MonoNeon’s “Crusty Neon Missionary Baptist Church” Honors His Grandma Liz With Funk and Faith
If you’ve been following MonoNeon on social media, you’ve likely come across the soul-stirring videos featuring his grandmother, affectionately known as Grandma Liz. Now the funk and soul experimentalist has released a new album with her.
Crusty Neon Missionary Baptist Church is a collection of original songs described as “a heartwarming fusion of funk, faith, and family.” MonoNeon wrote the songs specifically for Grandma Liz to sing with him as she navigates the challenges of dementia.
“Far more than just a musical project, this album is a testament to the healing and connecting power of music… a sonic love letter between grandson and grandmother,” the liner notes explain.
The project began as a seed with the first song MonoNeon wrote for him and his grandmother to sing together. “FLY (don’t walk with the weight of the world)” tells the story of Liz’s unconditional love for her grandson, while musically evoking their hometown of Memphis, Tennessee.
“Dripping with a new touch of Memphis southern-soul, the song sounds like it was pulled straight from a neon yellow vault at Malaco or Hi-Records — MonoNeon’s guitar playing sounds like he was cutting at Royal Studios in Memphis and his bassline moves with a hump in the South Memphis streets,” a press release states. “At the heart of the song is a line that lingers long after it’s sung: ‘let’s fly to that beautiful sky, into the great unknown, that’s my home.'”
Watch the touching video below:
In addition to the original songs, Crusty Neon Missionary Baptist Church features three hymns – “Bless The Lord, Oh My Soul”, Take Me To The Water” and “He’ll Understand And Say Well Done” – to pay respect to Grandma Liz’s singing during church services. “Carry My Love (That’s a Memory I’ll Take)” features MonoNeon singing about his own experiences with his grandmother’s dementia.
Crusty Neon Missionary Baptist Church is available now on BandCamp.
Crusty Neon Missionary Baptist Church Track Listing:
- Take Me to the Water
- Thank You for the Open Bar at the Church
- He’ll Understand and Say Well Done
- Every Breath We Take God is There
- Still Got That Sparle
- FLY! (don’t walk with the weight of the world)
- Bless the Lord, Oh My Soul
- 3 Hours Gone
- Carry My Love (That’s a Memory I’ll Take)
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
