Texas soul, funk, R&B intersect at Nightfall tonight

Q&AQ&A with Roger Blevins, Jr., front man of Mingo FishtrapIF YOU GOWhat: Nightfall concert series, featuring Mingo Fishtrap.When: 8 tonight. The Danny Sample Band, featuring Marcenia, opens at 7 p.m.Where: Miller Plaza, corner of M.L. King Boulevard, Market and Cherry streets.Admission: Free.Phone: 265-0771.Venue website: www.nightfallchattanooga.com.THE OPENERThe Danny Sample Trio featuring Marcenia is a local jazz quartet comprising Danny Joe Sample (keys), Robert Chuckrow (bass/guitar), Jo Whitaker (drums) and Marcenia Sample (vocals). Find out more about them at their website, www.angelfim/tn/djstrio.

Mingo Fishtrap's name comes from an intersection of two streets in Denton, Texas, an apropos origin for a group residing at the musical crossroads of soul, funk and blues.

Frontman Roger Blevins Jr. said he and his band mates prefer to exist outside traditional genres, rather than be confined by them.

"In the states, everyone has their own idea of what we do," Blevins said. "Some call it soul, some call it funk and some call it blues.

"That's fine. It doesn't matter to me, as long as they're enjoying it. We're not trying to be really specific in our genre; that's never been a goal."

That boundary-defying approach will be put to the test tonight when Mingo Fishtrap takes the stage as this week's Nightfall headliner.

Blevins started the band in the mid-'90s as an impromptu jam session while studying at the University of North Texas in Denton.

Eventually, Mingo Fishtrap relocated to Austin, Texas, but being able to spend several years crammed into a $450 a month house gave them a chance to determine their strengths without risking as much as well-established bands.

That's a luxury many groups aren't offered, Blevins said.

"We had time to get to know what we might be OK at with music and what was natural," he said. "We got to spend more time than maybe some folks can in letting it grow naturally. Our sacrifices had already come."

Blevins counts his father, bassist Roger "Pops" Blevins Sr., among the band's eight-piece ensemble. Growing up, Blevins listened to his father perform in R&B revue bands in Mississippi and Louisiana.

Pops' joining the band shortly before its relocation to Austin marked a turning point for the group, in terms of the seriousness with which they approached playing.

While they may subscribe to a professional approach, demonstrating a love for the music is essential to winning audiences over, Blevins said.

"In the little clubs and stuff, you can't fake it, or they'll let you know what they think of you," he said. "We've been, and continue to be, grounded in the reality that you have to entertain folks.

"It's two different jobs. You have to be a musician when you're writing in the studio, but onstage you have to be an entertainer. Those two worlds happily collide with us."

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