If you want to see some junk in the trunk, there is no need to watch the newest Lil’ Jon video.

The junk is closer than you know at Otto’s Niteclub, 118 E. Lincoln Highway, every Thursday night.

For the next couple of weeks, Junk in the Trunk, a group of NIU music graduate students, will showcase its funk talents.

Guitarist Beau Pelletier joined drummer Iaji Hampton and trumpet player Al Strong and talked about their previous band of the same name. Beau used his connections with Otto’s and worked it out so they could play a show every Thursday for two months.

Even though the nine musicians in the band play jazz as part of their curriculum at NIU, playing funk – and sounding good doing it – is vital.

“We try and sound like the groups we are covering – kind of do the arrangements sort of like a tribute to Kool and the Gang or whoever we are covering,” said Ralph DiSylvesto, vocalist and trumpet player.

“It’s nice to play this instead of playing jazz all week; this is a good place to play something different,” keyboardist Sean Higgins said. “Actually play funk, not sound like jazz musicians trying to play funk. To try and get into the different style and do it like jazz musicians should do it.”

In addition to recreating the sounds of Rick James and James Brown, getting audience participation is key.

“Last week we looked down and the whole crowd was doing the electric slide; that doesn’t happen at all the places you see live music,” Pelletier said.

The group holds a Junk In The Trunk contest one song into its second set each week. Whichever female can show she has the best junk will walk away with $50.

“The first time we did it, we thought that maybe two or three women would show up, but eight or nine hopped on stage,” Pelletier said. “We had to tell some they couldn’t come up.”

Weekender sat down with the guys:

Weekender: How did you guys get everyone to come together and form a funk supergroup?

Garret Arrowhead: We all play in jazz bands. We’re all jazz majors. Four play in Liberace, the number one jazz band at NIU.

WE: How does that work?

Sean Higgins: We’re pretty much all grad assistants in the music program. They give us a full ride to come here and play in a combo and go out to high schools to recruit for the school.

WE: Are you guys looking to take the act on the road?

Al Strong: We’re looking into hopefully booking fraternities and parties and getting with a booking agency to have them book gigs for us. This is just our home base for working out stuff and creating a party scene. In a sense, this type of music is for DeKalb.

WE: Are you ready to go on the road?

Strong: Yeah, definitely. If we had to go on the road, we could get ready tomorrow if we wanted to.

WE: Do you guys get paid?

Ralph DiSylvesto: It is in its early stages of development. Otto’s gave us a break. It’s our job to get in the crowd, which we’ll do. Everyone who has been here before loves it. Once we get the word spread out, you know ‘We’re Junk in the Trunk, this is what we do,’ we’ll get larger crowds in here. We wouldn’t be jazz musicians in the first place if it was about the money.

WE: What separates you from other funk bands?

DiSylvesto: We do justice to the music. We try and play the songs the way they are supposed to be played. We add our own element; we’re not up there saying we’re stars, but we’re going to make the music good. We like the music too. We’re having the experience with the audience and we’re not saying we’re the next big thing.

WE: How long does it take for you guys to put together a show?

Beau Pelletier: Our first show was three weeks ago. We got together the night before and got the whole set down; we rehearsed 14 tunes in one night and opened for the J. Davis Trio.

WE: Do you play originals?

DiSylvesto: Playing a bunch of originals – people can’t grab onto that. We want them to know what we are playing, and when they get to know us as a group we can do some tunes and stuff then.

WE: What’s up with the name?

Iaji Hampton: Me and Al were in a group called Junk In the Trunk like for five years starting in 1998. Originally, the guitar player came up with the name and thought it was catchy. People relate it to an old school phrase. I think it doesn’t represent funk in a sense, but at the same time people here react to it … it’s all about bringing the ladies out because if they show up, guys will come out.