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bio
WHat it IS
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What It Is hails from Gainesville, Florida, where in 1994 they began entertaining audiences with funky, soulful, passionate, catchy tunes, performed with a spirited and charismatic stage presence. These guys - led by lead singer/bassist Jerry 'Bean' Kennedy and guitarist, Avi Bortnick - worked around the clock and quickly earned a reputation as the 'hottest ticket in Gainesville'.
As word of their talent spread through the Southeast, What It Is hit the road to meet their fans, playing for capacity crowds in Atlanta, Tampa, Orlando, Miami, and Tallahassee. The buzz on this ground-breaking band spread further west, and What It Is headed to San Francisco. To no one's surprise, What It Is was received with intense enthusiasm in the City. So positive, in fact, was the Bay Area's reception to their innovative styles, that in June 1996, What It Is decided to call the Bay Area home. In addition to becoming an instant favorite in the local music scene, the guys toured the entire West Coast, efficaciously winning the hearts and ears of music lovers young and old, from Seattle to San Diego, but never forgetting their roots. Every few months, What It Is makes it a point to return to the southeast and present their soulful funk to new and old fans.
Among What It Is most notable appearances are: Headlining Central Florida's annual musical extravaganza - The Harvest Festival, opening for the P-Funk Allstars, Maceo Parker, Dee-Lite, the Time, The Roots, Dag, headlining Slim's, and being the featured performers at the Webby Awards.
What It Is' recorded work has also met with acclaim. In July, 1995, Music Connection boasted excitedly about When Groove Was King, the group's amazing debut, by stating that "...the musicianship is top notch...it's so good your mind won't care and your body will be too busy dancing to argue." Another rave review dubs Jerry 'Bean' Kennedy's voice a "..virtual ringer for Stevie Wonder's tone and range" while another compares his soothing, sexy vocals to that of R&B favorite, Curtis Mayfield. Guitarist and What It Is founder, Avi Bortnick, provides "unshakable grooves that prove magnetic and intoxicating".
Soul Pop, the group's much anticipated follow up album, does not disappoint - Jerry's vocals shine in top form, and Avi's guitar talent ranges in styles from the Brand New Heavies to the Chemical Brothers, but has a sound all of its own. Soul Pop reflects a matured What It Is, with songs that range from fun and funky, to slow and sexy, to groovy and danceable, satisfying the musical appetite of even the most discerning critic. Both on CD and in the band's live shows, fans will be teased, tantalized, and finally satisfied - and then some. Anyone that has experienced the band's unique groove can tell you exactly why fans keep coming back for more - plain, simple, and addictively: it's What It Is.
What It Is is what it will be for quite a while.