By Ken Severson
Carmel PorchFest, a six-hour music extravaganza on September 15 from noon to 6 p.m. in downtown Carmel, features more than 60 bands representing a variety of musical genres.
One Indiana band making its first appearance at PorchFest is King Bee & The Stingers, a six-piece blues, soul and funk band from Bloomington. The band says they have gained a large following throughout Indiana and the Midwest, playing classic roadhouse blues.
Formed in 2006, the band began as a duo with founder and guitarist/harmonica player Mark “King” Menefee and his daughter, lead singer Sarah Menefee. As the band developed, she began writing her own blues songs in addition to cover versions. Sarah Menefee was born in Boston but grew up in Bloomington. By day she works as a carpenter, but by night she is the voice of King Bee & The Stingers.
“I started singing full-time in the band when I was about 25,” Sarah said. “We all have jobs outside of the band. Some of us work in the music industry, some of us don’t, but I don’t think any of us would call it a side project.”
King Bee & The Stingers have released two studio albums and recently released a third live album, “Live From The Slippery Noodle.” The official release party will take place on September 20th at the Slippery Noodle in downtown Indianapolis.
Sarah said the band will play about 50 shows this year, most of them on weekends, some on weekdays, and possibly more next year. They have played at the Southern Indiana Blues Fest and the Cincinnati Winter Blues Fest and were semifinalists at the Blues Foundation’s International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee in 2018, 2019 and 2023.
Regarding influences, Sarah said that all six members had different musical backgrounds, but she herself was strongly influenced by blues singers such as Big Mama Thornton and Sister Rosetta Tharpe.
“(What they) bring to the stage is something to strive for, and the singing of women like Etta James, Danielle Nicole and Beth Hart is the singing that makes you want to show up and practice every day,” Sarah said.
Sarah said the band will be playing new material at PorchFest.
“Some of our favorite songs aren’t out yet, but we’ll definitely be playing them at PorchFest,” Sarah said. “Personally, my favorite songs to sing right now are ‘Shakin’ to The Bone’ and ‘Late Night Crew.’ We just shot a music video for ‘Late Night Crew’ at the Southern Indiana Blues Festival, so keep an eye out for that.”
Sarah said King Bee & The Stingers are excited to play PorchFest. They have never performed in Carmel before.
Besides Sarah and her father Mark, the other band members include bassist Jeff Shew, Paul Karaffa on drums, Matt Boat on guitar and Mark Carnes on harmonica and vocals.
For more information, visit carmelporchfest.org. For more information on King Bee & The Stingers, visit kingbeestingers.com.
