Listen to a playlist of classic soul songs (perhaps featuring legends like Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin or Otis Redding), and you'll hear some common themes: resilience, love, healing. While contemporaries to the original soul movement, Soulganic brings the same sentiments and vintage sounds forward and takes them into the future with some indie flair and Latin twists.
"We always felt that our music would open up a conversation.”– Cory McClure, member of Soulganic
Interview Highlights:
The two on how they got into music:
Anthony Rodriguez: My earliest musical memory was sitting on the floor in our apartment in the Bronx holding the LP of Stevie Wonder’s ‘Talking Book.’ I would just stare at it forever and from that point on it was like music, music, music.
Cory McClure: Growing up in the church, I had been exposed to music all of my life. Just like with Anthony, my Father was a singer in the Church and a minister. I remember as a kid, he would listen to Stevie Wonder day in and day out. He told me by 2-years-old, I was able to whistle some of the tunes.
Anthony Rodriguez on Cory McClure’s audition to be Soulganic’s drummer:
He came in and it was like we had been playing with us forever. It was just magic.
Anthony Rodriguez on performing:
Music is this form of self-expression that’s incredibly intimate. At the same time, it gives an opportunity to share. You get out there and you share a little bit of who you are. Then, you enjoy what people share about themselves and it can make it feel like home.
Anthony Rodriguez on the band’s name Soulganic and its sound:
We were looking for something that people could hear instantly, and get an image mentally of perhaps what they were going to experience.
If you think back traditionally in what could be termed "soul music," in the 40s and 50s with bee-bop, they were introducing Latin percussion even back then. You take it through the generations: Curtis Mayfield was a genius at doing that, Stevie Wonder brought those elements in, and on and on. What we have tried to do is take it and just amp it up just a little bit – make [the Latin percussion] a little more present, and make it more integral to our sound.
Cory McClure on the Charlotte music scene:
There are certain types of music – or genres of music – that are played in different parts of the city. Like if you want to hear what we call "soul music," there’s a certain place in town you can go to hear soul music. If you want to hear top-40s or pop, we have little pockets [for that].
What you don’t see a lot of is those circles coming together. It’s like, the people who listen to soul music, they listen to soul music. The people who listen to pop music, they listen to pop.
As far as gigs are concerned and playing in Charlotte, you find certain individuals that are super supportive – and that we’re really grateful for. What has been beautiful in our case is those who have supported us have come from all walks of the Charlotte performance scene, not just the music scene.
Music featured in this #WFAEAmplifier chat:
Soulganic - "Forham & Walton (On My Way Up)"
Soulganic - "Clouds of Yesterday"
Soulganic - "Space Between / In Time"
Soulganic - "We Will Rise"
Soulganic - "Brother (Freedom is Calling)"
Soulganic - "Light Gon Shine"
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