Joyful Swagger

In the post-Halloween afterglow, there is a very good reason to catch frenetic “soul and roll” band The Pimps of Joytime: Bandmember Mayteana Morales played “Gaby” on PBS’ Ghostwriter. Now one of the Joytime’s lead vocalists, Morales helps create the band’s tight, punchy, soulful sound.

Still making the rounds with the 2011 album Janxta Funk!, it’s easy to see why the band hasn’t put out another album — Joytime is a touring machine. In the past year, in addition to tour stops, the band has performed at Hangtown Halloween Ball, the High Sierra Music Festival, the Northwest String Summit, Bear Creek Music & Arts Festival, Camp Euforia and The Forecastle Festival, collaborating with acts like Vokab Company, Dumpstaphunk and Michael Franti and Spearhead.

It’s easy to draw a line between Pimps of Joytime and funk forebears like Sly and the Family Stone, but the band members have a fresh swagger all their own. Infusions of hip hop, blues, Latin and Afro beats can be heard throughout Janxta Funk! It will be interesting to see how Joytime further innovates funk music, a genre that some naysayers claim is dead, with their third studio album due out later this year. The band’s real sweet spot, however, is in live performance, where the members’ sexy and fresh funk can really shine.

The Pimps of Joytime play 8 pm Tuesday, Nov. 5, at Cozmic; $10 adv., $12 door.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

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None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!