Simon Wright and the Eclective
- Genre
- Funk, Hip–Hop, Reggae, Soul
- Location
- Collingwood, Victoria
Interview with Simon Wright and the Eclective, 06.04.09
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How did your band meet?
I had moved from Byron Bay down to Melbourne with the intension of finding the ultimate band and expanding my music career. I met Tristan (the guitarist) at a small bar on Smith st during a Jazz jam Sunday afternoon session. He gave me the numbers for some hot rhythm sections around the city, we tried a few out and ended up settling on Owen (Bass) and a fella Jeremy Hopkins on Drums. I then met Andy (Keys) at a gig he was playing with Rob Longstaff. With that core unit I was able to land a residency at one of Melbourne's hot spots "The Night Cat" and as far as the hot players in Melbourne go, a gig there is better than money. So I was able to convince a couple of mates from Melbourne band "De Jah Groove" Gus (sax) and Dave (Percussion) to come join us. Gus brought a good friend of his Oscar (trumpet) and that was it. Since then we had a couple of changes, Jeremy (drums) became too busy with his acting. We went through a few drummers and ended up with Travis Constable, he is brilliant!! And Dave (Percussion) Became too busy with his parent business so we ended up with Phil Binnoto, also brilliant....
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Where did the idea for your band's name come from?
My old band in Byron was called the "Groove Collective", I wanted the band in Melbourne to be a bit more versatile so I thought of calling it the "Eclectic Collective" but ended up merging the words together to the "Eclective" its not a real word but i think it's very descriptive of our sound.
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What music has inspired your band?
When we first started we had not really established a sound so we had a lot of folk influence, but that never sat quite right. These days its all funk/soul/reggae/hip hop. A lot of influence from those scenes including Stevie Wonder, Jackson 5, The Roots, Fat Freddy's Drop, Common, D'angelo, James Brown....
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Use three words to sum up your band?
FUN, fun, fun!
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What venue would you most like to play at?
Festivals.... all the festivals. Worldwide. We are a live band ultimately. We feed off the crowd. The better the vibe the better the show.
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If you had a choice, who would be your support band?
Cat Empire. They are from a similar scene to us and they have made an impression worldwide. It's inspiring to know that guys like me, that grew up in the city I'm living in, playing with the same guys I am, have made such an impact on the international circuit. And i think we'd have a similar audience....
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Three people dead or alive you would invite to your gig, and why?
Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson and Common. And they are all alive so you never know. They are all such inspirations. In my mind they have all reached such greatness without letting it impact on there creativity and honesty. Which by the look of others in the scene it seems is a difficult thing to achieve
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What are you listening to at the moment?
Jason Mraz. Didn't like it at first, to tell you the truth i hadn't given it a chance. Usually tune out to radio hits. But that guy is an amazing song writer/ singer/ performer.
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Where will your band be in five years from now?
Headling Glastonbury Festival. Ha . I wish!!
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Any tips you would like to share with your fellow muso's?
Don't be afraid to do it. Sometimes the only person holding you back is yourself.....
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Do you live the Rock n Roll lifestyle?
Yeah I guess. I keep telling myself to behave but all these late nights become addictive