Hi there! Who are we talking to and what do you do in the band?
Cristian. I play the strap on guitar.
What are some of the things you love about being a part of Melbourne’s neo-soul scene?
All of us have been fans of neo-soul artists for years. D’Angelo, Erykah Badu and Jill Scott are probably three of our biggest influences, and more recently the Robert Glasper Experiment. There weren’t many original acts playing that sort of stuff in Melbourne back then, or there just wasn’t the widespread support and interest as there is now. In recent times Melbourne has caught up and there are a bunch of great bands in the scene who are able to do what they do due to this newly found support from venues, the public and the industry.
Tell us about some of the acts you’ve got supporting you for the Workers Club residency.
The supports we have are killer. I was actually spoilt for choice, another testament to the growth of the scene in Melbourne. Mayfield, Stellafauna, Mondegreen, BLY DV – all of them are unbelievable bands with great musos.
You experiment with unique and complex instrumental sections that complement Jess’ vocals. How much work goes into this?
We spent a good couple of years just developing our musical connection, which is a huge part of a band’s sound. We were working out how we wanted to expand out ideas and where we wanted to take them. Having gone through all that we are now a lot quicker at writing and arranging new material.
