CHIRP Radio writesCHIRP Radio Q&A With Sons of Ra (Performing at CHIRP Night at the Whistler on 10/3)

[photos by Andrew Rothmund]

Chicago group Sons of Ra is performing at CHIRP Night at the Whistler on Tuesday, October 3rd with Levi Stress. We caught up with the band (Erik Oldman on Guitar, Keith Wakefield on Bass and Tenor Saxophone, Michael Rataj on Drums) to ask them a few questions about themselves and their music…

So...What’s going on? Tell us about your current releases and/or upcoming shows (such as CHIRP Night at the Whistler!).

Erik: we’ve just wrapped up tracking and are mixing our full-length album Standard Deviation which will be out in March 2024.

We’ve collaborated with Levi Stress live in the past for a number of our shows. He invited us on the bill to back him for this show and we’re pretty enthused to work on translating some of his tracks into a live band hip-hop set him at the Whistler on Tuesday.

Later in October  we are heading out on the road for a few dates around the upper Midwest. We will also be back in Chicago on Sunday October 22 at Livewire Lounge.

Mike: We’ve also started a side band with the 3 of us called KW3 and you can expect to find a more chilled, soul jazz trio mixed with funk and R&B influences. It allows us to explore a different side of influences and sounds than what we typically write and perform as Sons of Ra at those shows. 

How do you go about turning your thoughts, ideas, and feelings into sounds?

Erik: For me there’s always music going on in my head, but if it’s associated with an experience that creates an emotional reaction it tends to stick around and eventually makes it to voice memo or some sort of notation. Sometimes it’s an idea… melody or a motif I bring to the guys and we jam on it and start working on developing and arranging. Sometimes it’s a fully-formed piece and we work through fitting it into the group setting and giving it some life.

Mike: Same, being a drummer it’s now impossible not to try to find rhythm and cycles in almost every repetitive sound I hear, so then it’s hearing how the rain drops and picking a smooth rhythm out of it.  Although I’m also a big fan of nature and unplugging and I think that’s a great way to let the most important things percolate to the top of your mind.

Keith: What I love about this band is we are all pretty open to just about anything.  We bring a bunch of influences and weirdness, yet we are able to experiment and adjust in a mostly judgment-free zone until we have something that is ready for Prime Time.

If your music was a kind of beer, ice cream, or coffee (take your pick), what would it taste like?

Erik: I’m a coffee addict. For me it’d be a funky blend with Ethiopian beans that bring a smooth but deliciously strong character and some sort of really rich beans with a bright flavor from Central  or South America. Nutty, citrousy.

Mike: some Sons of Ra songs are almost like a blend of those 3, hah.  Seems off putting, but there’s a nice melody, there’s some dark/heavy undertones and it’s usually perky and up-beat.

Keith: I’m not much of a coffee drinker but I do beer and ice cream…often at the same time.  And I agree with Mike, our music is a blend.  Like a Chocolate Stout / Coffee Ice Cream float.  Hmmm….

Do you have any particular or unexpected influences? Are any other artists or bands catching your attention at the moment?

Erik: I’m always looking for new music to listen to, especially local stuff. Some Chicago artists  I really like at the moment include Cole DeGenova, The Cell Phones, Without Waves, Rezzn, and Isaiah Collier. I’ve also been on a huge Motown catalog bender and am really diving back into Irakere, an Afro-Cuban fusion band I got into when I was in college.

Mike: We love the arty stuff and bebop, and I’ll go on kicks when we’re learning a bunch of new songs that i’ll listen to the most basic pop songs, but my drumming is clearly a little heavier handed than most traditional jazz players, and that’s my upbringing with punk and metal…  no one in particular but every time I play a show with new bands there’s at least a couple of things I take away that I’d like to add to my playing or our live show or something.

Keith:  I admittedly spend too much time listening to old music.  There is just so much good music out there I feel like I’ll never catch up to the present.  I just took a quick look at my Spotify “Jump Back In” section so that I could answer this question, and I see Gary Burton / Steve Swallow, Marvin Gaye, Andrew Bird, Slayer, and The Brecker Brothers.  If I dig further in my history for newer artists, I see Brad Meese (independent Chicago songwriter), Animals as Leaders, and Ryan Burns (another great Chicago songwriter).  I also agree with Erik on Without Waves.  They are amazing and a local band that absolutely has influenced me.

If you couldn’t make music or be involved with music, what would you be doing right now?

Erik: I like creating things. I would get  back into  drawing and painting full-time or open a restaurant.

Mike: yeah same, I’d like to get back into drawing.  But then I’d also like to play piano and learn guitar better.. But that’s still music, hah.  I like making hot sauce and cooking. I tried stopping music for a minute to work hard at a job but I was pulled back, I just love it.

Keith: Drugs.

What’s the dumbest thing you’ve ever done in a basement?

Erik: It involved a can of rubber cement, a sharpie, and a snickers bar. I’ll leave it at that.

Keith: It involved a 50 gallon fish tank, a bottle of Pine Sol, and a siphon hose.  I’ll leave it at that.

If you were someone’s life coach, what are the top 2 life lessons you’d teach them?

Erik: Never lose sight of what makes you happy. Treat people how you like to be treated.

Mike: haha don’t take advice off the internet too seriously, and try not to compare yourself to others.

Keith: Don’t get too hung up on disappointments as they are learning opportunities.  You never know what will happen tomorrow.

Learn more about Sons of Ra