Royal Crescent Mob's reunion show in Covington is about a lot more than just music

Royal Crescent Mob will reunite in Covington on Dec. 17, presenting their electrifying live performance in a benefit for the Tri-state Cancer Research Fund. The reunion was inspired by the recent impact cancer has had on the band's members, who will all return for the show.

The Columbus-based quartet of David Ellison, Harold “Happy” Chichester, Carlton Smith and Mr. B (Brian Emch) broke out in the funk-rock wave of the early '90s playing alongside the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Replacements and the B-52s.

The Mob last performed together almost 30 years ago, having disbanded in 1994.

When Ellison isn't prepping for reunion shows, he is the tour manager for Miley Cyrus, Camila Cabello and Kesha. He was also formerly tour manager for Jay-Z, Demi Lovato, Avril Lavigne, Alanis Morissette, Adam Lambert, Goo Goo Dolls and Panic at the Disco.

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Ahead of their Madison Theater performance, Ellison spoke on the impetus for the show, the band’s formative years and, specifically, the impact of their hometown’s scene on the Mob’s distinct and influential style of rock.

Question: How did the band meet, and what was the art scene like when you were growing up?

Answer: We lived in Columbus at the time. Myself, Mr. B and Harold Happy kind of spawned out of a blues and rockabilly band that B and I were in called Ray Fuller and the Bluesrockers. This was the early/mid '80s. We were down in Louisville, and our lead disappeared one evening for the third set. And I was like, well, we're going to get paid to come up with the third set here. So I took over vocals and B was the bass player at the time, and he took over on guitar and we just started playing covers, which is amazing because I really don't remember lyrics. We got through it, and then after that, we decided to go off and start the Mob. Actually, the original name was the Royales, which then morphed into Royal Crescent Mob. So that's how we kind of all came together.

Then, as far as the arts scene, we started coming down to Cincinnati because it was easy to get down. We started doing an annual Halloween show at Bogart's and then followed up with a New Year's Eve show. And we did that for five or six years straight. But the scene at the time, there were a lot of different bands coming out of there. The mid-to-late '80s, I always thought it was a very productive period for rock music.

Question: What got you into funk rock?

Answer: Well, I think B had a lot to do with that. As far as introducing me to some stuff. That said, I grew up in Dayton, so we had the Dayton funk scene. The Ohio Players lived around the corner for me when I was growing up. And we had Lakeside and Roger Troutman. When I started doing anything when I was in college, I just started playing harmonica. "Blues Is King" was the record that pretty much changed my life and sent me down the path that I'm on now. B was always a big fan of James Brown and P-Funk and Bootsy and even punky stuff like Big Boys. In the original band, B didn't have a guitar, he had a lap steel. The drummer didn't have a kit, so he played boxes and I played harp and sang just because we decided I was the logical guy and most animated at the time. So that's kind of where the punk ethic seeped into the blues and the funk styling.

Question: From what I've read, and in the live performances that I've seen, you have a really good energy and know how to work a crowd. Where do you think that came from?

Answer: My mother was an entertainer, but she did it on the side. She did some local theater. We had a boisterous, gregarious family. There was always a lot of humor around that must have seeped into me.

Question: I saw a couple of videos from MTV days. How do you think the advent of video influenced your approach to music?

Answer: Back then, video was something you had to do, especially if you're at a major label. That was the way they marketed you. I always thought our videos had a little bit of camp and humor.

Question: They remind me of Primus and Red Hot Chili Peppers – the '90s camp for sure.

Answer: Yeah, it was the heyday of "Video Killed the Radio Star." I can't say I was necessarily excited about doing them or anything like that. Our first major label record was well received, but then you're definitely thrown into the whole gumbo. I always felt like our thing was live. There's a lot of irreverence in the show and you never really knew what was coming.

Question: Tell me about your decision to reunite for this fundraiser show.

Answer: I wish it were under different circumstances – Carlton's got his (brain cancer) diagnosis, and with B losing his wife (due to prostate cancer), I've got this charity called Project Purple that’s going to be getting some awareness at the shows for pancreatic cancer. I, fortunately, get a yearly screening for prostate cancer and caught it fairly early, and of all the cancers, it's one of the most treatable. In the past, we'd talked about doing shows, but it always just seemed like an impossibility for me because, being a tour manager, I didn't know where I was going to be. But it just so happened when Carlton told us about his diagnosis, everyone immediately said yes. And then it was important to turn it into some kind of awareness for the American Cancer Society. And they suggested donating proceeds from the show to the Tri-state Cancer Research Fund. I like the idea of it being a regional, local thing.

If you go

What: Royal Crescent Mob.

When: 8 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 17.

Where: Madison Theater, 730 Madison Ave., Covington.

Tickets: $32-$37.

Also: There will be an additional show at the Athenaeum on Dec. 16 in Columbus.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Royal Crescent Mob to reunite in Covington for cancer research benefit