- Fri, 2010-01-29 11:04
US soul sensation Eli “Paperboy” Reed follows up his first two idependently released albums with his third record, Come and Get It, his major-label debut. Having played in high school bands as a teenager in his native Boston, the word of mouth eventually spread due to his strong influence of classic R&B, soul and gospel, strong self-penned material and ultimately, his incredible voice. I Like Music caught up with Eli to chat about his music, influences, future plans and more!
"It makes me feel something that nothing else can make me feel.” Eli Paperboy Reed
ILM: How would you describe your music?
Eli: You can kinda of talk about it as pop songs! I do it in my own style which is informed by everything I grew up with, soul music, blues and gospel and everything else. The songs can be interpreted in any way. That’s what makes it more interesting.
ILM: What can we expect from your album?
Eli: Unlike the last album there are some bigger arrangements. The most important thing is that you can really identify the songs as my own. That’s a really big deal for me.
ILM: How would you describe your process of making music? How did it all come together?
Eli: We had all the songs written beforehand. We worked through arrangements in rehearsal. When we were recording we did the guitar, bass and drums all live at the same time. Some of the vocals were done live too. Everyone was in the room together so we could get that kind of feeling. After that we put on percussion and horns and strings and everything like that. Then I could really take my place and work more in the producer mode, that way I can really shape the sound.
ILM: You’re working with a lot of old sounds and inspirations; soul, blues, gospel. What is it about those forms of music that you love?
Eli: It’s music that contains such a wide variety of emotion . I don’t think that exists so much anymore. I think this album has so many feelings you can get from each song, so many things people can relate to.
ILM: What’s your earliest musical memory?
Eli: Music has been around me all my life. A big event for me was when my Dad got a Ray Charles boxset. When I heard that, it blew my mind. It changed a lot of stuff for me, you know?
ILM: What music have you been listening to recently?
Eli: Everything, new and old. From Jimmy Lewis, an old 70’s RnB singer to new bands like Dr Dog and Delta Spirit. I also spend a lot of time listening to Gospel music and new country.
ILM: Will you be branching out into new genres in the future?
Eli: I’m trying to combine genres and make a style for myself. That’s the goal. I’d love to do a country record or maybe collaborate with some hip hop artists. That would be really cool.
ILM: Who would be your dream Hip Hop collaboration?
Eli: Outkast would be really cool or something with the RZA would be really awesome!
ILM: What are your future plans?
Eli: We’re going to hit the road again in April for a club tour. Then again in Festivals over in the UK. Hopefully the record will really start to grow too. I have real high hopes for the record, I’m really proud of it!
