Up Close with Providence’s Boo City
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Boo City describes themselves as “rooted in Soul, Rock, Rhythm & Blues”, and as offering an alternative to the “noise and hardcore sound that has epitomized the Providence rock scene for the last decade.” Founded in 2009 by Andrew Moon Bain and Tai Awolaju, Boo City not only features traditional drums, guitar, and bass, but also features its own brass section. GoLocalProv caught up with Bain before the band's Sound Session 2010 gig this Saturday, July 24.
Tell me about your band Boo City. How did it form, and what kind of music do you play?
I had been growing disinterested in producing other artists and really wanted to get back to playing, writing and performing my own music. I had been playing and touring with some of the artists I produced but that was all Reggae and Dancehall music, which is not what I typically write at all. I had been thinking about starting my own project and my friend Tai, who also had not been singing or performing in a while came to me about starting something together. Boo City pulls from a myriad of influences for sure but essentially we play Rhythm & Blues. It is rooted in Soul and Rock but we have some splashes of country, blues and reggae. I think it feels and sounds congruent. We don’t have a different song in each genre per se, it is more like our diverse influences inspire us in creating a unified sound.
You've produced a number of other artists. How does your production work reflect upon your own band's sound?
I am looking forward to recording in the beginning of August. We have an EP we are going to work on in the studio so that will pull on my years of producing. My production work definitely shapes the way we write and arrange songs. I tend to lean towards a format for our tunes and always think about what people and myself would sing along with. I tend to urge strong or simple melodic hooks and shorter arrangements. I am excited to record with this band and produce it fully.
Boo City is playing at this week's Sound Session, how do you see Sound Session's contribution to our local music scene?
Yeah, we are all looking forward to that show! Sound Session is an experience for everyone in Providence and the whole region. It is one of the most exciting and anticipated moments on the local music scene. I am particularly psyched to see so many local acts on it this year. Sound Session and the Black Rep in general are a vital source of art and culture in this community. They bring and pair diverse talent that no one else around here does.
You've been involved in a number of music projects, what would you like to experiment with musically that you haven't had a chance to try yet?
I have been really influenced by a lot of country music over the last year and a half, and am excited about the songs I am writing through this influence. I grew up listening to a lot of Patsy Cline from my mama so it is nice to get back into that era of music and remember the stuff I was hearing as a kid. In a recent song we wrote as a band we have a Dancehall break in a kind of club-rock track. I have also been in talks about doing a Radiohead-esque dance and rock project with one of my favorite reggae artists I work with, Jahdan Blakkamoore. That would be fun.
Boo City will be performing on Saturday, July 24th on the Bank of America Skating Center stage at Sound Session 2010, and on Saturday, July 31 on the Burnside Park Stage at IndieArts Fest 2010.
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