Bret Stubblefield has some funky shoes to fill
Clyde Stubblefield made Mondays in Madison funky for more than 20 years—most recently in his recurring gig at The Frequency—but we knew it wouldn’t last forever. So it was sad, but understandable, when the Funky Drummer called it quits in April. But lo, another Stubblefield has stepped up to carry the funky torch: Bret, a humble drummer in his own right and nephew to Clyde. From Clyde’s tickling tendencies to his tough teachings behind the set, Bret recently shined some light on the professional and playful shoes he’s set to fill.
The A.V. Club: How did you first get involved in drumming?
Bret Stubblefield: Well, I was obviously fascinated in watching Clyde growing up, and I used to bang on pots and pans, and just started by making beats and going with them. Then when I finally got behind a drum set, I was like, “I can’t do this,” you know. But Clyde helped me out a lot, I just can’t say enough about him.
AVC: How close had you worked with the Funky Monday crew before? And what does it mean to have Karri Daley and most of the others still on board?
BS: Well, Charlie [Brooks] is not with us anymore, but David Payne has been singing along with Karri, and the band is hot. The band is hot. They’re unbelievable. I had dabbled when I was younger—I would sit in [for Clyde] and play a few songs and be scared to death. But in the last four or five years, I’d sit in and play along and work along with them. Then recently I started attending the sets religiously, and now here I am.
AVC: Has your uncle had any advice for you as you take the helm?
BS: He has been very important; he suggests certain things for me, gives me advice. He’s really a good mentor, because I’m not really sure—I’ve never been leading a band, so to speak. Being the Stubblefield, being in charge, that kind of puts me at a level I’m not used to. It’s the Bret Stubblefield Band now, and that’s something to get used to.
Overall, he’s pretty critical on me. He’s very honest. He tells me the truth as far as my drumming, things I can improve upon. He’s not a teacher so to speak, but he gives me direction. It’s so great learning from him. It’s fun. We sit down there and we talk a lot of music and a lot of drums.
AVC: Any funny anecdotes you can provide to paint a picture of your Uncle’s personality?
BS: One of my best moments with my uncle Clyde, when we were little, it was always a kind of panic situation when he would leave, because he would come find every one of us—I have a younger sister Rachel and an older brother Brandon—and he would come find us and tickle us to tears. There wasn’t a room he wouldn’t go in; he had to find us. We used to hide in a bedroom between a waterbed and its headboard and that was just the worst, because then we couldn’t move, and he’d tickle us to death. But we all enjoy him. Uncle Clyde’s our favorite, the whole family’s.
Bret took special pains—calling back 45 minutes after the interview had ended—to get across his appreciation for his wife’s support, saying, “If I didn’t mention her, I’d get it.” So from Bret to the missis: Thanks for the support.
