This month we are featuring unique stories from our Fonville Morisey corporate office that define who we are. This week, take a look at our own Rob Silvia and Joe Margiotta from our IT Department as they play their first gig with their band, B Side Soul.
On Saturday August 11th, amidst a rainy evening in the Triangle a few of us got together to cheer on two of our hardworking Information Technology staff members – Rob Silvia and Joe Margiotta…and no, we’re not talking about cheering them on some Fonville Morisey technology issue either. Rather, these two gentlemen invited us all to check out the very first gig for their band, B Side Soul. An FUN evening of entertainment was had by all!
B Side Soul is a band consisting of five guys from around the Triangle – Doug Partin (Drums), Evan MacLean (Keys) and Brett Bowers (Bass Guitar, Vocals), and Joe Margiotta (Guitar, Vocals) and Rob Silvia (Percussion, Vocals, Guitar). With melodies that take you back to the days of bell bottoms and big hair, B Side Soul is a combination of funk and 70s soul. Think Stevie Wonder or the theme to famed 70s sitcom Sanford & Son. If you like to groove, you’ll dig their vibe!
Doug and Joe played together in a funk/rock band named Super B, that came to an end in 2011. After a short break they decided to try the funk thing again, this time with Rob on percussion/guitar/vocals, Evan on the keys and Brett on the bass guitar. They consider themselves beyond lucky to have found such talented musicians that share a love of their genre. The addition of percussion into the mix makes all the difference when it comes to danceable funk and soul music!
So, where does the name B Side Soul come from?
The more they listened to the old funk & soul music from the 70’s, the more they began to discover a number of fantastic little known artists, and some of the funkiest, most soulful tracks they had ever heard. As a result, they began to build their set around these rare funk/soul songs and decided to name the band after the “B Side” of the record, a homage to these lesser known songs and artists that inspire us, and our material.
Says, Joe -
“I’ve been playing music for a long time, and the boys in B Side Soul are some of the finest musicians and people I’ve had the pleasure to play with.”
As for their gig Saturday night, our own Forest Nidiffer of FM Relocation had this to say -
“It was really wonderful to see all the support from the FM family for B Side Soul. It was great to see the band perform. I am sure it was a bit intimidating to be performing in front of so many of your co-workers, friends, neighbors and family but… they ROCKED it!”
Rob adds -
“We were pleasantly surprised and truly touched by the support we received at our first gig by our Fonville Morisey family. We had a good number of people show up from the Corporate Office, our own IT Department and the Sales Offices. We truly appreciate everyone that came out to see us, and hope that a good time was had by all. We’ll see you at the next gig!”
Speaking of that next gig, the band says they’re lining one up for next month. You can stay tuned to their Facebook Page or their website (created by Rob himself) to learn more. BSideSoul.com also contains some sample tracks of a few of their tunes as well.
In the meantime, check out the short video sample we shot the other night -
If you were in attendance the other night, what did you think? And more importantly, got any special requests for the Fonville Morisey IT duo and their band? Leave a comment below.
