"The Capital Strokes Unchained!": Randy Roberts & The Capital Strokes [Interview]

Continuing in a lengthy tradition of stellar funk and soul acts hailing from Italy – including worthwhile representation in recent years from Calibro 35 and Soulful Torino Orchestra (from independent Italian record label Record Kicks) – the debut album from Randy Roberts & The Capital Strokes promises to carry that tradition from 2015 going forward!

Based in Rome, the band’s new release, entitled ‘CS’, is an open testament to the genre’s pioneers like Sly Stone, Curtis Mayfield, Prince and George Clinton, but perhaps no bigger testament than to one of the pioneers of Italian soul music itself, Rocky Roberts.  Rocky Roberts was perhaps most well-known for having sang the original ‘Django’ theme from the 1966 movie, and subsequently having it reused in the Quentin Tarantino 2012 remake (‘Django Unchained’), and is also the father of The Capital Strokes’, Randy. 

Initially starting out as a covers band, The Capital Strokes soon evolved into creating music in their own right: the 12-piece band can boast performances at Italian music festivals including Umbria Jazz, Tolfa Jazz and Atina Jazz, plus members of The Capital Strokes have also provided session work for other notable soul acts including Tony Momrelle and Martha High.  With the wealth of experience the collective are able to boast, the timing seems perfect for Randy Roberts & The Capital Strokes to take centre stage and assume that spotlight for eager fans worldwide.  The 13-track album draws upon the earlier listed soul and funk luminaries but the songs also introduce enough of the band’s only personality and charm to offer the scene and the genre that little something different.  Songs like ‘I Can’t Do Without Love’, ‘Do It Like The Strokes’ and the band’s lead single, ‘Oh Yeah!’, deserve your attention.

The Blue-in-Green Blog was lucky enough to catch up with Randy Roberts to discuss the band’s new project, ‘CS’.

How much of an influence was your father's music to what you and the Capital Strokes are now creating?
Well, actually my father is in every single move or decision I make, what I have as a vision, depends totally on what I saw during my childhood! The energy and power that my show has is exactly what I have in my blood just because of him!

How does the process of writing and producing new music work for you as a unit?
We don’t have any set rules for that.  We always feel the urge to create, to compose a song, to form a part of our show, rather than arrange a new song.  We 'let it flow'.  I guess I can say we’re very lucky because it so happens that we have three different composers in the band... and we’re always connected to each other, bouncing off ideas, new melodies, riffs, or guitar licks, helping each other, collaborating and working hard to obtain the best result.

Can you tell us a little about what went into the making of 'CS’?
We played the rhythmic instruments all together trying to obtain the same groove that we have when we’re onstage. Then, we played the horns section, always together, then I recorded all of the voice parts in my studio. The funny thing is that of all the interludes we have in 'CS', '3AM' is a kind of an inside joke I had with Jorma (guitarist). In a corner of the studio where we worked on the rhythmics there was a weird pedal owned by Alex Di Nunzio, our precious sound engineer. I told Jorma there was no way he could find a way to incorporate that in our music! Of course, it was a challenge that he accepted immediately, he plugged in the pedal and he played what you’re listening to on that track. Alex pressed REC and Jorma played that astonishing riff. The next day I was in the studio and laced up the rest of it!!! The other interludes are simply the warm up of the second day of our recording session, I told Alex to record the warm up, I brought all the tracks home and I edited 'Ghost' and 'Tomei’s Joint'. 'Doo Wop' is just me freely creating something with the 'Do it Like The Strokes' theme.

The video for 'Oh Yeah!' seemed like it was a lot of fun to make: what made you settle on 'Oh Yeah!' for the single release?
'Oh Yeah!' is one of the most representative songs of 'CS', that’s it! we thought we needed a fresh, powerful introduction to let people get to know us so, it turned out we picked 'Oh Yeah!' rather than 'Do It Like The Strokes' because it's a little easier to digest at first.

Who would be a dream collaborator for Randy Roberts & The Capital Strokes?
Right now I’m thinking of Mark Ronson, but the answer is every artist who can give us what we don’t have now.

How does the music from the album translate to the stage?
If you’re asking me what kind of impact our songs have, the answer is they make you move, they make you happy, they make you stop thinking about everything that's bothering you. ... I’m a workaholic and you know what, I need to listen to what I love, that makes we want to listen and listen and listen and listen more, it means creating a connection, an interplay, a groove, that with passion gets refined in every detail, it's an obsession for the improvement, 12 people playing in the same direction to get more than what we have on 'CS'.  We’re entertaining before everything else, and to be entertaining we have to feel it!

Which one song from 'CS' would you play to win over a prospective new fan?
'Do It Like The Strokes' for sure.  In our shows, every fan sings it! Somebody once sang it to me when answering the phone!

'Born In Black & White' [Limited Edition CD] by Myles Sanko

We do love a bit of Myles Sanko - an incredible torchbearer for a new generation of soul music: his is an inimitable style paired with a relentless work ethic so as with any Myles Sanko post I make, I continue to urge listeners to get on the train. 

Currently touring his 2014 album release 'Forever Dreaming' (on Legere Recordings), Sanko has now paid the due respect to his earlier digital-only release, 'Born In Black & White', by releasing a CD version for the die-hards among us.  The CD version features two live recordings from Denmark plus an unreleased acoustic 'Rhodes & Vocal' demo recorded in 2010.  The inlay card also features images from the live session too.  If you're lucky... and I mean SUPER lucky... your CD will be signed as well :)

'Born In Black & White' is genuinely blissful summer soul so get your copy ASAP from www.vibedeck.com/mylessanko

Tracklisting:

1. High On You
2. So Hard To Stop
3. Distant From You
4. Come On Home
5. Don't Let Me Down
6. Goodbye Lady Goodbye
7. Sea Of Fire
8. Save My Soul (Live)
9. Come On Home (Live)
10. City To Crumble (Original Demo)

"Catch Me if You Can": Gizmo [Interview]

 

The prodigal talents of Kenneth “Gizmo” Rodgers can’t be over-stated.  The bassist (multi-instrumentalist really!), writer, producer and band leader, who is still only in his early-twenties, boasts two solo musical ventures under his belt, along with having chalked up performances with Meshell Ndegeocello, Marc de Clive-Lowe, Victor Wooten and Talib Kweli… pause for breath… Further to that, he has also assumed the role of musical director for artists including Lalah Hathaway and Bilal and cites Derrick Hodge and Meshell Ndegeocello as friends and mentors.  Credentials also come in the form of having studied jazz at the Berklee College of Music and having performed all over the country.  As I say, Gizmo’s prodigal talents can not be over-stated.

Furthering the tradition of the world-reknown Philadelphia soul movement, Gizmo unveiled his debut album, ‘Red Balloon’, in 2012 through Revive Music.  The album saw production by the aforementioned Derrick Hodge (bassist for the Robert Glasper Experiment) and featured guest spots from another Experiment affiliate, vocoderist and saxophonist, Casey Benjamin, vocalists Nick Hakim, Anna Wise, among a hefty handful of others.  The album’s concept cleverly likening a balloon floating skywards to the feelings of aimlessness, directionless and even loneliness we can often feel in our own lives.  It’s those intuitive and personal sentiments that the album focuses on and which make it a joy to listen to – particularly the ingenious title track.

The follow-up EP, ‘The Middle’, released in 2013, takes a very different approach, as the man himself will go on to explain below.  Excellent songs like’ White Walls’ and a complete reimagining of Cyndi Lauper’s ‘Girls Just Want to Have Fun’ are equally pleasant and demonstrate Gizmo’s burgeoning skill.

Duke Ellington once declared, “Jazz is freedom”.  He also compared jazz to the type of man you wouldn’t want your daughter to associate with, and while the legendary composer and band-leader’s ahead-of-his-time insights both hold water, let’s focus on the former phrase for now: he actually went on to describe jazz as “the only unhampered, unhindered expression of complete freedom yet”.  ‘Red Balloon’ is the embodiment of that freedom – a piece of music free of musical confines or restrictions.  You could describe what Gizmo creates as music incorporating elements of jazz, hip-hop, soul, rock and Latin sounds, or you could say that at its heart, it’s a jazz record, realised in all its glory.

It’s such a win for us to have Gizmo take time out for a brief chat and, if his music is new to you, check out a couple of his videos here starting with the gem that is ‘Red Balloon’…

IMRAN: Who were some of your earliest musical influences that inspired you to start playing?
GIZMO: Meshell Ndegeocello, James Taylor, George Clinton, Sly Stone, Victor Wooten, Herbie Hancock, Tracy Chapman, Miles Davis… The list goes on and on.

How would you say the creative process of writing, producing and recording new music usually works for you?
The creative process is constantly changing.  Lately, I have been pushing myself to explore some alternative methods of producing and recording.  Usually it starts with my at home by myself, with a bass or piano.  I usually think of music first and lyrics last.  I don’t like to do too much pre-production.  I get in the studio with the musicians and we lay stuff down until we get it right.  Pretty old school that way.

Congratulations on the success of 'Red Balloon': did you have a clear idea of what you wanted the music to sound like at the outset of the project?
No, I did not have a clear idea at all.  The songs were recorded separately over about two years.  I wasn’t planning on making a record.  Just wanted to have ideas.  I ended up putting it all together though, just a collection of sounds from where I was at that point in my life.

Have you ever feared that creating such a diverse, genre-blending sound would work against you?
When I first started, I just wanted to make music that was true to me. I didn’t think that deeply. I just thought I had some cool ideas and wanted to facilitate some expression that I had lingering inside of me.  As I began to market the record, I realized  that it may be difficult with the “genre-blending” as you say.  So there were times I worried that people may not be receptive, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

Can you talk about went into the making of 'The Middle' EP?
That was the opposite of ‘Red Balloon’.  I recorded the entire EP in one day.  We rehearsed for a couple hours the day before then I just went in the studio with the band and played music.  It was one of those moments where everything was in sync.  I wanted to try and make songs that were a bit more concise.  I challenged myself to “get to the point” with ‘The Middle’.

You've opted for such a diverse selection of covers (namely 'Use Somebody' and 'Girls Just Want to Have Fun'): what made you pick them? And, are there any others you'd like to tackle?
I think the words to 'Girls Just Want to Have Fun' are incredible.  I like the lyrics, but the original track is so groovy that most people don’t notice. I decided to slow the song down and try to provide an alternative view into the song’s core.
'Use Somebody' is just one of my favorite songs.  I like to cover songs in my own way, so I just had fun with that one. It is one of my favorite songs to play live.  The song also reminds me a lot of Boston for some reason.

Are plans currently in place for a follow-up album or project?
Working on a new record now!!

Who would be a dream musical collaborator?
Dream collaborator – I really want to do a song with Nick Minaj and Tyler the Creator.  I think we could do something really cool together.  Can you make that happen? Lol

How does your music transfer to the live stage?
Live is totally different than the records.  We play in the moment and try to capture a vibe. We usually are louder and play a bit more aggressive live.  I try not to think about it too much and just have fun.