Jakopa's Punch is the opposite of what you would describe as a typical cover band.
Not only is their song selection unconventional, so, too, is their instrumentation.
Imagine hearing Prince's "Let's Go Crazy" or ABBA's "Mamma Mia" performed on bassoon, trombone, flute, theremin and accordion. Then picture a cross between the Philadelphia Mummer's Parade and a New Orleans-style Mardi Gras celebration.
The resulting mental snapshot is an indication of what to expect this weekend during the inaugural "Jakopa's Punch Bowl" fundraiser concert in Bethlehem. The event is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday at the Charles A. Brown Ice House, 56 River St.
The evening will also feature performances by singer-songwriter ensemble The Bastard Sons of Burt Sugarman and the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts' Charts Funk Band.
"People need to come together to experience art. Entertainment in itself, if done in the correct way, can be a community-building process," Jakopa's Punch bandleader J.P. Jordan said during a Feb. 11 phone interview. "It doesn't need to cease being art because it's entertaining."
The price of tickets -- which costs $35 in advance and $40 at the door -- include New Orleans-inspired light fare, beer and wine. Proceeds from the concert will go toward staging the "Jakopa's Punch Processional" interactive show in SouthSide Bethlehem. The processional is scheduled for July 14-15.
In a news release, Jordan, who also handles lead vocals for Jakopa's Punch, described the processional as "part circus, part rock concert, part parade and part puppet show."
"When you get people in the streets, anything can happen," Jordan said. "We knew we needed to raise funds and I needed to get the band firing on all cylinders. So why not learn a bunch of covers I played a lot when I was in high school?"
Jakopa's Punch's catalog is an eclectic mix that runs the gamut from "Sugar to Shack" to Elton John's "Levon" and Murray Head's "One Night in Bangkok." The group made their debut in early 2016 during a David Bowie and Glenn Frey tribute concert in Allentown, which also doubled as a fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Jordan said the idea to do a processional was inspired by his more than a decade's worth of experience of working with actors at Touchstone Theatre, where he serves as their artistic director.
"Come on out and have a good time. That's what it's about," he said. "Party with us now for free art later."