PREVIEW
GREENLAW AVE.
Thursday, June 12
Kaos Jazz and Blues Bistro
So how do you combine soul, funk, reggae, ambient, roots and dub into one musical melting pot? Toronto’s Greenlaw Ave. seems to have it figured out.
Formed by vocalist/flautist Skyla J and rapper/bassist Ozzie, both former members of the now-defunct Selective Collective, Greenlaw Ave’s style is all funky downtempo, mixed with cleverly arranged old-school beats and dub atmospherics. Skyla attributes her musical eclecticism to early training.
"I was raised by a hippie mom," she says, laughing. "She loved music so much she set up two speakers on either side of her belly while she was pregnant with me. I grew up listening to everything – old R and B, funk, soul, Luther Vandross, George Benson (and) Led Zeppelin."
Even though Skyla grew up surrounded by music, it still took the urging of a stranger in her apartment building who heard her singing at home to get her to take singing lessons. Since then, she says, her musical career feels like destiny. The fact that she takes inspiration from Sade, Morcheeba and Canadian hip-hop diva Kinnie Starr makes for an edgy combination.
"I still think music found me," says Skyla. "I always knew what I wanted to do, but at the time didn’t know how to go about it. I remember, three years ago, I went to this three-day music festival in B.C. It was the first night and Kinnie Starr came on at about midnight. There were about 2,500 people, and in the middle of a set she just came down right into the middle of the audience and made eye-contact with every single person there. I realized ‘I wanna do that….’ With confidence, look 2,500 people in the eye."
Since then, Skyla has been working toward her goals non-stop. Acting not only as vocalist and flautist for the band, she is also responsible for the lyrics of the group’s original songs. But she’s quick to note that the band’s creative process is a collective effort. Pressed to describe the band’s sound, Skyla says it’s a soulful groove, but one that has elements of all sorts of different influences.
"The band really started out as one big jam session," she says. "We’d come together and talk about what would sound good on each of our instruments, I’d start singing over it and – bada-bing – there it was. It was all very natural."
The release of Greenlaw Ave’s debut album coincides with their cross-Canada tour, which brings them to Kaos not just to play music, but also to get a message across.
"Educate yourself," Skyla says. "Be kind to yourself and your fellow human beings. It’s all about maintaining a balance with yourself and the world around you. There’s enough bullshit in the world. We have to realize that every single one of our actions has a consequence on the world. We’ve somehow become fragmented in our universe. I think there’s this interconnectedness with all of us."
What’s more important, the music or the message?
"I’ll just tell you what I tell everyone else. If you dig groovy music and you dig feeling good, then you should come to the show." |
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