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Mario Treadway, aka Souleye, can freestyle rap for hours and never say one curse word.

"It's more like me speaking about my emotions and how I feel when I'm in the zone," Treadway said. "I close my eyes on stage, and I can be rapping about the war or the inner war, or the freedom to be able to express ourselves."

Souleye fits perfectly into On the One's funk, soul and jazz quartet because the band does not have a lead singer.

"The drummer and I can get into a zone that can happen as soon as we start, and we connect and blast off," Treadway said. "He'll be drumming and I'll be rhyming, and he can go really fast and I can stay with him. We won't miss a beat with each other."

Drummer John Staten - who's been rockin' a Mohawk since July - used to be the drummer for Karl Denson's Tiny Universe. Now, Treadway gives him a run for his money.

"He can go so fast," Staten said. "I'm mainly the drummer trying to keep up with him."

Treadway thinks his rhymes can have therapeutic powers.

"I believe that music creates vibrations, and vibrations can create healing, especially when working with words," he said. "People take words so literally - it's like a mantra - if you repeat something positive in your head during the day."

Treadway's rhymes are about love and peace, and he never runs out of things to rap about.

"It's a great gift to have an infinite amount of words in our brain and be able to tap into it," he said. "We are all able to do that and connect on different levels through lyrics. We all have our little magic tricks."

On the One was able to coerce Charlie Hitchcock, the lead drummer of Particle, to join the band on tour. With this lineup, the vibe these musicians bring might inspire onlookers to bust a move.

"People that come to our show should expect a full-out, sweaty dance party," Staten said. "We bring it pretty hard."