of a common affection for the groove,” said Keith Utsler. When Black Daphne first emerged, both sound and lyrics had strong folk-music influences. Instead of scuttling their trademark ethereal guitar sound, however, they have rearranged their songs to feature tighter rhythm. “There’s a very large dynamic range in the music. It’s rock ‘n’ roll--very catchy rock ‘n’ roll, but it incorporates so many different types of sounds,” Beal said.

The band has completed a second demo tape, the five-song “Across the River,” and is trying to drum up interest in a record deal. “We’ve got some distributorship interest. We have some very tentative label interest. . . . If that doesn’t work out, we’ll save up enough money to put it out ourselves. It’s very important that one way or another it gets out,” Beal said.

To raise money for the recording sessions, the band members collected musical equipment and miscellaneous cast-offs contributed by friends and fans and then held four garage sales at Jackert’s parents’ home. At the sales, Black Daphne would play acoustic sets on the back porch while shoppers perused the items.

Once they raised the funds, the band found more than its share of trouble recording “Across the River.” While in the studio, the tape recorder containing two days’ worth of mixes “spontaneously combusted,” rendering two songs unsuitable for their demo tape. “It’d be fun to put those out on a B-side, though,” Kevin Utsler said.

Black Daphne’s members consider themselves “pop” musicians, but they use the term reluctantly because of negative connotations the term carries in a scene that values non-commercial attitudes. “We’ve never been a garage band. We’ve never been thrash or trashy. We’ve always done intricately put-together pop music,” Beal said.

The members of Black Daphne, who derive their name from a brand of Greek after-dinner wine, believe their increasing emphasis on the rhythm section will help set them apart from other local bands. “Everyone is concerned about vocal melody and relative tightness, but there aren’t a whole lot of bands who can add a solid groove underneath that,” Jackert said.

“It’s not a mean kind of groove. We play with a smile rather than a growl” Beal said, drawing the distinction between Black Daphne and such Southland funk-rock bands as the Red Hot Chili Peppers or Gherkin Raucous.

Although the band’s sound is evolving, Kevin Utsler hasn’t changed his penchant for impressionistic lyrics, long the linchpin of the band.

“I concentrate on conveying a certain attitude,” Utsler said. “If a song has particular characters, like in ‘Mrs. Baker’ (a song that appears on both of Black Daphne’s demo tapes) I try to sing in such a way that you have an idea of what is going on in the character’s mind.”

Black Daphne, Smiling Face Down and Redhouse play tonight at 9:30 at the Meadowlark Country Club, 16782 Graham St., Huntington Beach. Tickets: $6. Information: (714) 846-3391.