Black Happy May Look Like Funk, But They're All Rock

X Who they are

Scott Jessick, drums.

Jim Bruce, drums.

Paul Hemenway, vocals, guitar.

Mark Hemenway, bass.

Greg Hjort, guitar.

Mike Hasseries, trombone.

Jay Carkhuff, trombone.

Daryl Elmore, saxophone.

X How they got their name

"It literally means nothing," said Mark Hemenway. "We wanted something that was just ridiculous, that wouldn't date itself . . . just two contradictory terms. It seemed to bug us enough that we went with it."

X How they got together

Black Happy rose from Coeur d'Alene, an Idaho tourist town not exactly known as a major musical center. Yet somehow in the late '80s there were several metal bands that called Coeur d'Alene their base, even if they had to play elsewhere. In 1990, the bands fused to form Black Happy, undoubtedly the only eight-piece Northwest band with two drummers and two trombone players. Black Happy spends a lot of time on the road and plays regularly in Seattle. "We've played only a couple of shows in Coeur d'Alene in our entire existence," said Paul Hemenway, vocalist, primary songwriter for the band and brother of Mark.

X How they describe their music

First, don't call them a funk band, despite their three-piece horn section. "We just want to be labeled rock," Mark Hemenwaysays.

It's rock with a groove, though. Some of the songs have a hard edge, but the band has moved away from metal.

"It's good-feeling, emotional music. . . . With eight guys we cover such a variety of music, but it all has that Black Happiness to it," says Mark.

X Where Paul gets the inspiration for his songs

Paul: "I think the three big ones would be God, love and basketball."

Mark: "Probably in order it would be basketball, God and love."

Paul "Actually, I don't think I've ever written a song about love, except love of basketball and love of God."

X Tapes they'd take on a road trip

Mark: "Everyone in the band loves Rush, Jane's Addiction, the Beastie Boys. You can always guarantee a B-52s tape."

Paul: "Definitely the Abba boxed set. Bagpipes playing really bad pop songs and `Amazing Grace.' "

X Where to hear them

You can hear them live tonight at the RKCNDY. Look for them also at the Bite of Seattle in July and Bumbershoot during the Labor Day weekend.