funk

“We’d Rather be with You” is a fun, parody-style reworking of “I’d Rather be with You” by funk legend Bootsy Collins, performed by the UMass Lowell Socially Distanced Faculty Funk Band and dedicated to our students during the pandemic. The band consists of 9 of our music faculty, each of whom recorded their own parts which were then assembled and mixed by Dr. John Shirley (of Sound Recording Technology and Composition for New Media). Dr. Shirley also shot and edited the video. The project was realized over the course of late May and June.

The UML Faculty Funk Band is:
Tim Crain (Music History) – vocals 
Andy Fordyce (Applied Drums) – drums 
Chuck Gabriel (Applied Bass) – bass 
Jacob Hiser (Applied Piano) – keyboards 
Elissa Johnson-Green (Music Studies) – whistle 
Savannah Marshall (Music Studies) – vocals and percussion 
Josh Millard (Music Performance) – guitar 
John Shirley (Sound Recording Technology and Composition for New Media) – vocals and percussion 
Alan Williams (Music Business) – vocals