Photo courtesy of Allen Klosowski.

U.S. Pipe has the funk credentials of a pair of sequined bell bottoms. Founder and lead guitarist Citrus (a.k.a. Chris Sauthoff) has worked as a stage manager and guitarist with George Clinton and the P-Funk Allstars since 1995, and since 2005 his own band has been cranking out killer live shows from Red Rocks to the Fillmore.

Now U.S. Pipe is preparing to release its first full-length CD on Thursday at the Bluebird Theater, with help from locals Foma and Future Jazz Project. The show, which doubles as a food and clothing drive, will feature giveaways (the first 50 fans in the door will receive a collectible poster signed by U.S. Pipe) and incentives (everyone who brings the aforementioned non-perishable food item and/or clothing to donate to local charities will receive freebies courtesy of Flying Dog Brewery).

We e-mailed Sauthoff and bandmates Kurt (bassist), Missy “Bubbles Johnson” (vocals), Azma (emcee/vocals) and Michael (tenor sax) to talk about the new album, which will be released through their own label, Pipe Circle Music, Inc., the release show, and which bands they’re just dying to play with — but haven’t yet.

Citrus playing sitar at the Belly Up in Aspen on Aug. 3, 2008.

What was the hardest part about making the new album?

Citrus: Scheduling. Nothing was harder than that really. Recording vocals in the morning.

Kurt: Trying to get through it in a timely manner. I could live in the studio if someone would let me.

Missy: Recording the vocals in the morning. I’m a night owl and all the sessions started around 9 a.m. so it took a little bit for me to wake up and for my voice to warm up.

Azma: Doing vocals at nine in the morning… rough!

Can you tell me a little bit about the recording process?

Citrus: This album had a crazy groove to it. We recorded the rhythm section live. The atmosphere was very family and party like. We had tons of food and smoke and mountain air! So the “bed” for it all is very organic. Then we multi-tracked over it. The guitar parts were almost all first take, recorded in just a few hours. Then we added horns and finally worked over the vocals for a month or so. Azma was a monster in the booth. We rewrote a lot of the vocal stuff while we were in there… finding new ways to sing the background parts. All of the vocals are doubled or tripled ala Garry Shider. The horns are mainly arranged by Greg Boyer, who arranged the entire shows for P-Funk in the ’80s and ’90s. He went on to work with Prince and Maceo for the last several years. Scott Osborne and Myself added some things here and there when we needed to or on stuff that he hadn’t done already.

With so many local releases every year in Denver, what do you think is going to make yours stand out?

There are some really cool things going on musically that just isn’t on the so called “local” level. Rick Gardner put down some crazy stuff in Shookie, taking it to the “delic” side for sure. Rick was an original member of Bootsy’s Rubber Band and has gladly accepted his role as Uncle #1 for us all in Denver. We got some great performances from guest Bone player Jon Braddy too. C3 and Bill Thomas were a great team. We all came up with things that sent up red flags in the other two’s minds, but we kept open minds and tried things and experimented and found cool tricks and such.

Engineering and performances go a long way toward making albums unique, but often they live and die on the mix. What were those sessions like?

The mixing sessions were really creative. C3 is a great engineer and his attention to sound and detail was amazing. We went home with the mixes and got to make so many changes and try so many things! Finally we took it all to Airshow Mastering and had some Grammy dust sprinkled on it by David Glasser. I was in total shock as he took things to another level altogether. He made everything sound better… yet asked for and listened to the opinions of everybody in the room and acted accordingly. Things take this recording to a level that is going to get noticed I hope!

Kurt: This is the real deal. Our team was solid the whole way through, and you can hear it.

Missy: I think we have a unique sound that’s different from what’s out there. We have a lot of different flavas in the mix, funk, rock, hip-hop and there’s something that appeals to everyone.

Azma: I think it’s the fusion of music, and the style we bring.

Michael: So many albums are overproduced, it’s nice to have a CD that reflects what happens when you come and see united sound pipe live.

Denver’s been known for a lot of musical styles over the years (pop-rock, gothic country, indie rock, etc.) but not so much for funk. Why do you think the genre seems to be underrepresented here?

Citrus: I would say it is mainly due to the fact that P-Funk was banned from the state. No flow. They played here in 1977 and not again until ‘93 or whatever it was. I should remember that by now. I cried when Mom wouldn’t let me go see the Mothership land back in the day. If the band had been able to play here, it would have inspired a LOT more people!

Kurt: Gothic country?? You kidding? Too many people have a serious case of the honky pox, it affects the body’s ability to kick a groove and get hips shaking. But don’t worry! We have the cure!

Azma: Because it’s been forgot about, the only genre that has an idea of funk is hip-hop, and that’s only because that’s were the groove came from. Funk is still a bad word to most people!

Michael: Funk bands are generally very large bands, and club owners in the area are generally looking for a smaller (or cheaper) bands when booking for their clubs. It becomes survival of the smallest.

What gave you the idea for the food drive at the concert?

Citrus: Azma came up with it. He is always chillin with the mugz at the rescue mission line. I used to do that a lot as well. I traveled the country in a van too so I know what it’s like to live from dumpster to dumpster. We all want our musical endeavor to do more than just entertain. We want to effect peoples’ lives. Everybody in the band is united about this cause and we plan for it to be a regular sort of thing. We may not always be able to give people drinks and stuff for it but we will Always collect and deliver food and clothes to the needy.

Kurt: We were all talking about ways that we can really help out, especially on some of those cold days. And Azma offered the idea, and it was a no brainer. I mean, everyone has some clothes that they can and want to get rid of, so why not give them to someone who needs it?

Missy: Azma has been volunteering his time and helping out the community for some time and thought it would be cool to get the band involved.

Azma: I always wanted to something for homeless people on a bigger level than what I was doing, so I brought the idea to the crew and they were like, ‘Hell yeah, let’s do the damn thang!” Times are hella rough right now, and if it’s rough for those with jobs and a source of income, imagine how rough it is for those who have nothing!

Live photo from MySpace.

How would you describe your sound to someone who’s never heard the band?

Citrus: We are a mixture of sound. A Union of Sounds. All sorts of them. Rock, funk, hip-hop, jazz, Hindu, gospel sounds. The album is pretty rock-ish… pretty heavy at times. We have a lot of mellow stuff too and are working on some great material that is much more relaxed.

Kurt: A heavy dose of funk with some fresh hip hop chasers and enough groove to make you want to cuss out yo’ mamma!!

Azma: Raw! Fat back and grits funk! Braised wit hip hop and a dash of rock!

Michael: Horny rock-rap.

What about your live shows?

Citrus: We are there to party, not in the sense of getting wasted but in the sense of celebrating and enjoying life while we have the opportunity to do so. We will stretch a song if people are moving to it and in a groove. We can play for four hours or more without taking a break. Traveling in time and space musically. We expect audience participation. We try not to look like mugs that walked in off the street. We switch up from ’50s R&B to heavy metal hip-hop in a flash.

Kurt: Man, we do not take breaks. We are there and playing for the entire show. It’s a non-stop party. We don’t stop till the place shuts us down.

When did you change the name for the original (Balls Johnson Dance Machine) and why?

Citrus: That would be Halloween of ’07. Too many people didn’t really get what I was talking about. The concept came from the movie “Next Friday.” The “Balls Johnson Dance” as I saw it was a dance of freedom. Of totally free expression of the Self. Hoping that people would loose the BS and just dance. But too many people perceived it as a testament to testosterone. I didn’t want to have a band that would have its music tossed in the trash just because of the name. United Sound Pipe get’s it across just fine. We do the occasional “Ninja” show as the Balls Johnson Dance Machine, usually it’s for free or next to nothing as a benefit.

What’s a band you’ve never played with but would love to?

Citrus: I have been lucky in this department and shared stages with most of my heroes. But you know… Zep… Beatles… Hendrix. Early Funkadelic.

Kurt: Stevie Wonder, man especially back in the day. Slammin’!! So many others too, but I just happened to be jamming on some live Master Blaster moments ago.

Missy: I’d love to rock out with Blind Melon, Widespread Panic, John Butler Trio, Ben Harper. It would be cool to sing a duet with Justin Timberlake. He’s a badass.

Azma: Gnarls Barkley, and all the great legends that have passed.

Michael: Gnarls Barkley. The Roots — because these two bands are pushing the envelope when it comes to having a live band on stage. They don’t have to travel with a full band, but they do it anyway.

Tickets for the CD release are $10 in advance and $12 day of show. Click here for tickets.

More from Get Real Denver

• Music Q&A: Stephin Merritt of the Magnetic Fields
• Music Q&A: Rose Hill Drive
• Music Q&A: Everlast
• Music Q&A: MxPx @ the Ogden Theatre
• Comedian Q&A: Tom Papa

Get Real Denver Recommends

• The Mile High Makeout: The love-in begins (Reverb)
• News: Monolith Music Festival in “grim” state, makes public appeal (Reverb)
• Interview: Monolith Music Festival director Josh Baker (Reverb)