Bootsy Collins

Bootsy kickstarted his career with James Brown’s backup band (J.B.’s) from 1969-1971, hooking onto the concept of “The One.” He later joined George Clinton’s Parliament-Funkadelic - establishing George and Bootsy’s lifelong friendship. In 1976, Bootsy’s Rubber Band launched and captivated audiences with his iconic star-shaped glasses and bass. Since then, Bootsy has launched Bootzilla Productions and Funk University to help mentor younger creatives reach their potential or stardom. Bootsy also announced his initiative, Funk Not Fight, in late 2022 to bring awareness and a stop to the tide of violence and unrest in our communities. Alongside the movement, Bootsy will be releasing a collaborative album under the same name, Funk Not Fight. Bootsy’s inescapable influence on pop culture can be heard from the likes of Snoop Dogg, Outkast, Dr. Dre, Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rick James, Prince, Daft Punk, Primus, Thundercat and most recently, in Childish Gambino’s Grammy-winning and Platinum hit “Redbone” which paid homage to “I’d Rather Be With You.” Bootsy is also the mastermind behind Silk Sonic’s name- a collaboration between Bruno Mars and Anderson.Paak. Bootsy is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame, and received the Lifetime Achievement Award by Bass Player.

Megan Piphus

It all started when…

Megan started puppetry and ventriloquism at the age of ten years old and taught herself puppetry and ventriloquism by watching VHS tapes. She spent her teenage years traveling the nation singing and performing ventriloquism at schools and churches. In 2010, she graduated valedictorian of her class at Princeton High School and became known as the “Valedictorian Ventriloquist.” She became the "Vanderbilt Ventriloquist" when she started college at Vanderbilt University, where she studied Economics, Music, and Spanish and graduated with honors.

While in college, she appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno as a ventriloquist and in June of 2013, she received yes's from all four judges on America’s Got Talent. After graduation, Megan continued her education and received a Master of Science in Finance from Vanderbilt University.

After graduate school, she worked in real estate finance and development, underwriting and closing over $2.4 billion worth of commercial real estate. While working in real estate, she performed on television shows Tu Si Que Vales (Italy), Die Puppenstars (Germany), and Showtime at the Apollo with Steve Harvey, where she received a standing ovation from the Apollo Theater audience.

In 2019, in collaboration with the University of Cincinnati, she performed and wrote songs for a TV musical series teaching young children basic financial literacy. Megan won two Emmy awards for best composition and best children’s short from the series.

Since 2020, Megan has played the role of Gabrielle, a 6-year old black girl Muppet, on Sesame Street. After training for a year to learn Muppet style puppetry with the cast of Sesame Street, Megan became the first black female puppeteer to perform on Sesame Street in September of 2021. Megan is a mom of two young boys - Leo and Ty.

Polaroyd

Songs are creatures of the moment. They may be formed or fixed in melody, structure and word, but they only truly come to life in performance.

Their lives are brief and intense and no single song lives the same life twice. It can be sparse and demand the listener's imagination to shine, or it can shimmer brilliantly internally, without seeing its own reflection and refraction in the audience.

Sometimes when its focal point is the center, the edges become blurred. Sometimes it's the other way around, yet the mystery endures.

POLAROYD's approach to songs takes up this notion and invites the listener to make the music their own. The often asked question of a song’s meaning becomes obsolete. The listener forms their own picture.

POLAROYD is a collaboration between 'Son of The Velvet Rat's Georg Altziebler and Andreas Lechner from

'The Ghost And The Machine', playing songs from SOTVR's back catalog as well as selected other material.

Improvisation alternates with composed passages. The dynamic ranges from fragile folk to ferocious noise - with colors and transitions being hazy and obscured.

The poetry created by the confluence of these blurry shades is the essence of POLAROYD.