Sola Rosa - Taking the Turnaround
Author: Andrew Hughes (photography by Jeremy Toth)
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A delayed album can be pushed back for any number of reasons such as money, label difficulties or creative problems. Andrew Spraggon, the nucleus of Sola Rosa, had to leave listeners without a fresh album for three and a half years, but not due to the reasons above. Why then? Spraggon was more concerned with changing the direction of his Sola Rosa sound, while also focusing his concentration on the organic process of recording live. He talks to Andrew Hughes about bringing the new album together with a variety of collaborators.
'Get It Together' is due for release early March and is a blend of Spraggon's influences mixed with the musical talents of luminaries like Julien Dyne, Victoria Kelly and Scratch 22. Standing 11 tracks strong, the result is a fanfare of shimmying joints that see Spraggon moving slightly away from the dub/reggae style showcased in Sola Rosa's sophomore album 'Moves On'. A lively album throughout, 'Get It Together' has little room for anything lacking in character.
"I was like, 'I'm going to make a really live album this time around, and try to use less samples and record live drums and do everything that I can live' …that was learning how to use microphones, how to use pre-amps, how to mix drums, how to use gates. All that stuff took time and there were so many sessions where it was kinda like, 'That sounds great!' and then you spend a couple months trying to mix a drum track and it's like, 'Fuck this, let's go and do it again'. So there was quite a lot of learning and that's the reason it took so long really."
Sola Rosa as a live outfit has been regathering momentum with dates in Raglan and new Auckland pub venue Sale St in late January, bringing a trusted group of musicians to the stage, namely Spraggon, Matt Short, Ben White and Will Scott. Rising star vocalist Iva Lamkum and frequent collaborator Spikey Tee will also be accompanying the crew for their national tour which kicks off at The San Francisco Bath House in Wellington on March 21st. Once categorised as a downbeat producer, this time Spraggon was much more influenced by playing live with these musicians.
"I'm always trying to make each album a bit less safe than the last one. That's more about what works live. I found from years of playing live sets with 'Haunted Outtakes' and 'Solarized' and even 'Moves On', there was so much mellowness to it, playing live you just want to pick it up sometimes. So this album was a reaction to that really."
"I was like, 'I'm going to make a really live album this time around, and try to use less samples and record live drums and do everything that I can live' …that was learning how to use microphones, how to use pre-amps, how to mix drums, how to use gates. All that stuff took time and there were so many sessions where it was kinda like, 'That sounds great!' and then you spend a couple months trying to mix a drum track and it's like, 'Fuck this, let's go and do it again'. So there was quite a lot of learning and that's the reason it took so long really."
Sola Rosa as a live outfit has been regathering momentum with dates in Raglan and new Auckland pub venue Sale St in late January, bringing a trusted group of musicians to the stage, namely Spraggon, Matt Short, Ben White and Will Scott. Rising star vocalist Iva Lamkum and frequent collaborator Spikey Tee will also be accompanying the crew for their national tour which kicks off at The San Francisco Bath House in Wellington on March 21st. Once categorised as a downbeat producer, this time Spraggon was much more influenced by playing live with these musicians.
"I'm always trying to make each album a bit less safe than the last one. That's more about what works live. I found from years of playing live sets with 'Haunted Outtakes' and 'Solarized' and even 'Moves On', there was so much mellowness to it, playing live you just want to pick it up sometimes. So this album was a reaction to that really."
