Funky Midwestern Band The Whips Play the Brick and Mortal Music Hall

Four friends with a shared love for funk music, a penchant for embarrassment, and a likely overcompensation for something, fueled themselves with stimulants and hit the road to compete against each other while ensnaring unwitting strangers in their antics. Sounds like the premise of Tru TV’s Impractical Jokers, right? Actually, it’s the origin story of The Whips, a funk-pop band hailing from the very center of the United States. The “CEOs of Midwestern Funk” continue to traverse American highways, exchanging sweat and more with fans who can’t get enough of their high-stakes, hook-and-groove-laden tunes. Their music boasts syncopated rhythms so powerful they can apparently reset clocks within a 40-mile radius, while their viral videos have helped them amass a sizable following on the web.