Simplistic Interview

First off would you guys like to introduce Simplistic? (give us an idea who you are.)

Yeah, as far as describing ‘Simplistic” our sound is a fusion of funk, hip-hop and R&B. The primary goal is to get people to shake their asses while they are listening to us…

If we were to have an official mission statement it would be. we want you to shake your ass… (we’re still working on the wording)

If there was an executive summary of what occurs at Simplistic shows it would simply be: People shook their asses.

Ok I’m done.

How did you all get together to form Simplistic?

We formed almost a year ago, Sky had a book of rhymes and basically we just started putting things to music. It was a cool way to start; it was like having instant original tunes.

Our first couple practices we’re interesting, Brian our drummer didn’t have a kit so, he played on this miniature drum set for kids 5+… It was still funky though. After Brian got a kit, we were together for about a month and got a gig playing a house party. Going into the gig, we had few doubts about how we would be received; we ended up killing it though! This basement was packed people we’re really digging it, after that, we were all like “Yeah we have some legit tunes, let’s keep doing this.”

Since then our sound has evolved to be a bit more R&B than straight hip-hop. We had to change our drummer in July, our boy Brian moved away… Our new drummer Sam keeps it real funky, it was an easy transition.

Where does the inspiration come from to make the music? How does the "magic" happen when you are all together jamming out or recording in the studio?

I think for the genre of music we play, it’s about creating something that people can listen to, tap their foot, dance and just enjoy themselves. We’re not trying to rant about politics or convey some sad life event from the past, our lyrics are about enjoying life, finding love and listening to funky jams… anyone can relate to those things.

As far as song writing goes, for us it has been very spontaneous and instinctive. Someone will play a lick or come up with a couple rhymes and then it’s on… Things fall into place; it’s really strange how it works. We haven’t been as successful sitting down and “officially” trying to write new material. For us, that method of songwriting seems strained and unnatural.

Our songwriting method has something to do with celestial alignment; I’m not sure what that alignment is… When we figure it out we’ll come out with a double disc set or something… ridiculous.

What is the music scene like these days in Eugene Oregon? Venues?

The Eugene music scene is actually pretty cool; with the college here you get a lot of really talented people that leads to some great bands. As far as bar venues, Luckey’s, Downtown Lounge and Oak street are the go to live music venues. There are a couple other spots, they can be hit and miss though, that’s a nice way of saying they are completely empty all the time and playing there is less than satisfying… Playing to empty venues is part of the business though.

A tour? is that in store at all?

Definitely, we went to the bay area last March and played a couple shows. We would like to do a trip to Seattle and maybe out to the East side of the state. Eastern Oregon has a dearth of live music, it might be cool to try and gig in Hood River, Pendleton…

The future for simplistic? Upcoming projects, what should we expect from the group music wise?

Musically we’ve shifted away from the straight hip hop sound towards a more funk/R&B sound. Some of our newer influences are Maxwell, Excellent Gentlemen from PDX and (can’t forget) our boy Ginuwine.

As far as marketing goes, it’s somewhat easier to gig as a band that is R&B as opposed to “hip-hop” some people are really opposed to hip hop culture and the music… c’est la vie.

Do you have a cd out? If so what is it called how can the people get it? When should we expect the next one to drop?

Ahh yeah, we’ll be recording some new stuff this November, we guarantee ass shaking grooves!

Shoutouts?!!

Of course… Our boy Brian J, for some song inspiration…

Jeremy and Don from Eugene band Taste… Thanks for the help.

Most importantly all of our homeys and homegirls that come to the shows…

And yeah thanks Mr. Roles, for the pics and putting this together, we really appreciate it.

Thanks for the interview guys! Make sure to check out their music on their MySpace. These guys get down @ live shows, seen em rock the didgeridoo!!