SOULIVE U.S. TOUR KICKS OFF APRIL 15
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This April and May, funk powerhouse Soulive will hit the road in support of their new record Up Here, which will be released April 14 on their new label Royal Family Records.
March 2009 marks Soulive's 10th Anniversary - ten years since Eric Krasno, Alan Evans and his brother Neal Evans got together at a home studio outside of Woodstock, NY and recorded the funky soul-jazz EP Get Down! in a single afternoon.
While ten years is something to celebrate, Soulive is not looking backwards. Unencumbered by a record contract and equipped with a state-of-the-art recording studio, Soulive is embracing the new music business model, launching their own record label, Royal Family Records. The label will market and distribute all Soulive recordings as well as numerous affiliated projects such as the hard funk outfit Lettuce, Eric's soul project “Chapter 2" and Alan's and Neal's solo records. The label will also sign and develop emerging talent. The first artist to join up is soul singer Nigel Hall, who will release an EP this spring and join the band on the road.
The debut release on Royal Family Records will be Soulive's new studio effort, Up Here. The LP was recorded in Alan's studio in South Deerfield, Mass in the fall of 2008. “This is the Soulive album I've always wanted to record - I've been hearing it in my head for years," says Alan, who also tracked and mixed the record.
The record's opening track “Upright" immediately sets the tone with an undeniably infectious groove featuring Neal on an old upright piano. The band then offers up a few nods to the old-school: “For Granted" is a tip of the hat to Grant Green, featuring some Eric licks reminiscent of the classic early solos on Get Down and Turn it Out. Guest vocalist Nigel Hall tears it up on the retro-soul number “Too Much," and Eric makes his guitar sing on the laid-back grind of “Put On Yo Pajamas." The entire record features tight horn arrangements from long-time Soulive collaborators and friends, Sam Kininger and Ryan Zoidis.
Soulive tour dates available here.
