Today we’d like to introduce you to Wurk. They and their team shared their story with us below:
Many of us grew up in Mount Horeb, WI, so between school music programs and our garage bands, we’ve developed an intuitive sense of musical tightness. This continued through to college experiences at UW-Madison and UW-Platteville and eventually, many of us ended up living in the same house in Madison where we would jam frequently in the basement.
So, in 2016, Wurk was born and after a few gigs, the line-up included guitarist Frank Laufenberg, drummer Max Morkri, keyboardist Miles Morkri, synths player Ryley Buchanan, and trumpeter Carl Hipenbecker. A year later, fellow Mount Horebian Casey Seymour supplied bass guitar and after another year their college friend Daniel Haschke brought his saxophones and flute into the fray.
We performed many shows in small venues across the area and eventually drew a lot of local attention by winning the 2018 Breakthrough Artist of the Year Award, a battle-of-the-bands style competition put on by the Madison Area Music Association (the MAMAs). Just six months later, we were voted to be the MAMAs’ 2019 Artist of the Year by musicians and fans across the county, which was an unprecedented ascent in such a short time. The clout allowed us to play in grander venues and travel across all of Wisconsin and parts of Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois.
Emerging through the pandemic, Miles and Ryley moved on to focus on their own goals and left Wurk to continue creating and performing as a 5-piece funk fusion band for a while. With another MAMA Artist of the Year Award under our belts in 2022, and now touring with keyboardist Brandon Jensen in 2023, it’s clear that we still have a lot to show, and we can’t wait to present our newest album to our growing fanbase across the Midwest!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
When we named our band Wurk, it was pretty much just because it sounded catchy and cool, but man did it foreshadow just how much WORK it is to run a band like this at such a high level!
Working with a large band to create complex musical compositions and arrangements, booking and promoting hundreds of shows throughout the years, and being on the same page regarding our long-term vision, all while balancing this with our other jobs and personal lives…
It can feel like traversing a tightrope at times! But we are all very close friends with one another, so we’re able to communicate openly and frequently about what is and isn’t working out, course-correct and move forward as a stronger band than before.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Wurk is what we call a funk fusion band: a mixture of jazz fusion, prog rock, and jam rock with the consistent underlying grooves of funk. We draw inspiration from all over the place; our listeners can hear elements from bands like Umphrey’s McGee, Snarky Puppy, Lettuce, and Phish among many others.
In our live shows, we like to blend our original material with unexpected mash-ups of covers done in our style; sometimes a chain of songs can last over twenty minutes at a time without stopping for a break!
Every show feels brand new to the audience because we build each set and song combination to be unique; we’re especially proud to have built a following of charismatic fans (Wurkaholics!) that keep coming back for a one-of-a-kind experience every time.
Networking and finding a mentor can have a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
We can’t speak for every city’s music scene, but we’ve found the collection of artists across Wisconsin and Minnesota to be very open to collaboration. We’re all on the same team; we can’t expect people to come out to our shows if there isn’t a strong reputation for the music scene as a whole!
Go to other local shows and find inspiration from what you see. Hold events with other artists in the area, and as long as you’re approachable and professional, networking should come fairly naturally. You might find that the people you look up to might be similarly inspired by you!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://wurktheband.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/wurktheband
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/wurktheband
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/wurktheband
- Other: https://linktr.ee/wurktheband
Image Credits
Shatter Imagery (Kyle Hilker)
