Rockin' Soul Band
Contemporary
, NJ
Cover Band
Interview with Rockin' Soul Band
What made you decide to create "Rockin' Soul Band"?
The band has existed in one form or another for many years always focusing on classic hits. Eddie Abraham (Guitarist and Band Manager) is a professional sound guy and runs his own DJ and Karaoke business in northern New Jersey. Eddie believes there's nothing better than a live band when it comes to music entertainment and so has run Rockin' Soul Band to provide a full service of entertainment.
How did you come up with the name?
It really reflects the type of music we enjoy - classic rock and soul. Originally the name came from the idea we wanted to be "rocking your soul".
Tell us about your repertoire! What made you choose the songs you play?
Previous versions of the band played older material such as Motown, Philly Soul, 70s disco and funk. We do still sprinkle these songs in especially for shows where there's more of a family or older audience. Our lead singer Mea is the Queen of Party vibes - crowds love her presence and energy so we play songs that she enjoys. While she loves classics like Whitney Houston's I Wanna Dance With Somebody, she has brought more popular modern party tunes in - for example, we play a couple of Rihanna songs, Beyonce's Texas Hold 'Em, Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift etc. But we really have a diverse setlist - everything from 70s disco tunes like "Shame" by Evelyn "Champagne" King and Donna Summer's "Bad Girls", to a Tina Turner style rendition of "Proud Mary", to Journey's "Don't Stop Believing". We even sprinkle a few jazz/funk instrumentals in as warm ups. We really try and cover the full spectrum from Rock to Soul and beyond.
What would you say you enjoy most about performing live?
Seeing people go from sitting quietly to being on their feet dancing, or singing with their friends. Generally, we want people to come away from our shows thinking they had a fun and memorable time with their friends and family. Mea always looks out for birthday parties in the crowd which are quite common in the venues we play and we try to really make sure we're making it a memorable party for them.
Do you get requests to perform certain songs? If so, how do you handle them?
Our setlist is quite diverse now so we don't get a ton of requests as we try to cater to every taste.
Does "Rockin' Soul Band" have any cool shows or notable events coming up?
In August we are playing the Saint Sebastian Feast in Montclair, New Jersey for the second year in a row. This is an outdoor festival with food trucks and amusement rides etc. It's run by the local Society of Saint Sebastian who do a lot of good in the local community. The event attracts anywhere between 8-10,000 local people.
Do you have any notable achievements with "Rockin' Soul Band"?
We've not won any awards or anything like that - and honestly that's not the motivation. While of course it's nice to get paid a little bit to help cover the costs of being in a band etc we do this for the love of it not because we expect awards, or any kind of huge fame. We love playing for friends and family, as well as new audiences that haven't heard us before.
What are your fondest memories with "Rockin' Soul Band"?
Playing live with talented musicians. Also performing at the Saint Sebastian festival last year was pretty cool. We had a great sound system provided by Space Cowboy Productions (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559586886574) and the weather was perfect! Of course, playing to a larger crowd than you would get in a local bar is also a thrill.
What would you say "Rockin' Soul Band" struggled with that led you to start using Bandinq?
Finding new bars and venues - particularly those that have a good setup for bands (i.e. a stage).
What would be once piece of advice that you could give to aspiring musicians, or up-and-coming artists looking to perform?
Choose songs that you perform well - which isn't always the songs your musicians most want to play. If the music sounds good, and you play it well, people will respond. Also, keep practicing and don't give up. You don't have to be perfect - we've been in bands that never got to play out in front of an audience because some of the band wanted to wait until each song was perfect (which is never the case!). We still occasionally mess up songs, even ones we've done a thousand times. Find ways to communicate on stage with gestures and have lots of eye contact - and have fun!
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