It’s anyone’s guess what music Soulive will play when the band takes the stage for it’s local show, but one thing is almost certain — the sound will be eclectic.
Soulive’s last CD “No Place Like Soul” took the band’s already mature sound and added even more old-school R&B, reggae, soul, hip hop vocals and blues to the blend. The songs also contained vocals, a departure from the mostly instrumental music from which the band rarely strayed except for brief guest vocalist spots held by Chaka Khan and Ivan Neville and other luminaries.
“We’ve been playing instrumental music for eight years, and we love doing it,” said drummer Alan Evans. “But we’ve always strived to reinvent ourselves; none of us wants to hear the same old thing all the time.”
Not that they would. Soulive is an offshoot of the musical careers of the veteran musicians who make up the band and have worked in various musical capacities with such heavy hitters as Justin Timberlake, Dave Matthews and 50 Cent.
So there’s no telling what’s in store for audiences when Soulive plays this week.
“It’s true,” guitarist Eric Krasno said. “Our whole thing is that we will play anywhere there is a good sound system, and it’s a good situation for fans. …That is what is really cool.”
It’s also cool for the fans that can see Soulive night after night but never see the same show twice.
“I love to play and I love playing with these guys,” Krasno said. “We have such great chemistry together.”
As far as Evans is concerned, the group’s affiliation with Stax makes it all the richer.
“When I [received] the final version of the album with the Stax logo on it and everything, [it was] a huge accomplishment for me,” he said. “Back in the day, everyone on Stax had their own thing: Isaac Hayes, Otis Redding, the Bar-Kays, Carla Thomas — they were real individuals. There’s character in that music, and we’re ecstatic to be doing our thing as a part of that lineage.”
IF YOU GO
Soulive with Basshound
- Venue: Rams Head Live, 20 Market Place, Baltimore
- When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
- Tickets: $25
- Info.: 410-244-1131
