Introducing…. Sex-O-Rama

Sex-O-Rama, a band known for their "Porn Funk" sound, has been challenging social stigmas and delivering funky grooves since their inception. With roots in reimagining 70s adult film scores, their music has evolved, incorporating influences from various genres while maintaining a playful and provocative edge. In this interview, Carvin, the band's creative force, discusses their origins, musical influences, and the unique process behind their sound.

Click Roll Boom: Tell me about how you got started:

Carvin: Oooohhh…you want the real story.

OK. Sex-O-Rama got started when our record exec asked me to be part of a team of producers to record music from 70s Adult Films. Adam Pike, my longtime co-producer, and I got the band together from musicians we knew in the industry. Every one of us knew it was a great way to poke fun at the Religious Right, the Music Industry, even the Film Industry, so we all came into it with a smart-assed attitude and a sense of humour. By the end of that first album, the other producers, and the other musicians, had all dropped out. So we who were left decided that we were Sex-O-Rama. Not just an album but a band. Albeit, a studio band, but still, we decided to just own it.

CRB: How would you describe your sound, and how has it evolved since you first started?

C: We often use the term “Porn Funk” to describe our sound, but that’s just shorthand for the sound we came up with. Our sound is funky grooves with quite a bit of wah-wah guitars and heavy bass. At least most of the time. It has evolved from sounding strictly 1970s to including styles and instruments from the 1980s. But even beyond that, our sound has become both more polished and yet more “real” over time. By that, I mean on the last two albums, we tried to make sure you can always hear our breath, our fingerprints, even our laughter. We’ve evolved to give you a more honest sound that is us.

CRB: Who or what have been some of your biggest influences, musically and beyond?

C: For the band or for me? For the band, it was Frank Zappa and Isaac Hayes all the way. Frank because he and the Mothers were the actual band playing on a lot of those 1970s “Blue Movies.” He got arrested and fined for it once. Isaac Hayes because his soundtrack for Shaft was probably the biggest influence on all of those old Adult Film Scores. After that, we are all influenced by a lifetime of musicians. We’re all pretty eclectic.

For me, I’m influenced by Earth Wind And Fire, James Brown, Gyorgi Ligeti, John Williams, Erich Korngold, Igor Stravinsky, Keith Emerson, Vangelis, Bootsy Collins, Chic. I was a classical musician when I got involved in the band. They corrupted me a little. I like things that use classical concepts to make fun music and Funk and Disco do it without announcing that to the world.

CRB: What does your songwriting process typically look like – is it a more individual or collaborative effort?

C: For my writing for Sex-O-Rama, I start off listening to the original vintage scores from old Adult Films, without the distraction of the film, just put on the music and see what they were doing back in the day. Within a few minutes, I can identify their influences, usually from pop music but also from mainstream films from the time. Then I sit down and sketch a basic drum beat to set the timing, then I write out chords and a bass part.

The collaboration comes when I give it to the band. Haywood always adds lots of extras and expressions to my bass parts. Fingers plays whatever he wants on guitar. Sometimes its the chords I give him, sometimes its just something that works over the top of it. And his wah-wah pedal rhythms are often unexpected. All the guys just take possession of whatever I write and put their stamp on it. It never turns out like what I expected, but I’ve come to just trust that part of the process.

For our latest release, we moved into 1980s territory, so the guys were always giving me suggestions about which artist liked what kinds of chord progressions and leaving room for them to do a particular flourish that was cool, back in the day, or how chickin’ pickin’ evolved in that era. Once I write the basic jam, it’s a free-for-all.

CRB: How do you approach experimenting with new sounds or ideas when creating music?

C: Within Sex-O-Rama, we experiment with sounds from the past that might not be as well known today. On the new album, “Invaders From the Pleasure Planet,” we used some experimental harmony systems from the 1980s that were pioneered by a German composer named Hindemith a few decades before. Instead of normal chords based on thirds, he made chords on fourths. Once I told the band we were doing that, everyone found their own ways of using the new system. You can hear it most on our tracks “Whips and Chains” and “Inside Your Dirty Mind.” Our overall approach is very Postmodern, so we aren’t exactly blazing new trails in sound, but when we dig up old experiments from the past, we like to play with it like a new toy.

Probably our biggest experiment is with social attitudes. There are far more explicit songs and artists out there than us. Early on, we decided to challenge social stigmas by pretending to be the band who played on the original pornos. The real joke is that it was Frank Zappa’s band who did that, which may have been why the mainstream always seemed to oppose him. There are still people who believe we are involved in Adult Films, and who want to treat us with the same disrespect as they treat Adult Film stars. It’s all completely laughable.

CRB: What’s been one of the most memorable moments in your journey so far?

C: Probably the most memorable moment was at that first screening of American Pie, when the lights went down and the first thing we heard was Haywood playing the bass intro on “Love Muscle.” We all screamed and stood up on our seats. The rest of the audience was yelling “Sit Down!” We laughed all the way through the film.

CRB: How do you prepare for live shows, and what do you aim to bring to your performances?

C: We haven’t performed live in this century as Sex-O-Rama, but we all still perform with other bands on occasion. We prepare like any other musicians. Lots of rehearsal. And it helps to take a shower on the day. We wouldn’t want to offend anyone.

CRB: How do you balance creative expression with staying connected to your audience?

C: We’re a very niche band, so for Sex-O-Rama, the real balance is making ourselves laugh, making fun of society in general, and making it as funky as we can, whenever we can. Our audience connects with that. Most of them get our sense of humor and like our grooves. The biggest challenge has been coming up with song titles that can offend the most prudish members of society. Most of how we discuss these things is definitely not safe for work.

CRB: What do you hope listeners take away from your work?

C: We all hope that we can make people smile and laugh and feel a little bit naughty. We want them to groove, both in their everyday lives and between the sheets, and carry some of that sexiness around with them wherever they go. And we want them to try this music at home with someone they love. Or at least someone they like a lot. And if jams like “Russian Pee Tape” and “Stormy Rides Again” helps remind you that the billionaires in charge are far more obscene than we are, we’ve done our jobs.

CRB: What does the future hold for you – any plans or goals you’re excited about?

C: Sex-O-Rama has been in the studio for over two years on these two most recent albums, so after a well deserved break, I’m looking forward to doing a few modern remixes of our more disco-oriented jams. Bring our brand of sexiness to the dance floor.

Personally, I have been going back to my classical music roots and writing large symphonic works in the breaks between production, so I’ll enjoy a bit more of that. I also have a Disco Opera that I put on hold while I produced these two albums, so I’m excited about getting back to work on that one. And I’ve been preparing a retrospective of my more ambient synthesizer works from the past 30 years. It’s very spacey and I know there are a few people out there who might enjoy it.

CRB: Thanks

C: You’re welcome.