Nik Parr and The Selfless Lovers
High praise and positive sweat will no doubt be in the air when the seven-piece, Houston-based ensemble Bayou City Funk and Austinites Nik Par and The Selfless Lovers bring their high-energy, head-bobbing, butt-shaking brand of dance-floor-friendly retro-funk to Heights Theater, Friday, Sept. 8.
Bayou City Funk
Bayou City Funk keyboardist and guitarist David McJunkin defines “funk” as a universally enjoyed musical flavor that promotes freedom of movement and positive moods. “Funk can effectively convey human emotions like happiness, excitement, frustration and melancholy,” says McJunkin, who, like his fellow bearded Bayou funksters has a penchant for stylish facial hair. That said, when Bayou City Funk takes the stage — with two guitars, bass, keyboards, drums, and a tight, three-piece horn section — the first order of business is to get the crowd moving and “up offa that thing” (to quote James Brown). Friday’s show will include funk classics by Earth Wind and Fire, The J.B.s, and Dr. John, as well as some fresh new originals; the band recently crowdsourced more than $25,000 from its loyal fanbase to record a new album at Sonic Ranch Studio in Tornillo, Texas, which will be distributed by Sony.
Nik Parr and The Selfless Lovers have been touring since 2018, opening for such heavies as The Black Pumas, The Suffers, and New Orleans brass bands Soul Rebels and Rebirth Brass Band. Led by the charismatic Parr, who possesses a full-bodied voice and formidable skills on both alto saxophone and keyboards, the band is famous for taking the stage with no set list, and instead choosing what to play based on the vibe and energy of the crowd.
Parr blows a mean sax, and looks damn good doing it, but his piano playing is on a whole other level and showcases his affinity for all styles music born in the Deep South. “It’s totally Nicky Hopkins (Rolling Stones), Professor Longhair, and Dr. John, with some Billy Preston on the funky stuff,” says Parr of his multifaceted approach to the keys. “I started learning to play piano by ear when I was ten years old, picking up songs by listening to my dad play, and listening to his rock and blues collection from the ’60s and ’70s.”
Like Bayou City Funk, Nik Parr and The Selfless Lovers have new music to share. They recently spent time at Rio Grande Studios in Albuquerque, NM, recording some new singles, and their set will feature songs from their soon-to-be-released album, Promised Land.
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Fit Athletic Club, an institution of 20 years, was set to close its doors for good Aug. 31, having given members just hours' notice of the shuttering.
Members of 20-year-old Fit Athletic Club, perched above the Marshall’s store in the strip center at the corner of Waugh and West Gray, were given just a few hours’ notice of the closure with a sign on the door. Employees were tipped off yesterday.
Jack Tompkins, who co-founded the gym in 2003 with a nightlife impresario named Scott Lutwak who later moved to San Diego to expand the brand to California, says he and his New York-based corporate landlords could not reach an agreement on a new lease and rent price. Tompkins said that, despite thinking until the last minute that a deal could be struck, the landlord’s representative ultimately said there would be no new contract.
“His job is to extract as much as he can,” says Tompkins. “My job is to not let him extract so much that I go bankrupt.” Tompkins declined to talk numbers, but the rumor mill — which has been very active both among members at the scene squeezing in one last workout, and on social media — puts the rent in the expiring lease at many tens of thousands per month.
Tompkins says he was disappointed that, in the end, his 20 years as a good tenant wasn’t sufficient to convince the landlord to reup. He speculated that there must be plan for the future use of the space the owners hadn’t divulged. Again, rumors swirled — that the space might be converted to offices. One member said they’d probably build a new high-rise apartment building in the parking lot.
Efforts to locate the landlord for comment were unsuccessful.
Fit has about 20 full-time employees, all of whom must now scramble to find new jobs, as nearly 2,000 members consider which gym to move to next.
Fit has evolved over the years from a scene-y setup popular with the gay community and a hip crowd of young professionals to a bit more of a laidback neighborhood gym — albeit with a pounding rock soundtrack and no shortage of pretty people.
Tompkins says he will begin looking at new spaces in the area with an eye toward reopening elsewhere.
A oversized punching bag greets members in the lobby of Fit.
Rows of cardio machines have a view of Downtown in the distance.
