MojoFlo lives to tell about it on ‘What It Is’

In reflecting on the recent death of her grandmother, MojoFlo singer Amber Knicole acknowledged the numerous traits she adopted from the elder, including the way she talks, her playful demeanor, and a general fondness for telling stories “that are long-winded as hell.”

“The way she would tell a story was so roundabout, where she would tell you this, this and this, but then this other information, and you’d be like, wait, what is that in here for?” Knicole said, and laughed. “And so, I’ve been trying to work on that – especially in interviews. It’s like, ‘Amber, they don’t need to know the whole backstory starting back in ’98.’”

These efforts could still be described as a work in progress, though, with the singer leaning into one question as a launch point to talk about her early struggles with depression; the second Trump administration serving as a harsh reminder that his first election was no accident; growing up as a military brat; the diverse audiences who turn out to see MojoFlo in concert; the scientifically proven health benefits that come from singing and dancing along at shows; the sense of adventure that has defined her seven-year marriage to husband and MojoFlo bandmate Walter Kolhoff; the reality that she comes “from a really long line of kick-ass ladies who were strong and Black at a time when being strong and Black was even more under siege”; the current contents of her TikTok feed; her belief that love always wins out; and the gratitude she has for MojoFlo’s new album, What It Is, which features hard-won, joyous songs about finding one’s way to the other side of the hurt “and looking good while doing it.”

“And not only did that album help me get through it, it’s going to help other people get through it,” continued Knicole, who will join her bandmates for a record release concert at Rumba Cafe on Saturday, May 17. “These are the words I want to be singing to myself. It’s asking how you want to show up for yourself. And so, anyways…”

Even when not specifically mentioned, it’s fair to say these collective experiences helped to shape the songs populating the long-running soul and funk band’s first full-length, which routinely sound like they had to be lived before they could be written – a sole exception being “That’s What’s Up,” a loose-limbed funk-soul jam centered on a guest appearance from Bootsy Collins of Parliament-Funkadelic fame. Elsewhere, the good time vibes of “Perpetual Conduit of Positivity” are rooted in an understanding that sunlight can seem that much brighter having recently emerged from the dark, while “Keep Holding On” reflects on the reality that sometimes the only way to get by is to endure. Then there’s the title track, a nearly eight-minute, horn-fueled funk-for-all that centers on the concept of finally growing into one’s potential. “There have been some days I’m feeling some kind of way,” sings Knicole, who steadily leaves these troubled times in the dust as the song progresses.

“And that’s something I realized when I first started writing some of this stuff, is that I needed to live more life, I needed to experience some things, or even that I needed to come out on the other side before I could really begin the writing,” said Knicole, who started on this batch of tunes well before the Covid pandemic hit, initially shelving them when she found them too depressive to continue living with in that earliest form. “Before I could fully express what I wanted to say, before I could get out my full message, I needed to process things. And processing things takes time. And I’m really proud of myself for going through with it to the end, for asking, what does the after look like? And what do you want to be singing and talking about all the time? And I got to do that while acknowledging that, yes, I’ve been through some things, and shit hurts. But I didn’t want to live there. And I was able to turn it into something positive, which was important to me.”

In many ways, Knicole has grown up within MojoFlo. But while a number of things have changed in the nearly two decades since the group formed, including band members (only Knicole, Kolhoff and guitarist George Barrie remain from the earliest days) and the depth of experience surfaced in the music, Knicole said her motivations to create and perform have remained doggedly consistent.

“Since I was a kid, I’ve always wanted to be a singer. I’ve always wanted to help people. I’ve always been somebody who just wants to get in front of an audience and perform, even if it was just my mom taking candid pictures and being like, ‘Amber, stop posing, please,’” Knicole said. “So, I’ve always been a bit of a ham. I’ve always sang. I’ve always loved music. And that’s one thing that’s been so great being in MojoFlo, because I think it’s kept all of us grounded in why we even started doing this in the first place.”