Ruth Copland interviews Ziek McCarter, bandleader and vocalist of the funk-soul band Con Brio. Con Brio has a reputation as being a phenomenal live band due in part to Ziek McCarter’s charismatic performance, which has been compared with a young James Brown or Michael Jackson. KQED Arts describes band leader and frontman Ziek as channelling “the pained emotion of Otis Redding, the suave edge of Sam Cooke and the solid dance moves, splits and all, of James Brown.” Listen to the interview here It’s A Question of Balance – Ziek McCarter (broadcast on February 4). Formed in 2013, Con Brio comprises seven musicians with diverse backgrounds but a shared love of the vibrant Bay Area funk and psychedelic-soul sound pioneered by groups like Sly & the Family Stone. By 2015 the San Francisco band was a West Coast institution due to their captivating live show and, after spending 2015 touring the US and Europe, the international online magazine PopMatters declared Con Brio “the best new live band in America”. In 2016 Con Brio recorded their first full-length studio album Paradise, teaming up with legendary producer Mario Caldato Jr known for his work with the Beastie Boys and Beck amongst others.
For more info and to hear previous shows visit It’s A Question of Balance
