Define your genre in five words or less:
Funk/soul/heavy grooves.
Bearing the terrible clichéd nature of this question, what do you reckon people will say you sound like?
We’re notoriously hard to pin down on that one. The new album is a little more direct with a future soul/funk vibe, however we’ve gone from dub to Latin and hip-hop to calypso so it’s a real gumbo of styles with Sola Rosa. I liken it to a good mix-tape or DJ mix. I like an album that takes you on a journey and doesn’t repeat itself. That’s the objective for us anyway.
What do you love about making music?
I love that moment you come up with something and you know you’ve come up with something good. A beat that makes you screw up your face and wanna dance around the studio. Also those moments live where you’re in-sync with the band and the audience and it’s just a magical moment. Can’t beat it!
If you could travel back in time and show one of your musical heroes your stuff, who would it be and why?
Marvin Gaye. I’d try and persuade him to jump on a few tracks. For me he is the best singer of all time. His tone and layers of harmonies are incredible. His musicality is monumental. Omar is extremely gifted in all these areas too.
What can a punter expect from your live show?
There’s up to six of us on stage at a show. It’s all about having some fun and bringing some dirty, heavy grooves. We mix it up live in the genre department, but we always try to keep it heavy.
What’ve you got to sell CD-wise?
We have a total of nine releases: five studio albums, one remix album, three EPs and a bunch of vinyl releases.
When are you playing live/releasing your album/EP/single/etc?
We’re touring Australia in September and October, playing Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and a few dates in WA to promote the new album Low And Behold, High And Beyond. We’ll be in Melbourne on Friday September 14, at the Northcote Social Club.
What makes you happiest about what you’re doing?
Music has been my passion since I was 11, so to do this full time and make a living off of it is dope!
What part of making music excites you the most?
That new beat, that moment when it all comes together. Travelling is a great part of the job too.
What makes a good musician?
An open mind, experience and patience. There’s a lot of time spent waiting around in this business. Also tolerance is crucial in any group. There’s times you are gonna wanna murder each other so you have to learn to be tolerant and know when to shut ya mouth. I’m still learning.
If you could go on tour with any musician or band, who would it be?
Would have loved to tour with Hermitude, The Roots, Little Dragon or the Gorillaz.
How do you balance making and playing music with your other commitments?
I’m gonna quote Tom Waits here: “The trick is to have a career and have a family. It’s like having two dogs that hate each other and you have to take them for a walk every night”.
