Black Carl

Black Carl (Credit: Amy Elizabeth)

Black Carl Members:

Emma Pew : Vocals

Chad Leonard : Drums/guitar

Matthew Noakes : Guitar

John Krause : Guitar/drums/vocals

Ian Woodward : Bass/guitar

Black Carl Influences:

Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, A Tribe Called Quest.

Genre: Funk/soul.

Better described as: The whitest funk band you'll see. And Pew sounds like a grittier Joss Stone.

Behind the name: Krause says when his roommate first heard Black Carl's music, he told Krause they sounded like "the Pink Floyd of hip-hop," and Black Carl was born. "I liked it because I was like, 'I don't know what people are going to think, they can assume whatever they want,' " Krause says. "If they find out it's a bunch of white people, then maybe they'll think we're racist. But really, they're the ones who are racist for thinking that."

If you have two minutes to check out the band's MySpace page, listen to this: "Hussy" is a down-and-dirty, sexy track that really showcases Pew's range and has a hypnotic beat that makes you groove.

Currently working on: Promoting their current 11-song album, "Borrowed," recorded with Bob Hoag in Mesa. They're also gearing up for a mini-tour in California this summer.

Music is . . . "Music doesn't mean anything to me," Krause says. "Music is everything to me. What does life mean to you? That's what music means to me."