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Two-era Go-Go history • Washington, D.C.

PROPER
UTENSILS

Two documented incarnations: Jas Funk’s early-1980s Proper Utensils • early-1990s revival with a different personnel mix
Early 1980s roots1990s revivalJas FunkPersonnel treeLive archive
Explore History

Artist overview

Proper Utensils is best understood as a two-era band history. TMOTTGoGo documents an original early-1980s Jas Funk incarnation with a brief run on the circuit, followed by a re-ignited early-1990s version that brought together musicians connected to Rare Essence, Little Benny & The Masters, AM/FM and Hot, Cold Sweat.

Early-1980s first incarnationTMOTTGoGo traces the original Proper Utensils name to Jas Funk in the early 1980s.
1992–1993 revivalA new lineup rehearsed and emerged with members from several established Go-Go bands.
1995 albumJust Funnin’ was released in 1995 and remains available in current digital catalogs.

Music

Go Go Rump ShakerThe 1993 Go-Go reworking helped propel the revived Proper Utensils onto the local scene.
HISTORICAL SOURCE
Georgy PorgyA signature Proper Utensils rendition documented by TMOTTGoGo and included on Just Funnin’.
CATALOG VERIFIED
Just Funnin’1995 album; Apple Music lists 10 songs and a January 1, 1995 release date.
RELEASE VERIFIED

Live & PA archive

Proper Utensils has an unusually rich surviving live-recording trail in the I AM GO-GO research catalog. Those entries are useful evidence, but collector labels are treated as leads until dates are corroborated.

Metro Club — 10/28/1993PA/live catalog entry; exact source label retained for later verification.
Rythms — 9/6/1993Catalog entry noting a roughly 30-minute recording.
Bowie State — 1994College-performance catalog lead preserved for the university-show timeline.

View dated show evidence →

Open physical-audio trail →

Timeline

First Proper Utensils
TMOTTGoGo traces the name to an early Jas Funk-led incarnation with a brief Go-Go-circuit run.
The band is re-ignited
Jas Funk revives Proper Utensils with collaborators and musicians connected to Rare Essence, Little Benny & The Masters, AM/FM and Hot, Cold Sweat.
“Go Go Rump Shaker”
Radio play of the Go-Go version of “Rump Shaker” helps accelerate the band’s visibility.
Just Funnin’
The album documents the 1990s Proper Utensils sound with studio and live material including “Georgy Porgy.”
Live trail continues
The research archive contains Proper Utensils entries across clubs, parks, colleges and later reunion-era appearances.

People & connections

James “Jas Funk” ThomasRare Essence frontman and the central name connecting both the early and revived Proper Utensils histories.
Anthony “Little Benny” HarleyKey force in the early-1990s revival and part of the Rare Essence / Masters personnel bridge.
Kevin “Kato” HammondFormer Little Benny & The Masters guitarist who rapped with Proper Utensils before creating TMOTTGoGo.

Sampling & wider influence

Proper Utensils is a strong example of Go-Go’s personnel network: band histories overlap because musicians moved between major groups and later reunited in new formations. The site preserves that lineage without pretending each personnel connection means two bands were the same band.

Source trail

TMOTTGoGo — “Proper Utensils: We Zoom Zoom Zoomed 20 Years Ago”Kato Hammond’s account of the 1993 lineup, the cross-band merge and the revived Proper Utensils story.First-person / archive source
TMOTTGoGo — Rare Essence family treeDocuments the early-1980s Jas Funk incarnation and the early-1990s re-ignition.First-person / archive source
Apple Music — Just Funnin’Current catalog record for the 1995 album and track list.Music catalog source
I AM GO-GO working PA/live catalogCollector-list leads include 1993–2015 Proper Utensils dates; each remains marked for corroboration before becoming a firm historical claim.Internal archive lead
Venue connections
Metro Club Bowie State
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Live & PA trail

Physical Audio

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Visual trail

Posters & Shows

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Context

Go-Go History

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