Soul Rebels Interview - Part 2

The Soul Rebels were born in the early 90s. Since then , they have created music that dares one to pigeonhole their sound. Band members include Lumar LeBlanc (snares and vocals), Derrick J. Moss (bass drum), Damion Francois (tuba), Tannon J. Williams (trumpet, flugelhorn and vocals), Marcus Hubbard (trumpet and vocals), Winston Turner (trombone and vocals) and William Terry (saxophone). As their bio proclaims, "The seven musicians throw down beats and work out a groove like only a tight-knit, intuitive crew can, each an essential part of the mix."

In part 2 of my interview with Lumar LeBlanc, we discuss goals and expectations.

TGB: WHAT GOALS DID YOU SET FOR YOURSELVES GOING INTO THIS ALBUM?

Lumar LeBlanc: First, we want to try and find the best facility, recording studio, to capture our sound.

DOES IT TAKE A CERTAIN TYPE OF STUDIO TO DO THAT?

Yes. You have to find a studio that is able to capture horns. To get the best clarity, brightness, warmth, ambiance, and the total of what horns have to offer. Like Earth Wind & Fire, their horns are magnificent. They sound so real and authentic. It is not only the talent level, but the studio that can handle the horns and provide what the horns are able to offer. The horn's sound is a direct result of someone blowing into the instrument, so the sound constantly changes and you have to have a studio that can handle and understand that. The next step is that you have to prepare mentally. You have to go into the studio with a game plan. You have to have your songs ready to record because you don't want to go into the studio and waste time. The third element would be that it is very hard to capture what you do live and put it on a CD, so you have to find some way to up that feel and that energy so that the person who buys or purchases the CD can experience the same vibe and intensity that happens at the live show. That's our approach.

DOES THE BAND GO THROUGH COMPROMISE BEFORE AN ALBUM IS DONE? WHAT IS THE PROCESS FOR COMPROMISE?

The process is the performances. We are blessed in that we perform so much on stage that we have time to deliberate what will work and what will not work. It's almost like a laboratory up there. We might come together and have a tune that, say, Winston Turner will come up with. He might present it a certain way, but after we finish chewing it up for at least a month on stage, by the time we spit it out, it has every other band members impression on the song. By the time it's ready for the studio, it's an expression of each individuals artistic personality. So, the process is worked out at gigs and on stage. A band member may come with a song and we'll let you know if we don't like a certain part of he music. So, we try to modify it and turn it into something that will work for each member. So, the gigs are where we work things out and by the time we hit the studio, we have it all mapped out so that we don't waste time.

IN OTHER WORDS, IT'S A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT.

It's six people and everybody contributes.

WHAT WERE THE EXPECTATIONS GOING INTO THE RECORDING OF REBELUTION?

We wanted something that was really explosive in the sense of artistic gifts that we each have. We wanted people to say, "I've never heard anything like this before." You hear tuba, horns, bass drums, snare drums with raps and everything. When it's all together, it makes sense. One of the expectations was that we wanted this to have excitement and explosiveness.

Another goals was that we wanted it to have a flow. We wanted it to have a more assertive flow. That's where the hip hop comes in. We wanted it to have that thump. We wanted it to make you move. Lyrically, we felt that we could get people who don't appreciate jazz to listen to instrumental music.

We also wanted it to be urban contemporary, but able to get into the mainstream.

DOES THIS ALBUM MEET EXPECTATIONS?

I think it does, but I still want the album to go mainstream.