On a sunny Wednesday, I rode my bike from Peach Street to 13th to sit down with a handful of ambitious guys who call themselves “Cure for the Common,” and find out why on earth you should care about them.
“Put this in there: We clean up nice,” said Weston Lewis, the original founder of the band, with a big grin. “Yeah, we can dress right up,” agreed Garrett Rhinard (keys and vocals), “although I have a hard time tying my tie… who tied it last time?”

Cure for the Common, who were hesitant to call themselves a funk band — “It’s funky music, but not limited to,” said Garrett — released their debut album in April 2011 and has big plans for the near future. Their new single, “Let’s Ride,” is now available on iTunes for download. The band even filmed their first music video for the single, with some help from Jesse Barney of Peach Street Studios. “We love working with Peach Street, and Jesse was very supportive in the whole endeavor,” added Joe Sheehan (drummer). Featuring a symbolic storyline that involves the band leaving behind their old image and adding the newest member of the band, Josh Lampkins, the video was filmed over the course of two days this spring and is rather entertaining. The single itself is catchy enough to get stuck in your head for a while, once you’re done bopping your head to it. (Find both the single and the video at   www.curetheband.com).
What’s next? The band bought a bus. “Are you trying to be like the Dirty Shame?” I asked. “They were certainly an inspiration,” said Joe. “Our bus will involve more home decorating,” added Josh, who works at a home decorating store that will lend to the search and likely produce cozy, matching results for the interior. The band had been shopping around to find this certain special bus by mid-May, when they will be embarking on the first mini-tour of the summer, a week and a half long excursion around Montana and other states to the west. “It’s terribly ambitious and it might just work,” said Weston.

The addition of a bus sets the band up for the “longer term” plan: to play long tours and festivals. “It’s the sound we have — big, fun, original, danceable music,” said Weston. The band first hopes to accomplish the “long term” plan and take the bus on three mini-tours over the summer — to the west, the south, and the east — as trial runs for their touring model before recording another album this fall. “Can you drive a school bus?” they asked me, after discussing the length restrictions on vehicles before needing a commercial driving license. The band plans to have an alert pilot and co-pilot at all times while driving the 40-some foot long soon-to-be-named bus (“you can’t rush these things,” said Jordan Rodenbiker, the band’s bassist.). But they are also researching road kill recipes. “We need to eat somehow,” added Josh. “The best way to hit the animal is to leave the body intact…” added Garrett.

This deliberate and thought out approach is nothing new for the guys of Cure for the Common. The band won a brand new Gibson Hummingbird acoustic guitar in a contest with Project Nomkoo in Bozeman last fall, yet when faced with the decision of how to share a guitar among the whole band, they decided to sell it and buy in-ear monitors. “The opportunity cost was great,” said Joe. In-ear monitors would also allow the band consistency in their performances, as well as preserve their hearing. “We plan on doing this for awhile,” they said.

And they don’t plan on just being a regular band. “We hope to branch out,” said Garrett. The band is interested in doing studio work — scoring films, video games and TV shows — and marketing the band as a business, complete with a record label and publishing company. “We want to play weddings too,” said Joe. While they haven’t played one yet, they have been asked to in the near future. “I’ll tie Garrett’s tie for him,” Weston added, grinning again.

So why should you care about independent funk band Cure for the Common? “We’ve played house parties where there is sweat dripping from the ceiling and it seems like everyone is getting naked,” they told me. They’re also exactly what they call themselves — a cure for the common. “People may be tired of seeing the same old bands and are looking for something fun and energetic. That’s who we are,” summarized Josh.

Do you need a cure yourself? See them kick off their first mini-tour of the summer with shows at the Cat’s Paw on May 18th and 19th and go to www.curetheband.com for their new single and music video. Sure to shake whatever funk ails you and replace with it with a better kind of funk that will get your feet moving, Cure for the Common is playing at a venue near you.

Mike Tarrant has entered the real world after graduating in Music Technology and Economics from Montana State University in 2011. He can be reached at mtarrant24@gmail.com.