TheBakersfieldCalifornian.com

Along with releasing a string of bumpin' weekend jams for cruising and getting your most righteous groove in the '80s like "Dance Floor," "More Bounce to the Ounce" and "So Ruff So Tuff," the group has a string of slow-jam hits: "Computer Love," "I Want To Be Your Man" and "Slow & Easy," to name a few.

After nearly 30 years of inspiring legions to bounce, rock, pop and lock, founding members and brothers Lester and Terry "Zapp" Troutman are ready to lay it down for another generation of funkateers when they return to Bakersfield to headline Art Laboe's Valentine's Super Love Jam at Rabobank Theater Friday night.

"Parents will tell me they were raised on our music," said Lester Troutman during a telephone call from their home state of Ohio. "That's one of most incredible things to hear, that they're passing it on. Sometimes it's chilling when you think about it. You have three generations listening."

Troutman added that, along with those accolades, they do on occasion get a little too much information from fans.

"In California, I've had quite a few people come to me and say they named one of their kids after one of our songs or after the band, because they were conceived while the song 'Computer Love' was on. That's crazy, but very cool."

"We had a lot of luck," added Terry Troutman. "My brothers were always talking about something positive when it came to slow songs. 'As We Lay' (a song about infidelity they recorded with singer Shirley Murdock), I guess you can say that was really pretty and positive, depending on how you look at it."

I'm going to date myself, but I've witnessed the Zapp concert spectacle a handful of times, going back to 1983 at the Civic Auditorium (now Rabobank Theater) after the release of "Zapp II." The group's late bandleader Roger Troutman entered from behind the crowd, carrying his guitar to the tune of, "Do It, Roger." They blew away The Gap Band, which was headlining the show. Then it happened again at the Fox sometime during the '90s when Zapp appeared with Cameo and the Mary Jane Girls. I was working backstage, and Roger Troutman requested some fresh coffee before he went on. I had to stay, but a buddy of mine, Dale Ridenour, made a mad dash to Dagny's. Upon his return, Roger took a few sips and said, "Thank you," before the band kicked off a wild, non-stop danceathon for nearly 90 minutes straight.

There's no denying that distinctive "boom-clap" Zapp beat sound, sampled on thousands of hip-hop records. Then there's Roger Troutman's electro talk box vocals, which for years had been associated with Peter Frampton's "Show Me the Way."

"We were emulating what was popular at the time, which was George Clinton," said Lester Troutman. "Bootsy Collins came to Cincinnati and saw us in a nightclub, and he took us to Detroit to meet George. We went into the studio, and he had those big handclaps on 'Flashlight' and 'Tear the Roof Off.' George showed us the formula. We worked on the handclap sound until we got it right. Roger was the producer, he was tight. We put the handclap and the funk in there, and that was it."

He added they were crafting beats years before the introduction and rise of today's studio wizardry.

"Young people today think we got those sounds with whatever new beat-making machine that is out there. That was me with a bass drum, a squeaky Ludwig speed king bass pedal, and wood chips all around the floor at the end of the session. The handclaps were just guys sitting around clapping, and the tape just ran. We'd record 30 minutes clapping our hands straight sometimes. There was no Pro Tools, loops or samples. It was human, all blood and meat."

So, what's the secret to formulating the perfect slow jam to get the mood going? Lester Troutman explained it explicitly: Guys pay attention. This is serious V-Day playlist advice coming from one of the masters of the genre.

"It's about the tempo, mood and what you'd like the song to do to a person. If you wanna bump 'n' grind or you want the person to feel happy, or comin' out of their clothes, you set that beat and tempo. I'm a drummer, I know. This is real. You get the beat, and you get the vibe right. Then you lay down the bass and the vocal hook. You gotta know what you want your woman to feel."

I can dig that.

Selling out

Rising country singer David Nail can remember where he was the day he found out his latest single, "Let It Rain," hit No. 1 on the Billboard country charts: Pacing frantically moments before the official reports were released last month, the 32-year-old Missouri native says he almost didn't make it.

"We'd been following the chart closely days leading up to it. I was neck and neck with the Zac Brown Band," he said via telephone from his current home in Nashville. "We knew we had a good chance, but the nervous energy was almost too much."

After celebrating his milestone with a few cold ones, Nail said his elation was topped off with even more good news -- he'd also just sold out a scheduled appearance at Buck Owens' Crystal Palace within a few days of topping the charts. The show happens this Saturday night.

"I was really surprised. I've been to Bakersfield once for an acoustic radio show a couple years ago, but I vaguely remember it. When you haven't been many places like myself, news like this is just huge."

It doesn't hurt that he's had some heavy hitters on his production side, like Rolling Stones keyboardist and music director Chuck Leavell, plus platinum artists Miranda Lambert and Lee Ann Womack.

"With all of the things that have happened leading up to this show, I'm coming to Bakersfield at a prime time. I hope whoever's reading this got some tickets."

Saturday's showtime is 7 p.m. Buck Owens' Crystal Palace is located at 2800 Buck Owens Blvd. For more information call 328-7560.

Cheyanne video release party

Aspiring 15-year-old local country starlet Cheyanne Welch will be celebrating the release of a new music video for her single, "Perfectly Imperfect," at Round Table Pizza in Bakersfield tonight.

According to a press release, the video was directed by Bakersfield filmmaker Paul "Doc" Nigh of Futuristic Productions and features a cast of local extras. The video was unavailable for review; however, the single "Perfectly Imperfect" was. With its "you are beautiful inside and out" theme and Taylor Swift-ish pop arrangement, the single is as catchy and sweet as anything Swift has done to tug on the heart strings of teenagers. In addition to the debut of the video, there will be a Q&A session and CD autograph session with the singer, as well as a meet-and-greet with the cast. You can check out "Perfectly Imperfect" at myspace.com/PerfectlyImperfect96.

Tonight's event begins at 7 p.m. Admission is free. Round Table Pizza is located at 4200 Gosford Road. For more information call 397-1111.

Welcome back, Hag

Welcome news came down Wednesday from Merle Haggard's publicist, Tresa Redburn, who reports the country legend will be back on the road Feb. 28 after being sidelined weeks ago with pneumonia. The first show of his 20-city tour will be in Tucson, Ariz.

"I'm feeling good and ready to get back on the bus," Haggard said in the media release. "Thanks to all for their powerful prayers that led to my speedy recovery. I'm rehearsing with the band and looking forward to playin' and singin' again."