"We all have aspects of smoke and aspects of sugar," writes Mari Quinn-Makwaia, but what comes from that in-between space is where all the possibility lies. Brooklyn based Funk Rock band Smoke and Sugar are reinventing the musical languages of community and artistic vitality. Against a backdrop of encroaching gentrification come the lively sounds of this impassioned five piece ensemble, adding to the spaces that they are in, soul addition, not subtraction, that's the key; "As long as the so-called transplants are infusing the city with their life as much as they’re taking from it then there can still be dyanmic growth" Mari says. As a native New Yorker Mari has seen first hand what has become of the city she grew up in; "It’s hard not to think that we’re witnessing the most extreme version of gentrification when five years can result in unrecognizable neighborhoods and neighbors. I hope that chains, clubs and high rises don’t end up defining my city because that would feel like conformity and status-oriented hierarchy driving out all the city’s weird kinks that I grew up through." Charles Bukowski once noted; "when you clean up a city, you also destroy it." Perhaps it's more apt to think of how our society has driven us, un-reflectively, into a constant, high stakes, all too wide profit driven market, and when this filters into art and into music, irrespective of diversity and of what's being made, neighborhoods which rely on and are infused with spirit through these artistic expressions become upended. But this isn't a defeatist story, it is one of immense hope, light and groove. After all, Smoke and Sugar are the embodiment of life and celebration. "To inspire people to dance - in their heads, their hearts and their bodies," Mari says, while holding the tensions and working through the difficulties, that is Smoke and that is Sugar. As any gardener knows, you have to prepare the soil for what comes next, Smoke and Sugar are planting the seeds, we each have to bring the water. AHC: Working together as an ensemble, with each of you having very distinct and different approaches to music and sound, what does the democratic dynamic of the band look and feel like and how does it play out for each of you? Band: It’s very fluid, and every band member brings something of equal value to the table. I love being inspired by my band mates, and their contributions are what bolster my own. The biggest difficulty is we prefer to take a lot of time to experiment, and we never have enough. AHC: In terms of influence, what bands collaborative, dynamic energy do you most admire in popular or underground music? When you guys were growing up, what were the bands you most wanted to be a part of, the music that moved you, stirred your soul and made it impossible for you to want to do anything else other than music? I'm talking transformation, not just the stuff we think is good, but the stuff we can't live without. Who and what are some of those artists who have irrevocably helped to shape, shatter and inspire you? Alex: My father introduced me to the large majority of my favorite music. The two groups that we would listen to the most were Santana and The Doors. Those keyboardists, Gregg Rolie and Ray Manzarek, definitely shaped my understanding of the role of the keyboard/organ in a rock band. Mari: Stevie Wonder has always felt like a prophet to me. As a child I listened to his words and the moods he created sonically as something like a sermon. I’ve laughed, cried and danced over the light and deep issues of the world thanks to Stevie. As a performer, listening to Jeff Buckley’s delivery was life changing. He emotes so viscerally that the listerner can’t help but to feel what he is feeling. AHC: Let's talk gentrification, what most agitates you when you see what is happening, not just in NYC, but in major city after major city, loss of the ability for artists and the communities they are a part of to have a sense of stability for their neighborhoods, their cultures, their life stories, their music and art scenes, what do you think we are losing and where do you think hope lies today? Do you see Smoke & Sugar as a way of leading by example, musically, ethically? Mari: It’s sad to watch local businesses disappear to make way for multi-million-dollar high-rises. Unfortunately, New York has always been the capitalist’s Darwinian jungle, the financially successful slowly pushing out those who cannot compete. I’m not sure what it would take to defend these communities against the corporations. This administration has made it quite clear that big business is king. AHC: What are your fondest musical memories? In your house? In your neighborhood or town? Alex: My fondest musical memories are putting my father’s CDs in the stereo system we had in my childhood home. Brad: My love for music developed while playing video games while extremely young. I’ve since realized that may have influenced what I love to do musically, create an evocative mood or atmosphere through groove or unique chord progressions. Mike: I’ve been listening to the radio since I can remember. I remember the high I got when I heard a certain groove or chorus come in and I’d be in a trance. Lex: I fell in love with music in a deeper way when I started going to this performing arts high school that had a big music library and I would check out cd’s at random or by suggestions and I’d go home and listen to them many times over. Mari: Some of my fondest memories are moments when my sister and I would put on an album and make up interpretive dances for the full hour. It was a sure way into an imaginative world.
L to R: Alex Bradford, Michael Robinson, Mari Quinn-Makwaia, Lex Nordlinger & Brad Morrison
AHC: What's the best piece of advice you've each received, life advice, music advice? Mari: I certainly didn’t “receive” this advice personally, but my favorite life advice quote at the moment is: “I feel like you only come to this movie once and if you don't get something rewarding out of every minute you're sitting there, you're blowing your ticket." -Ken Kesey Sometimes I feel paralyzed by choice or ambition and need to releive the pressure in order to move. In those moments I remember this quote from George Harrison: “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.” AHC: What have been your biggest heartaches and your biggest hopes when it comes to the music, the struggles and the triumphs of making sounds with your heart in a world that increasingly devalues what the heart makes? Mari: I don’t know if I could be living out the trope of an emerging artist in her twenties if I didn’t believe that though the world can devalue what the heart makes there are always communities of people who treasure it. Artists are dangerous for tyrannical leaders of any era because we rock the boat. We question the values of the system in place and just the act of asking questions can be revolutionary. My heart sounds are just the story of one person trying to open her eyes. I love how many new woke artists I’ve discovered just this past year. Not only do they inspire me and my music but they also prove to the rest of the world that there are a lot of heart valuers and critical thinkers out there! AHC: In your time in Cuba, did you get the sense that the Cuban people have managed to hold on to something we've lost in America, the festival of the people, where art and music are celebrated as inherently necessary components of local and social life? What was the magic of that moment and experience that wouldn't let you sleep until you did something with it? Mari: Cuba is an incredible example of how much vivacity you can create from stretching the fewest resources. When you and your neighbors switch off bumming and sharing your cigarettes there has to be some kind of fulfillment that can be found outside of money. With the Haitian and Afro-Cuban underground cultures (much like Santería) art and music were more than a pasttime or a hobby, they were vehicles through which identity and culture could survive. There are so many musicians who play musical chairs with multiple instruments so they can be paid for any possible gig opportunity. So many artists there who create for the artistry over the fame. Who could resist reassessing what music means when surrounded by all of that creative conviction? AHC: What do you mourn most about what is happening to your city, but equally, where do you see the hope that is not only still there, but that is also busy being born? Mari: NYC is a verb. One of the muscles that will always be flexing is that of gentrification. It’s hard not to think that we’re witnessing the most extreme version when five years can result in unrecognizable neighborhoods and neighbors. I hope that chains, clubs and high rises don’t end up defining my city because that would feel like conformity and status-oriented hierarchy driving out all the city’s weird kinks that I grew up through. However, there is a lot of community organizing centered around the history and the present of marginalized and native New Yorkers. As long as the so-called transplants are infusing the city with their life as much as they’re taking from it then there can still be dyanmic growth. AHC: What do you hope Smoke & Sugar's musical impact will be or is becoming already? When people leave one of your shows, what do you hope they take away, in their heads, their hearts and their bodies? Mari: My wish is to inspire people to dance - in their heads, their hearts and their bodies. Most of our songs incorporate both reflective and expressive moments. I want to show how we can all hold space for those kinds of tensions, even when it can feel dissonant, and dance through it. Whenever I find a dichotmy I try to frame it not as either one or the other but as “both and”. We all have aspects of smoke and aspects of sugar. When they are allowed to coexist and mix together what other aspects can be born? AHC: Do you have any words of advice or encouragement for other musicians and singer-songwriters out there who are just starting out and trying to find their voice and their way in this world? What are the kinds of things that you tell yourself when you begin to have doubts or are struggling with the creative process? Or what kinds of things have others told you that have helped push you past moments of self doubt/creative blocks? Mari: It can be really hard to be an artist in a culture that is so results oriented. So much of art making is about the process, since it mirrors life which is most definitely not a static thing. Whenever I hit a road block I try to see it as a challenge that my psyche will only be able to work through by tackling it in another realm. A playful, creative realm that is safe from the literal. I was recently shown Martha Graham’s letter to Agnes De Mille and think it is a beautiful call to action for doubting artists: “There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open.” Keep up with Smoke and Sugar by visiting their website, Facebook and Instagram. Comments are closed.
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December 2024
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