Funqueros

RELIX (Vol.27/No.1) February 2000 Spellbound is a Los Angeles-based outfit that has been recording since 1990. 'Funqueros,' released in 1999, is it's first to receive national distribution. The band's music is funk-based rock with heaps of Latin-influenced rhythms. There's a polished feel to many of the group's songs with the opening 'Tune You Up' and the jazz-rocking 'Siente' as the most immediately impressive. Several cuts offer sophisticated R&B and feature guest vocalist Sonora, while the whole disc has a joyous dance groove to it. - Mick Skidmore LISTEN.

COM (March 2000) Describing Spellbound's music as infectious would be a bit like describing the Mississippi river as a creek. L.A.'s masters of dance, funk and Latin rhythms make music with more bite then Salsa-doused alapeos. - Kali H. MUGBONE.

COM (Februrary 2001) Addictive latin funk featuring solid songs, psychedelic boogie, and more. Take a trip through the world of dance music. PERU NEWS REVIEW (Ao 10 - Vol.12 / Diciembre 1999) ' Paul Thomas y Bobby Moon, del grupo Spellbound han creado un CD que tiene ritmo y calidad, para alegrarse. El conjunto esta formado por Johnny Polanco, Tommy O, Matthew Jensen y Sonora.' 'La peruanita Charito Salinas es vocalista del Spellbound. A la derecha, portada artstica del CD con palmeras que parece estuvieran bailando.' Spellbound de la disquera Selfish en la misma ciudad, han puesto en ciculacin el nuevo CD del grupo multicultural 'Los Funquueros,' incluyendo ritmos Afro-Caribeo con el Salsa master Johnny Polanco, el vocalista Bobby Moon, el co-founder Paul Thomas y la peruana Charo Salinas tambin como vocalista. Sus presentaciones estn causando sensacin eb diferentes centros nocturnos y se les augura un gran futuro. Para mayor informacines pueden llmar al e-mail: spellboundband@yahoo.com - Talentos Latinos LATIN BEAT MAGAZINE (November 1999 - Vol.9 / No.9) Spellbound 'Funqueros' (Selfish Recordings) This self-produced second CD release from Los Angeles-based band Spellbound goes by the title of 'Funqueros,' (a Spanglish word defined by the two leaders of the band, Bobby Moon and Paul Thomas, as 'funquero\fun-'ke-ro\n 1: one of a class of persons displaying the qualities of both a funkster and a salsero.' Through a total of ten original selections, Spellbound displays the colors of urban dance favorites like funk, soul, rock, and house, blended with rainbows full of tropical Afro-Caribbean rhythms and their derivatives: Latin jazz, the boogaloo, Latin hustle, salsoul, and Latin soul among others. Dance music from the srteets of Los Angeles' multi-cultural population best describes the music of Spellbound. It's keen urban piquancy makes them the right dance band for any city in this world. The band features commendable vocals from Sonora, Bobby Moon, and new comer Charo Salinas, as well as, creditable work from Paul Thomas on guitars, sequencing, and keyboards. LA salsa band leader and multi- instrumentalist Johnny Paolanco is a guest musician featuring his tres guitar on the tracks 'El Tropico' and 'Just In Time.' - RM CD Liner Notes: ...

Roll back to fall, 1998. SPELLBOUND was putting the finishing touches on our new album, 'Funqueros', a disc which Bobby moon & I, (SPELLBOUND's founding songwriters/performers) had struggled for well over a year to finish - recording and mixing as money permitted. The plan was to put it out a small quantity of the disc on our own, then squeeze it into local stores and onto any radio stations we could. The rest would be sold at shows or used for promotion. We were no strangers to this approach, and had been moderately successful with our previous, self-titled CD in 1996, so off we went.......

Not quite! Like cosmic messengers, in came a few exceptional spirits to change our destiny, and their word was thus: Have patience my sons, and your CD will be done right-with cool packaging, primo distribution, and the works. Knowing the staggering amount of work we faced in doing it all ourselves again, we gratefully accepted the offer and got down to the nitty gritty stuff - which brings us to.