20 Questions You Didn’t Know You Wanted To Ask…Alviz from Lefties Soul Connection

Next up for the 20 questions is Alviz from the sensational Lefties Soul Connection. Having firmly stamped their mark on the world of funk and as they are one of my favourite current bands, I’m made up to be able to share this with you. I wont gush too much but if you aren’t familiar with their music I’d address that immediately. Things don’t get much more on The Right Side of Funky than this! Thank you to Alviz for sparing us his time.  You can check them out at their website, on myspace and of course anywhere that sells good music!

My name is Alviz, Hammond organist of the band (also doing some percussion and background vocals).
 
1. How would you best describe what you do to the uninitiated?

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Well, we like to call our music ‘garage funk’. Its gritty hard hitting music based on funk & soul music but we also have some 60s beat/mod rock and some 90s bboy hiphop influences. An important influence are the Meters (and New Orleans funk in general) and Booker T & The MG’s but also Small Faces, Beastie Boys, J5, JB’s etc etc.
Also, especially sound wise, a big influence are the rare 60s funk 45s by bands who recorded their stuff in a garage or cheap studio and pressed only a limited number of 45s. Some of these tracks have a nice heavy sound and especially the drum sound can be nice. These records are used for a lot of the hiphop and R&B classics. They used a drum snippet or a piano/organ riff because it got a heavy rough sound and is played simple but with great soul and groove. We don’t like the glam/flashy site of the funk, like p-funk and disco. We’re more about the down to earth, gritty type funk. No bull shit, just plain clothes, play with everything you got, get sweaty and rock the crowd hard.

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2. Where would you say you are with regard to your career right now?

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I don’t know. It’s hard to know where you are if you’re in the middle of it (at least, I think we’re in the middle now :)).
We got some attention with our two albums and singles etc. But we would like to spread our gospel a little further. Also, we’re looking to do some projects with singers and or mc’s.

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3. Which song (not neccesarilly yours) best sums you/the band up and why?

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That’s a tough one. Maybe go for the Organ Donor tune (Dj Shadow and our version). Its a good example of a blend of funk with breakbeats and rockish/rough sound.
That’s basically what we do and like.

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4. Who would you say has been your biggest inspiration (musically or otherwise)?

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That would be the Meters. They have the best groove and are the master in the ‘less is more’ approach. That is; they don’t play all these notes and show off but they just play a tight groove. The beat and bass are the guidelines and set the flow and mood. The guitar and organ just add some flavor to the groove. They are masters in getting the best groove with only a couple of notes and very simple compositions. I like that a lot. There are a lot of bands out there with great musical education and they know all the scales/chords changes and whatever but they can’t groove like the Meters.
Of course we’re not on the same page as the Meters but we try to incorporate their vibe and groove into our own music.

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5. Is there anyone amongst your influences that you think would surprise people and why?

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I don’t know. Maybe people are surprised we have influences like Small Faces / 60s Garage bands. But if you hear our sound etc that should not come as a surprise

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6. What are you most proud of?

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Getting love from fans all around the world. I couldn’t imagine when we started the band in 2001 that we would get fan mail from Japan and the US. It still amazes me everytime. 
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7. In the quest to get the music ‘out there’ have you ever done or agreed to anything you’ve later regretted?

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Not really. Of course we did some promotion that’s not really a cool thing to do. Like playing in a major record chain store; we were placed in a corner of the store and nobody was paying any attention to us.
But generally we know its part of the thing to get your music out there. And most of the time its fun to do.

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8. What’s the most ridiculous request that’s been asked of you/the band?

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Well, the most ridiculous gig was at a ‘leather bag fair’ in Dusseldorf. They totally mis-booked this one. It turned out the fair wasn’t a success. They booked us to play at an informal drink after the fair. But everybody already left. About 4 people remained. We just played on some small stage and faced a wall (about 4 meters infront of us. And stands with leather bags at both sides. Its was surreal.
Of course we get also requests for songs; like ‘Happy Birthday’.
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9. What do you think is the secret to a good working relationship amongst musicians?

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Respect each other and also not to do everything together when you on tour. But the key factor is good communication.

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10. If you could have played on one song (that you don’t), what would it be and why?

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This is a really tough one. I don’t think one song stands out. It would’ve been fun to play the organ on obscure songs like Funky Thing (by Larry Ellis & the Black Hammer) or Megaton (by Vecchio). But more well known; maybe I’m a man by Spencer Davis group or The Champ by the Mohawks.

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11. How do you make the balance between music and personal responsibilities?

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For me its not that hard. Music is something I breath. Of course if there are family problems, that will come first. But overall its no problem.

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12. In light of the internet and downloading do you feel that fans are missing out on the record buying discovery/experience?

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Yes and no. I think you have to see an album/song as a promotion tool nowadays. People discover your music more easily because of the free downloading.
On the other hand, also our record sales are down and music is now more a fast food thing. One day they like this song and the next day another one. In my opinion you also see this with new songs coming out. A lot of the more teen marketed songs don’t have any lasting power. But I think there will be a group of people left interested in buying records. We for example have decided to focus on putting out vinyl (45s and 12s) and digital downloads. Maybe later we compile the tracks for an album but we have the feeling the album as we know it will become more a niche market.

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13. Do you think that success is your motivation and do you have a preset gameplan for your music/the band?

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I don’t know if we have ’success’. Depends what you mean by that. We’re still a very uinderground band and have to work hard to pay the bills. We don’t have a ‘hit’ or anything :). But we have succes if you define it that we have fans all over the world and that you can get our records in a lot of countries. Also we play in a lot of the European countries. We have not a detailed preset gameplan. We’re not made up by a record company etc. But of course we talk about the future and we think about how we can reach our public (promo/gigs/image etc).

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14. DJ’s are now as famous as a lot of the bands they play, what are your views on this and do you think it’s deserved?

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Just talked about this with a guest dj I had last night at my party Struttin in Amsterdam (www.struttin.nl).
In Amsterdam for example dj’s are more famous than bands and I think its a shame.
Most dj’s don’t make their own music and on top of that you have dj’s using serato or even an iPod to dj. They just download a lot of songs for free and ask a lot of money to play them in a club. I think that’s stupid. It would be nice if people would appreciate the making of music a bit more, than hearing a song being played by a DJ.

In Amsterdam its getting worse and worse. I’ve got a second night on Wednesday I organize with live music being played by great bands and special appearences (www.hipdrop.nl). The live part is from 10 till 12 am and afterwards there are dj’s. More people come after 12 am because they just want to dance on records played by a dj.

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15. To date, what has been your most memorable gig (either as a performer or as a fan)?

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That would be our gig at Lowlands 1,5 years ago. Its a big festival in the Netherlands and we played for I think 6000+ very enthusiastic people. From the first note on they clapped, danced and screamed. We felt a lot of positive energy. Very nice vibe.

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16. How do you overcome pre-gig nerves (if you get them)?

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I don’t have them anymore, only if its a very big gig or for TV. In November 2007 we did a performance for a big Dutch TV show and I got some pre-gig nerves. But once I play it’s over.

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17. When did you last write something?

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I have rough ideas on and off. Last week we all made a song together. We not really ‘write’ anything on paper. I use a voice recorder to tape rough ideas and maybe work on it a bit more before we try it with the band. The other band members follow the same route.

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18. Have you ever reached a point where you’ve thought about throwing the towel in and walking away (and if so, what persuaded you otherwise)?

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Not really. We’ve got some ups and downs but we straighten it out and carry on. We still think we can grow and make some good music.

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19. What are your views on electronics muscling in and replacing live instuments during recording?

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I’m not a great fan of electronics/ computer made music. I’m more a vintage man. For me electronic music doesn’t have soul/ feeling.

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20. Lastly, thank you for your time. What made you agree to answer these questions?

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Promotion baby, spreading the gospel! 

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~ by thebeatcollector on May 7, 2008.