Fat Penguin plumps up with new members

With its motley makeup of personalities, it is no wonder local act Fat Penguin's music spans as many genres. The band, which functions more as a family than a business, has played only sparsely in recent years - with monthly shows at various Oak Ridge venues - but is on the verge of returning to Knoxville full throttle in preparation for the upcoming Camp Reggae festival.

With its practices serving as cookouts and family reunions of sorts, the group's enthusiasm for live outings seems to grow along with the changing of the weather. Fat Penguin excels at outdoor performances, and the band's style, an amalgam of funk, reggae, ska, world, hip-hop, rock and R&B, all connote warm weather imagery. This could explain the upcoming influx of gigs the band has scheduled.

"Spring coming up is the season," says bassist/vocalist Roger Silvey. "It's good party music, and people get together more in the spring and summer. Plus bringing in Andi (McNabb, vocalist) makes us work too, because it's something new, and we have more songs she can do the lead on. That makes us a little bit more hungry to play."

A few years ago, the group faltered when percussionist Joel Carnes passed away. Saddened and reduced to a quartet, Fat Penguin resurged with the return of keyboardist James Hawkins and the band's newest addition, Andi McNabb.

"It was tough at first, and at that time we didn't have James with us," says Silvey of the period following the death in the 'family'. "It was a slow time for Fat Penguin, but we proceeded with four members. Then we started rebuilding, because we knew that's what Joel would have wanted. We came back strong, and we're stronger than ever. I think Joel was the glue in the bond that we now have as a band. It was a good point in our lives having him with us."

The recruiting of McNabb furthered the band's renaissance in adding new elements to the group's songwriting.

"(Andi) allows us to be more flexible when writing new songs and coming up with new parts," says drummer Brian Rose. "She adds character. You can paint a better picture with more colors."

Anticipating a fourth album to be released around year's end, Fat Penguin is happy to offer its recordings with the public free of charge through its Web site, www.fatpenguinmusic.com. The band literally shares its work on the basis that it is once again spreading its name after a period of infrequent performances in its hometown.

"We're working on our fourth album," says guitarist Sam Hensley. "We've always done it ourselves, so that's probably still our plan. We put our stuff out there for free. We're not huge enough yet that I think people are going to want to pay 99 cents to download it. At this point if people like it, and they want to download it, they can. Right now we're still getting better known as a band that does well live and appeals to all kinds of people."

Fat Penguin kicks off an eventful week playing Ben and Jerry's tonight. The free, all-ages show benefits the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and begins at 6 p.m. After a show at Johnson City's Casbah Saturday night, the band returns to Knoxville, playing an Emerald Youth Foundation fundraiser show at Buffalo Wild Wings at 6 p.m. Sunday. Monday night Fat Penguin joins Camp Reggae mates The Natti Love Joys for a gig at The Valarium. That show will begin at 10 p.m. and costs $7, or $5 for students. Wednesday the band will appear on the Pellissippi State campus for an acoustic set as part of the free Pellipalooza event. Fat Penguin performs a double-header Thursday, playing Sophie's Place on UT campus at 6 p.m., followed by a show at Wild Wing Cafe at 10 p.m. to celebrate the opening of wakeboard season. Both shows are free. Finally, look for Fat Penguin to perform a set as part of Camp Reggae, a festival the band helped found 10 years ago. Camp Reggae begins on May 22; for more on the event, visit www.campreggae.net.

n GOOD AS NEW?: Odd Order joins Pegasi 51 on stage at Sassy Ann's tonight. The show is slated for 10 p.m.

n WITH THE STRENGTH OF TWO MEN: The Square Room hosts the versatile Man Man Wednesday night. Doors open at 8 p.m., and tickets are $12 in advance or $15 at showtime.

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