Liam McGorry, trumpeter of local funk/soul/all-around fun band Saskwatch is already waiting patiently at Northside Records, bag full of vinyl and a polite manner.
He excitably tells me about the upcoming 7’’ launches for Saskwatch’s third single, ‘Your Love’ (In Melbourne, Sydney and Ballarat). The single in question is their catchiest to date, not that they ever had any problem filling a dancefloor, and punters at the recent Falls Festival and Golden Plains will attest to this. Dancing to ‘Your Love’ is like travelling back to a Chicago nightclub in the 50s or 60s.
With recent supports for Earth, Wind & Fire as well as packed residencies at Cherry Bar’s soul nights, it’s no wonder Saskwatch are being called off overseas. McGorry revealing that they will be performing at the upcoming Edinburgh festival.
Appearing to be calm and collected about all the recent fanfare, the trumpeter shrugs off congratulations. Beginning a quick chat about the state of the Melbourne live music scene – not enough soul music for Gen Y was the agreement, though McGorry maintains they get all ages at shows – and the different energy that soul music brings to the stage that most other genres can’t.
McGorry goes further, “you know you don’t want to just reproduce stuff, you want to put your own personal stamp on it, and hopefully we’re doing something like that.”
Speaking of not wanting to be a reproduction, the question arises, ‘what bands inspire Saskwatch?’ The perfect answer was a trip to Melbourne’s Northside Records, where McGorry takes us through a few of his favourite LPs.
Los Miticos del Ritmo – Los Miticos del Ritmo (Soundway, 2012)
A studio band from Colombia that embodies the Cumbia sound to which McGorry makes frequent reference (think of the kind of Tropicali sound that’s very popular now, Os Mutantes etc.). ‘‘I suppose I first got into the Cumbia when I started coming to Northside Records, Chris [Gill, the owner and RRR radio host] showed me the way. I love the feel of this record, the energy that’s in the sound, it’s such a raucous sound, and also just the way the instruments are played – it’s working class music, I guess like a response to Ska. I suppose the energy of the album is probably what influences [our] band the most.’’
The Step Kids – The Step Kids (Stone’s Throw, 2011)
An American band known for their stage appearance, wearing all white to accompany live projections. And this visual element seems to be what McGorry likes about them the most, ‘they’re more of a jazz/hip-hop influence I would say. Actually there’s a bit of soul in there too, a bit of everything really, and they have a great stage energy. Definitely their live show is the aspect I love about them. It’s just simple club music, that’s why I like it.’’
El Michels Affair – Sounding Out The City (Truth & Soul, 2005)
Another (relatively) recent American band, an instrumental group from New York. The music teacher in McGorry is obviously coming out at this point (a lot of the band have similar jobs, lead singer Nkechi Anele is a Librarian): “Such good arrangements on this album, it has a great feel, almost a soundtrack influence, a composition style – more Isaac Hayes, real instrumental soul music.’’
The Frowning Clouds – Listen Closlier (Off The Hip, 2010)
A pleasant surprise when McGorry pulls it off the shelf, a local group (from Geelong) who create heavily 60s-influenced tracks. “I’m really into 60s music myself, it was the best time for music, bands like The Kingsmen and stuff I love, and we toured with these guys last year. They’re really nice guys and their music is great.”
Wings – Band on the Run (Apple, 1973)
Some cheese probably had to be mentioned at some point, but Wings – really? McGorry isn’t fazed, “the title track is my favourite, it’s a classic, though every song is great. There’s really great songwriting going on here, it’s very nostalgic but I like it. I guess it’s an early influence. I mean, who isn’t influenced by Paul McCartney?”
The Cactus Channel – Haptics (HopeStreet, 2012)
Another local group, a dance band that put on a good live show (sensing a theme here). McGorry describes them enthusiastically, “I suppose after The Bamboos, this is the next generation. It’s kind of instrumental funk and these guys are just out of high school. They’re pretty roots influenced and the album just has great tracks.’’ At the mention of Cactus Channel, Northside Records’ owner, Chris, perks up, “Cactus Channel? Future of the world!”
Well, six albums with common themes, that’s a pretty decent dedication to the genre, but McGorry isn’t done yet – listing a few more acts that get him excited “Dr. Dog! You have to listen to them. Javelin as well, they’re both influenced by older genres – though I like everything really. Even The Black Keys, Wu-Tang Clan; I saw A Tribe Called Quest when they came out… I guess they all are soul influenced.’’
Nothing wrong with that, and seeing as the band performed at Golden Plains this year, did they check out Charles Bradley? McGorry’s eyes widen, “He was great! Yeah I’m a big fan.”
Chris Gill overhears the talk of new emerging bands and offers, “bands like Saskwatch are what any thriving music scene needs, because they offer constant, new interpretation. It’s so great to see, the more the merrier and the younger the better. There’s heaps of young funk bands popping up all over the world. People just love that energy and it’s not an easy genre to play, you’ve got to be reasonably competent and so these kids learn to apply themselves.”
The praise is not surprising, Gill was prompted to conceive his own record label purely because of the band, and it looks like they could be the sole part of the label lineup for a while. An upcoming release however will feature the sound of Melbourne funk and soul, with Saskwatch leading the forthcoming compilation album with a feature appearance from Lance Ferguson of The Bamboos in the works. Then, of course, Saskwatch’s debut album drops on August 17. So be sure to catch them at one of their single launches before they head off overseas.
Saskwatch launch their 7” single ‘Your Love’ at Melbourne’s Ding Dong Lounge on Friday 20th July, Saturday 28th July at Sydney’s Beresford Hotel and in Ballarat on Friday 3rd August.
