B-Side Guys

The Next Movement kicks off 2025 by bringing an often-overlooked percussion instrument center stage in “More Cowbell,” a high-speed funk workout that transforms novelty into necessity. The Swiss trio proves that sometimes the best way to honor a classic joke is to take it seriously, creating something that manages to be both playful and legitimately groovy.

The track showcases the band’s ability to create expansive sound from minimal personnel. Despite being just three pieces, The Next Movement – led by singer-drummer J.J. Flueck, with Pascal “P” Kaeser on bass and synth, and Sam Siegenthaler on guitar – creates arrangements that feel orchestral in scope while maintaining funk’s essential pocket.

Flueck’s dual role as vocalist and drummer proves particularly crucial here, as he navigates both traditional kit work and the track’s titular percussion flourishes. The integration of cowbell demonstrates serious consideration of how to elevate what could be mere gimmick into genuine groove element.

Kaeser’s bass work provides the essential foundation that allows the cowbell to take its featured role without compromising the track’s funk credentials. His synth contributions add textural depth while Siegenthaler’s guitar work weaves through the spaces between, creating a full sound that belies the band’s trio format.

The production maintains perfect balance between tightness and swagger, allowing each element – including the prominently featured cowbell – to serve the groove rather than overshadow it. This approach demonstrates why the band has earned recognition as “Europe’s must-watch-funk-band,” proving capable of both technical precision and loose-limbed funk feel.

Particularly impressive is the way the arrangement builds to what the band calls a “banging outro plot twist.” This structural choice demonstrates The Next Movement’s ability to surprise listeners while maintaining the essential groove that has made them festival favorites from Georgia’s Black Sea Jazz Festival to Spain’s Enclave de Agua.

The track’s high-speed tempo could easily become exhausting in less capable hands, but the trio’s experience playing major European jazz festivals serves them well here. Their ability to maintain both energy and precision at elevated tempos showcases the “superb musicianship” that’s become their calling card.

While the song’s title and concept might reference classic comedy, its execution is absolutely serious in its commitment to funk fundamentals. The Next Movement proves that sometimes the best way to honor influences – whether comedic or musical – is to build something new from their foundation.

“More Cowbell” succeeds both as clever cultural reference and legitimate funk workout. By bringing their characteristic “nonchalant humor” to serious musicianship, The Next Movement has created something that works both as knowing wink and genuine groove, proving that sometimes the best way to start a new year is by making old jokes new again.