Chicago-based funk band The Main Squeeze, rooted in Indiana University nightlife, blends together all the ingredients needed to get the dance floor rocking. 

The Main Squeeze performs at Hangar 9 Friday. Carbondale’s own Soul Census will open the show.

In 2012, after several years of searching for the right pieces, the band settled on its present lineup: Ben “Smiley” Silverstein on keys, Max Newman on guitar, Corey Frye on vocals, Jeremiah Hunt on bass and Reuben Gingrich on drums.

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This summer, The Main Squeeze has a full festival slate including performances at Phases of the Moon, Gathering of the Vibes and in November, Bear Creek Music Festival. The band has also recorded a six-song EP they hope to release just in time for festival season.

The Daily Egyptian had the opportunity to speak with guitarist Max Newman before the show.

Where did the Main Squeeze find its beginnings?

Newman: We met in Bloomington, Ind., where we went to college. It actually extends further because Smiley and I met at a sleepaway camp in upstate New York, what must have been eight years ago. We started playing music early on and Smiley was going to IU, I went to IU as well, and we started a band called Main Squeeze, but it was a different drummer and bass player.

The drummer we have now, Reuben Gingrich, was living on my floor in the dorms. I met him and we started jamming and hanging out a lot. We had him come up for a couple rehearsals and the other drummer was on his way out anyway so, it kind of just worked out. The singer (Corey Frye) was similar … Smiley met him at a bar years before The Main Squeeze was even a thing. He was playing on the piano at the bar and Corey started singing some old R&B and they hit it off and exchanged numbers.

The bass player (Jeremiah Hunt) is the only one that didn’t meet us in Bloomington. (Gingrich) was playing in an all-star college jazz band at Disneyland and they met and became close. Everyone kind of found someone, but it all came together in Bloomington.

I read in an article online that you call your style a type of musical gumbo. Could you explain why you call it that?

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Newman: There isn’t really one genre that perfectly sums up what we do. Right now, we have just been calling it funk, soul and rock n’ roll. It is a gumbo though because we all come from very different backgrounds musically. We all kind of meet in the middle and where we meet is sort of what this band’s sound has become and what it continues to develop into.

How has the band matured over the past several years?

Newman: We feel like when we started out, especially for Smiley and I, it was very much like we had a vision for what we wanted. A big part of our maturation has been accepting everybody and letting everybody do what they do best … we have very high standards that we try to uphold in regards to musicality and the show. The show is a lot more professional, but it still has that raw energy and freedom to it.

If you could share the stage with any current act whom would it be and why?

Newman: The ultimate honor would be a Stevie Wonder, an Allman Brothers or like a Red Hot Chili Peppers. That would be amazing, next level.

How did playing within the college scene shape The Main Squeeze into what you are today?

Newman: We had a very unique upbringing because of that. For one thing, there is a huge audience who wants to party every weekend and probably every weekday too, so you can get shows. We started out playing a lot of cover songs. What was cool about it is even at the time we were already pretty good on our instruments. By the time we started playing originals, we already had a good fan base.

The whole party-vibe of the college town really did shape us but at some point you reach a brick wall where it’s like, as many people that want to party, there is only so many people that are totally appreciating the music for what it is … you start to realize you have to get to a bigger city with a bigger market and keep (moving) forward.