If you’ve been to a major festival sometime over the summer – namely the Sedona Winefest – chances are high that you’ve heard The Naughty Bits! music. And the group has been playing music, mostly at festivals and bars, in Northern Arizona for over a decade. Formerly known as Yin Yang & Zen Some, the band played its very first gig at a Halloween show around 15 years ago. From there, the group primarily put on themed-shows based around holidays and special occasions. But after a decade, like many bands, the group stopped playing music for a while after, well, life happened. A few members moved away.
But about five years ago when bassist Dylan Jung returned to the area, The Naughty Bits! reformed and went from a four to a six-piece as a cover band. It’s safe to say that this group is a motley crew. They range in age from 30s to 60s and are a mix of self-taught and professional musicians. When it reformed, the band added a saxophonist and a trombonist.
About the name: it refers to a Monty Python sketch. So what does that have to do with anything? Well, what makes the group and Monty Python’s comedy work so well, in Dylan’s opinion, is that they’re such close friends working together. “The thing that everybody loves most about doing this is that we really are a band of brothers and friends. And what we enjoy most about is getting to play with each other and having that time of camaraderie amongst the group,” says Dylan.
Listeners can expect to hear a dynamic mix of soul, funk and new wave 80s songs. One of its more popular songs is “Staying Alive, The Wall” – a blend of “Stayin’ Alive” by The Bee Gees and “The Wall” by Pink Floyd. Above all, The Naughty Bits! wants their audience members to have a good time. “We always think it’s fun,” says Dylan. “For the most part, we just like getting together and playing music. That seems to be why people like us: we have fun dancing with you. It couldn’t really get any better than that.” − Teresa K. Traverse
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