Morley Pavilion concert Homecoming for Mifune singer

By JOHN BENSON

entertainment@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

A seasoned Northeast Ohio musician for nearly five years, Youngstown native Christine Fader (formerly Dorbish), is excited and nervous about her Cleveland-based afrobeat act Mifune’s hometown debut Wednesday at Morley Pavilion.

“I’m very proud of what we’re doing right now,” said Fader, a 1997 Chaney High School graduate. “I’m really looking forward to the show and seeing all of my family members, who haven’t been able to come to Cleveland yet to see the group. It’s going to be a little different for me. I’m very comfortable singing in front of a crowd of strangers. But you get extra butterflies when you know your grandparents and your best friends are going to be out watching you.”

Formed in 2006, Mifune is undergoing a few stylistic changes. Fader, a multitalented musician who contributes vocals, flute, percussion and keyboards, said originally the outfit’s sound was an extension of afrobeat music, which is a blend of jazz and traditional African juju. Now the act has evolved into more of a world-beat vibe with influences still including African sounds as well as Middle Eastern motifs. There’s also a heavy dose of American soul and funk to be heard.

The act is reinterpreting older tunes such as “Don’t Do all Your Talking to Me,” “Know Your Situation” and “Time Is Watching Us Bleed,” as well as showcasing new unreleased tracks “All Apart” and “You Are Not You.”

The latter songs will appear on the band’s next studio effort, which it is recording for a release date sometime in the near future.

Something else that has changed for Mifune is addition by subtraction regarding its lineup.

“We don’t have a horn section anymore,” Fader said. “Once our last full horn member left the band, we decided instead of trying to start over again with finding a new section, let’s just see what we can do with our own forces and our own creativity. So it’s been good and a really, really fun challenge. I feel like it’s almost like a little bit more of a relief. We’re a little bit more creative in how we gather sounds knowing that we’re not just going to have horn solos all of the time.

“I feel like we’re focusing more on the lead vocals than we were on the huge sound we had before, so we’re writing songs geared toward that, too. It’s more storytelling than it is big long jams. I think we’re a little bit more refined as far as each member individually. As far as the sound goes, the quality is still there. The percussion element and the heavy African bass are still there. It’s just not blazing horns anymore.”

Fader stressed that while the band no longer employs a horn section, it has nothing against brass players.

“That’s right, we love the horn players,” Fader said, laughing. “We just think it’s time to move on and do something new.”