Musical father-daughter duo raise money for Imagine No Malaria
Jeff Lowery and his 10-year-old daughter, Paige, are a musical duo from Veneta, Oregon that call themselves the Functional Monkeys. They write, perform and record original music. All proceeds from shows and album sales go toward Imagine No Malaria, a campaign dedicated to raising awareness about the devastating but treatable disease.
The Functional Monkeys will perform in Moscow this weekend, so Rawr interviewed Jeff and Paige about their passion for music and how they are making their personal mark on the world.
Jeff Lowery | Rawr
Jeff and Paige Lowery make up the father – daughter duo, the Functional Monkeys.
Paige: When I was about five, my parents and I went to Annual Conference, a yearly meeting of leaders of the United Methodist church. We listened to the bishop give a sermon about a boy who made paper cranes and sold them for money to give to charity. I wanted to do that too, so on the car ride home I said, “If that boy can give, so can I.” Instead of paper cranes, we decided to make an album.
Rawr: Tell me about the brainstorming session that resulted in the creation of the Functional Monkeys. Was it a spur-of-the-moment idea or something the two of you had always wanted to pursue? Has music always been a family affair?
Jeff: Paige and I have been doing music together since she was a tiny baby and she has always been very musical. Music is a family affair for us; my mom is a church organist and music teacher so it feels like passing a gift down to the next generation.
Rawr: Why “The Functional Monkeys”? What”s behind the name? Who came up with it?
Paige: My dad and I “wrote” songs together when I was about 4. He played guitar and I made up the words. One of the songs, “Animals,” had a line that said monkeys are functional. We decided it would be a great band name and used it.
Rawr: Jeff, how does it feel performing with your daughter? What is that experience like?
Jeff: Working on this project and performing with Paige has been a wonderful experience. It has been great to see her grow and learn in the process and to see how confident she is in front of a crowd. I worried a little at first that I would book us a bunch of gigs and she wouldn”t like it but after our first house concert she immediately asked, “When can we do that again?”
Rawr: Paige, what is your favorite part about performing with your dad?
Paige: My favorite part of performing with my dad is that we have a time to bond and do one of our favorite things.
Rawr: How would you describe the support you”ve found so far?
Jeff: We have been very pleased by the many ways that we have [been] supported. When we put the word out about our album we raised $1,500 through an Indiegogo campaign to help us manufacture the CDs. Because of that 100 percent of the money from CD sales goes straight to Imagine No Malaria. We also have been very supported by folks coming out to hear us play, buy our music and invite us to play. So far, we have gigs in Oregon, Idaho, Washington and California booked.
Rawr: Paige, what made you decide to support Imagine No Malaria? Do you have any personal connection to the cause? What inspired you to pick that specific one?
Paige: We decided on Imagine No Malaria because when I went to Suttle Lake camp last summer we were learning a ton about the program. When I came home, I told my dad that we should raise money to help Imagine No Malaria. He agreed. I do have one personal connection with the cause. At the camp, one of the girls lived in Africa. We became friends and she spoke [to] the whole camp about Malaria and how it affects her family.
Rawr: Is there any specific gig so far that you really loved? (Maybe a funny story, or a really supportive crowd, something like that.)
Jeff: When Paige was in 1st grade her teacher invited me to come and lead her class in singing. Paige would help me. We decided to write some of our first songs on topics that she was learning in class. The first song was called “Magic E.” Last year we wrote a song about the Portland bridges (something all third graders in Portland learn about). We wrote the song for the school talent show and performed it to a rousing crowd. After the show we were walking towards our car and heard some little girls singing “Bridgetown baby, rocking over Portland tonight.” We were a hit!
Rawr: How would you describe your musical style? What type of audience are you targeting?
Jeff: I would describe our music as folky rock. Folky, because we tell stories through song and are mostly acoustic. We also have a bit of a rock edge. Paige”s favorite singers are Freddie Mercury, Pat Benatar and Taylor Swift. Our songs are also rooted in the United Methodist faith tradition. Six of our songs are based on bible stories and two are from the school talent shows. I think our music can connect with people of all ages.
Rawr: How do you envision the future of the Functional Monkeys?
Jeff: We are writing songs for our second CD, including a song about Lewis and Clark for the fifth grade talent show. We also hope to do as many shows as possible in the next year to get the word out and raise money for Imagine No Malaria. Also, Paige thinks we should buy a tour bus.
Rawr: Is there anything else you”d like to add?
You can listen to some of our music at www.jefflowerymusic.com and find out ways to support Imagine No Malaria here www.imaginenomalaria.org