Soulive Biography

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Biography Soulive

Soulive is a jazz trio that originated in Woodstock, New York, and is known for its ripping solos and catchy, upbeat songs. The band consists of Eric Krasno (guitar), Alan Evans (drums), and Neal Evans (Hammond B3 organ, bass keys, clavinet). Although they originated as a trio, the band worked extensively with different horn sections, which consisted of Sam Kininger (saxophone) from 2000-2003, and Rashawn Ross (trumpet) and Ryan Zoidis (saxophone) from 2003-2006. Currently the band is touring as a quartet with Toussaint as the full time vocalist.

History

On March 2 1999, brothers Alan and Neal Evans invited guitarist Eric Krasno to record some tracks with them in their home studio in Woodstock, New York. That jam session became their first EP, Get Down!, and the band shortly thereafter realized their potential together and hit the road to begin touring. It was during that first summer together that the band recorded their first LP, Turn It Out, for Velour Recordings. Turn It Out featured various distinguished guest musicians, including John Scofield, Oteil Burbridge, and Sam Kininger. The independently produced album went on to sell 65,000 copies, enabling Soulive to gain recognition in the jazz/funk scene.

In the next three years, Soulive would develop a loyal fan base while shaping a prolific touring career. They embarked on five national tours headlining 1000-2000 capacity venues in all major markets. The band opened for The Rolling Stones, Dave Matthews Band, The Roots, Common, John Mayer, and others. The band also continued to play at various festivals, including the Monterey Jazz Fest and Bonnaroo. Overseas, Soulive would consistently sell out shows in Japan and all over Europe.

In the fall of 2000, Soulive signed a record deal with Blue Note Records, a respected jazz record label. In the spring of 2001, Soulive released their first Blue Note album, Doin' Something, which featured horn arrangements by Fred Wesley, the trombonist from James Brown's band. The band's second Blue Note record, Next, was broader than their previous releases, featuring guest vocalists Dave Matthews and Amel Larrieux, and rappers Talib Kweli and Black Thought. The record was widely considered to solidify the band's place in the jazz industry and to broaden its fan base.

In 2003, Soulive released a self-titled live album, Soulive , and a collection of remixes, Turn It Out Remixed, which featured guests Jurassic 5, DJ Spinna, DJ Krush, J-Live, Wordsworth and the Beatnuts.

In the Summer of 2005, Soulive left Blue Note Records and signed a new contract with the jazz label Concord Records.

On September 13 2005, Soulive released their first album with Concord Records, Break Out, which proved to be a step in a different direction for the band musically. Gone are the extended jams; in their place are beat-driven instrumentals and dazzling collaborations with a host of inspiring artists, including Chaka Khan (featured on "Back Again"), Ivan Neville (featured on "Got Soul" and "Take It Easy"), Corey Glover (featured on "Freedom"), Robert Randolph (featured on the Jimi Hendrix cover "Crosstown Traffic" and also on "Interlude II"), and Reggie Watts (featured on "She's Hooked" and "What Can You Do?"). The album is thought to have broadened Soulive's fan base even further, keeping beat conscious hip-hop heads on their toes while resonating with those who grew up on Earth, Wind & Fire, Sly & The Family Stone, and Curtis Mayfield.

The quartet spent the latter half of 2006 recording No Place Like Soul with producer Stewart Lerman, who?s also worked with such disparate talents as Loudon Wainwright III, Dar Williams and Vinicius Cantuaria. Alan explains that when the band first set up shop in Lerman?s Greenwich Village studio, the Shinebox, the plan was to write and demo at the same time, then take the best material to a different studio to track the album. But everyone ended up happy with what they laid down at the Shinebox. Alan says he and the band dug the personality and the spontaneity they captured in Lerman?s space and didn?t want to risk sacrificing those qualities by rerecording the music elsewhere. It?s a mindframe that demonstrates the perfect fit between Soulive and the relaunched Stax Records. ?I?m so excited,? the drummer says of the band?s affiliation with the label. ?When I get the final version of the album with the Stax logo on it and everything, that?ll be a huge accomplishment for me. 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.

As of the summer of 2007, Boston based reggae/soul artist Toussaint has been invited by the band to permanently fill the position of lead vocalist. However, after the tour, the band decided to become a trio yet again. In a post to the Soulive messageboard, Alan Evans explained: "we just want to have fun. no more chasing the "pop" thing or whatever that is. we just want to go out and rage, no setlists, no huge venues, no tour busses. just have fun. this is not to say we didn't have fun with touss, we did but we realized that in looking at our past..... we have had the most success and most fun when it was just the trio." (http://soulive.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3138)