HE’S YOUR BOOGIE MAN. (Center) Stevie Bensusen, sandwiched in between backup dancers (Left) Laurie Huff and (Right) Barbie Love, takes on the role of KC in the KC and the Sunshine Band tribute act The Sunshine Experience. The group will perform at 8 p.m., Friday at the Empress Theatre in Vallejo. (Courtesy photo)

This Friday, put on your boogie shoes and go straight to the Empress Theatre for an evening of fun, dancing and memorable tunes. After all, as the weather continually becomes nicer, this is a good opportunity to take advantage of the Sunshine Experience, i.e., the self-proclaimed only tribute act to KC & the Sunshine Band in the world.

As disco was starting to gain a foothold on popular music in the mid ‘70s, the 11-member KC & the Sunshine Band out of Florida burst on the scene and went on to become one of the most popular bands in their genre, scoring five No. 1 hits and selling more than 100 million albums. Blending funky grooves with earworm-y hooks, the Sunshine Band crafted a multitude of tunes that have endured long after the end of the disco era. “Get Down Tonight,” “That’s the Way (I Like it),” “(Shake Shake Shake) Shake Your Booty,” “I’m Your Boogie Man,” “Keep it Comin’ Love”…admit it, you know them all and you probably now have at least one of these songs stuck in your head as a result of reading this article.

KC & the Sunshine Band called it quits in 1985 but reformed in 1993 and have been playing shows ever since. It is unknown if they will touch down in the Benicia/Vallejo area in the future, but the Sunshine Experience are the next best thing. The Los Angeles-based group began as a project of music industry veterans Stevie Bensusen and Christopher Lane who met and learned they had similar goals.

According to the bio on their website, “They both wanted to perform feel good music that was more organic, less processed and less programmed than what was being played at radio so they began exploring musical forms that were closer to their roots.”

As lifelong fans of soul, funk and R&B, they came to the conclusion that they wanted to start a tribute to the Sunshine Band as a way to extend the group’s legacy. They chose to replicate the group’s original style, bringing in a horn section, backup singers and dancers, and Bensusen mimicking the vocals and movement of Harry Wayne “KC” Casey. The result is an eight-piece band that captures the original grooves of the Sunshine Band while still doing their own spins on the group’s immortal dance jams. However, do not expect the Sunshine Experience to limit themselves to just the Sunshine Band’s oeuvre. The group has also been known to cover other funk hits, including “Brick House” by The Commodores and “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars, making for a varied setlist. Sources say that’s the way people like it.

The Sunshine Experience will perform at 8 p.m., Friday, May 19 at the Empress Theatre, located at 30 Virginia St. in Vallejo. Doors open at 7 p.m., and tickets are $20 in advance and $25 the day of the show. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to EmpressTheatre.org.

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