Few music acts can withstand the longevity of a career in the expanding and well-populated industry. However, sometimes talent and a dash of solid luck makes for a magical journey that never seems to stop. This is all too true for the jazz-funk trio Soulive. Made up of musicians; Eric Krasno, Alan and Neal Evans, the men remain staples in their genre. Not only is their music captivating and groovy in every way, the men keep their ambitions high. Case in point, each one of them continuously prevail in other musical endeavors across the board. They never stop and the musical world is forever better for it. Listeners will be rejoicing yet again with the introduction of their new EP ‘Cinematics, Vol. 1’ set to be released on February 23rd. In it fans will enjoy new tracks like Kings March and a myriad of other treat to sate their musical cravings. To explore their adventures to date, Alan Evans gave a glimpse into their advancement.
For fans of Soulive, their music is always full of energy and forceful musical exploration. The men are not afraid to experiment and evolve their sound while holding true to their signature style. With ever-funky beats, a soulful organ spirit and that slick guitar, it is hard not to dance and become enthralled to their tunes. Even live, their instrumentation and performance vibes match their musical prowess. With a collective unity and grins appearing on their faces, the men obviously are immersed in their world. Soulive has success in catchy bits that linger long after the listener moves on to the next track in their wide discography. Soulive definitely leaves an impression that honors their genre and music as a whole.
With that in mind, Alan delved into their new project and its impact on their musicianship “… I guess our sound is right where it should be in terms of our progression. To be honest, we never talk about or think about where we are or where we are heading. Everyday life inspires us, old and new music inspires us, everything inspires us so as long as you don’t fight it, you are always going to make some progress. This is just a snapshot of where we were at that moment.” The creativity can sprout from anywhere. As far as the genre goes, Mr. Evan is pretty confident in their place in it. “It seems that there are a few people who are still interested in what we do so I’d say it’s holding up pretty well.”
With 2018 well underway, Alan give his two cents on his hopes for the new year. “I can only speak for myself here, but I would hope that people would really embrace positivity. I have some close friends who always say, ‘thoughts become things so think good thoughts.’ I really feel this is truth. So many people around this country and around the world are feeding into the negativity we consume on TV, social media, etc. I really hope we all can turn that around.”
Other mediums in the visual arts help to keep their music growing. Often times, that same art complements their music. “The first person that comes to mind is Charley Robinson. Charley is a great artist and is our go to for Soulive art. He designed the ‘Cinematics Vol.1’ art for us.” Even in his own way, Mr. Evan stays creative as well. “I personally love photography when I’m not playing or recording music. Put my camera in my hand and I’m a happy person!”
When it comes to playing live, every show has its potential to be great. “An ideal performance can happen on any given night. I don’t like to put any kind of thought into making one show better than the other. Whatever happens is going to happen and hopefully everyone there has an amazing time. If people are smiling and enjoying themselves, what’s more ideal than that?” Keep smiling on.
Even music’s expansion in the last couple years has been a good sign for Alan as a participant in the craft. “[I’m] always listening with an open mind. You can learn something from EVERYONE! I’m super optimistic about the music world today. It’s amazing that you can find any style of music within seconds and there are so many people making great music today. I hear a lot of people complaining about the music industry but I’d rather focus on making music than complaining about it.”
Thankfully, work does not completely take over for Mr. Evans. “[I love] hanging with my wife and kids. [As for today, I am] working on some video editing then heading over to our son’s basketball game!”
As mentioned earlier, each one of the Soulive men remain busy with other projects, the same goes for Alan. “I always have a lot going on in my studio Iron Wax so that keeps me very busy. I have a great band Aztec Sun from Washington D.C. coming in to make an album in a couple of weeks. My other band Matador! Soul Sounds‘ record is coming out right after the Soulive record so I will be doing some Soulive shows and a nice Matador! tour. Always keeping it moving forward! We are planning on releasing some more ‘Cinematics’ records in 2018. We are feeling really good about this concept.”
Jam on.
Give Kings March a watch and a listen below:
