Groove Movement/51 Acres in "Full Weave"Last night I caught the Groove Movement and 51 Acres at Sam's Burger Joint in what they call a "full weave". I won't do a full review of the show because I've already done a review of The Groove Movement and a review of 51 Acres. So I'll just say if you get a chance to catch these guys jamming together, grab it.
Also this week I was lucky enough to get the guys from the Groove Movement to agree to do an e-mail interview with me! And here it is:
Interview with the Groove Movement:
Rowan:
As I understand from talking to Matt, The Groove Movement is unusual in that you don’t always practice or play in full formation. Also, some members switch instruments depending on the configuration (Matt plays bass or keyboards, Aaron plays percussion or bass). So, when you take the stage, you basically are doing an improvisational jam.
Describe more fully for the readers the makeup of The Groove Movement and how this works.
Groove Movement:
Frank Pena, Danny Gallegos, Aaron Elias, and Matt Wolff are the Groove Movement. Frank, Danny and Matt write the songs the band plays, however, when we are not on our respective instruments, IE. Frank - guitar, Danny - drum set, Aaron - percussion, and Matt - bass, we are for the most part improvising. The majority of the songs we write are written in such a way that it leaves plenty of room to improv. Ex. verse - chorus, verse - chorus, bridge - improv, outro.
When someone else is performing with the Groove Movement, they are performing as a guest. It is kind of like we are trying out different musicians to see if anyone of them will stick. Most of the time the player only sticks around for a short while, or for only one gig. Someday we will jam with someone that the glove will just fit right, whether it be a sax, violin, clarinet, or piano/bass player. It could be any instrument, what really matters is whether or not they mesh with the band musically and personally.
Rowan:
I’m interested in your songwriting process. Do you actually sit down and write songs or do you just get together and jam until something you like comes out of it?
Groove Movement:
We do both. Sometimes Frank will have an idea for a song, play it for us (Danny and Matt) and we will work it into a song. Other times we will jam and someone will remember a phrase from the jam and says, "hey, let's turn this into a song." We sit in a small room real close with our instruments and talk things out, try different changes both rhythmic and melodic, and iron out beginnings and endings.
Rowan:
Improvisation seems to me to require quite a bit of knowledge and skill. What kind of musical education and background do you guys have?
Groove Movement:
We have all been playing our respective instrument for several years. Danny got his first drum set when he was six years old. Frank and Matt both started taking piano lessons when they were ten years old. The three of us have all studied western music theory for many years as well. Frank has been teaching himself at home for many years, mainly jazz theory. Danny studied the drum set all through out high school and on into the Marines. Matt studied for two years at SACC and then went on to UTSA to study for another year.
Rowan:
This coming weekend (Friday July 22), I am going to Sam’s to catch The Groove Movement in what I’ve heard referred to as a "Full Weave" with 51 Acres. How does that work? Do you work on songs together with 51 Acres or is it all improvising?
Groove Movement:
A Full Weave happens when most of the members of 51 Acres are playing on-stage with most of the members from Groove Movement. The music that is created when this happens is 90% improvised and is always amazing, full of energy. Our bands have become good friends over the last several months. We are both considered jam bands, so it just made sense to see what would happen if we mixed members. Sure enough, the first time we did led to an incredible jam.
Rowan:
The Groove Movement has a unique sound. Who are your musical influences?
Groove Movement:
Frank - Frank Zappa, Herbie Hancock, Bill Frizzle.
Danny - Papa Joe Jones, Frank Zappa, Tower of Power.
Matt - Marcus Miller, Phish, Medeski, Martin and Wood.
Rowan:
What do you listen to that might surprise people who have heard your music?
Groove Movement:
Frank - Aaron Copeland.
Danny - Yanni.
Matt - Simon and Garfunkel.
Rowan:
Individually, what inspired you to pick up your chosen instrument?
Groove Movement:
Frank - The sound of the instrument.
Danny - High School Marching Band.
Matt - The feeling of intense improv.
Rowan:
Do you remember the first song you learned to play?
Groove Movement:
Frank - Color of the World (original).
Danny - No.
Matt - Heart and Soul.
Rowan:
What would you like to see more of in music today?
Groove Movement:
More local support of original music.
Rowan:
What do you want people who see your show to walk away with?
Groove Movement:
We want them to walk away with a better understanding of what it means to improvise a song or a set. It's not easy to make an improvised jam sound good all of the time. Sometimes a member will fumble and we will have a train wreck, that's when the audience is like, "What just happened? Did they end the song, or is that part of it???" It's a good thing we have gotten good enough to where that doesn't happen that much anymore. We also want them to have a feeling of wanting more. We want them to enjoy it so much that they tell all their Friends to come to our next show. But most of all, we want them to say, damn, that was sooo original.
Rowan:
How would like to hear them describe The Groove Movement?
Groove Movement:
Jazz with a Groove, a lot of Movement through out their songs. Funky! Kick ass and sexy. Original all the way....
Sounds like a great description to me! Thanks guys!
You can check out The Groove Movement August 20th at Crabby Jack's.