A band whose members range from a free-wheeling RV adventurer to a Senegalese French professor may seem as discordant as that time Jimi Hendrix opened for The Monkees on their 1967 tour.But with local band ONE over ZERO, voted Vermonts best new band of 2012 by Cider Magazine, the combination of eight musicians drawing from over seven different genres uses mismatched sounds to its benefit. The result of this unlikely combination is a feel-good sound with depth a live experience that makes people want to get the funk up and dance.Drumming since he was nine years old, junior Jake Mayers joined the band looking for an opportunity to drum despite UVMs policy about not allowing drums in the dorms.Freshman year was the first year I was deprived of music and it was horrible, Mayers said.He placed an ad on Craigslist asking if anyone in the area had a drum kit and wanted to jam, which led him to Dan Murphy, ONE over ZEROs founder as well as guitarist and vocalist.Murphy had just lost the drummer to his previous band Dubnotix and was looking to start a new project.From there this eclectic crew all came together. Held together by the reggae-slide pocket rhythms of bassist Ahmad Abdel-Mawgood (Ahmads been growing his dreads longer than Ive been alive, Mayers joked) and Mayers New Orleans-inspired funk beats, the rest expand off whatever unique territory they bring.Theres vocalist Modou Ndiones warming presence and Senegalese roots, as well as saxist and flutist Bob Brookens life-long musical experience including touring with the band G-Love & Special Sauce.Then theres Stephanie Heaghney. Her enigmatic presence combined with her soulful R&B vocals soar above the eclectic instrumentation of the band. The elements of rapper Mud Buddha and occasionally Chris Rossi on the turntable give the band an added edge.Artistry aside, central to the bands mission is a campaign to heal the world through music. In fact, the bands founder Dan Murphy is involved in side projects such as working with a Jamaican orphanage for disabled children.Theres definitely a political message involved from Dans end, Mayers said. Its really just about freedom. I think the biggest message, which Dan has spent a lot of time working on is this whole conscious music movement. Music that is conscious about issues in our world today, and solving them through music. Fittingly, Murphy has recently started a series called Conscious Thursdays at Nectars. Once a month every Thursday a shows proceeds go toward charities that have so far included the Peace & Justice Center, the Roots Center and the Humane Society.This was also the idea behind the bands name, Mayers said.One divided by zero is infinity, and so you can think of it as like unity forever. The idea is that we can do really great things in the world if people work together, he said.This connection between people extends itself to their live shows as well. ONE over ZERO has recently expanded their venue base, including a particularly memorable performance opening for John Browns Body at Higher Ground in January, when Modou actually got off the stage and grooved along singing with the crowd.Their only existing album Live at Nectars is not reflective of the bands current direction. In fact, during recording Mayers played without one of his then-broken arms, and Heaghney was not yet even a member.The band is much more of a live experience, Mayers said.He said the band plans to move toward a more hip-hop style meshing with soul and R&B, more Erykah Badu stuff, according to Mayers.ONE over ZEROs next show is this Friday at the Radio Bean from 11:45-2 a.m. This intimate environment might just be the best way to get the full experience.When the crowds really feeling it, we just vibe off of it, Mayers said. [We] expand, jam off of new sections. Were not afraid to take chances if were feeling it.