Hi guys, for episode 2 of A2A, I got to talk with the Miami band, Purple?, on their creative process, inspirations, and their album, “The Purple”. Made up of Aldo Canals (guitarist and vocals), David Hidalgo (guitarist and vocals), Amaury “Gary” Rovira (Bassist and vocals), and Juan Seijas (drums), Purpe? has reached a variety of accomplishments including various performances around Florida, a tour, an EP release, and even won an Oski award this year for best rock band. Read the interview below and get to know Purple?
E: When did you all start making music (both individually and as a group), and what was the inspiration for that?
DAVID: I started making music at 11 years old. I learned that my dad used to play trumpet at one point in his life. It made me want to pick up the trumpet. Then, as I began exploring various genres of amazing, inspiring music, I eventually moved on to bass and guitar a few years later. Through high school I met Aldo, and Noah who was a founding member of Purple?. I started as Purple?’s producer and engineer in February, 2014, and became an official member by June. From there on, we just kept making music together, playing shows, and hanging out and enjoying each other’s company.
ALDO: My dad has been a jazz aficionado since before I was born; he was always playing some inspiring music around the house and in the car on the way to school. That inspired me to pick up the clarinet and saxophone, and eventually the electric bass and guitar.
JUAN: I think i starting making music when i was 14. I got my first laptop and i starting making weird sounds on audacity. Every time someone came over the house to hang, i would show them little snippets of the songs and see if they liked it. I still do that till this day.
E: At what point did you each start to think, “Ok, this could be a serious career for me?”
AMAURY: I had that thought as soon as we wrote a few songs and I’ve held strong to that belief for the entire time someone would be planning their career. I joke about being homeless one day because I know I won’t give up. It’s a feeling I get deep in my bones; I’ll be doing this for the rest of my life.
DAVID: The moment I realized that all I know, breathe, talk about, think about, wake up to, sleep to, dream about, and do best is music.
ALDO: I used to harbor a strong sense of ambivalence toward music as a career. But I was recently admitted into the Frost School at UM, where my perspective changed. The esteemed staff and student body are the best around, and the environment has enabled me to absorb copious amounts of information about music and the industry. It feels so tangible now, that my goals can be accomplished. I am more determined about music now than I have ever been.
JUAN: I was 11 or 12 years old and my dad got me Rock Band 2 for Christmas. This is gonna sound weird but, the characters on stage looked like they were having the time of their lives and enjoyed playing every song. I honestly wanna be just like those characters and have a cool career like them ever since I got rock band.
E: How important is timing in terms of touring or certain releases?
AMAURY: timing is everything. It can be hard to keep the ball rolling if you start to promote a release too early. And if you don’t do research, you could end up dropping your album around a time where there’s just too much going on.
E: Has not having a large discography up to this point ever held you guys back from doing shows?
JUAN: I don’t think that’s ever been a problem with us because we have so much music in our storage. We practice every week and we have alot of new material on it’s way so its fun building up more music for the fans and stage.
E: You guys are listed as “indie-rock” on I-tunes, what genre do you guys think best describes your music, if any?
ALDO: That’s the blanket term that I use, and I think it fits pretty well. I normally tell people that our genre lies in between indie rock and indie pop when trying to be a little more specific. We also incorporate elements from other genres, so there’s some ambiguity to it.
JUAN: I have no idea. People ask us that all the time and I tell them to come watch us play or listen to the album. Some people get mad but I don’t like putting labels on our music because I think its REALLY different and everybody in the band has completely different musical influences and you can hear that in the our sound. Sometimes I tell people “Japanese Latin Reggae” to throw them off.
E: Switching gears to your EP, how does the cover art represent the overall project?
AMAURY: The cover art, hand drawn by Noah Levine, has the same vibe as the album. Being that Noah wrote or co-wrote the whole project, the art and a lot of the music came from the same place creatively.
E: For the first song, “Just Maybe”, you guys had a certain flavor to it. Not exactly sure how I would categorize it. What was the influence and meaning behind this song and why put it as the opener of the album?
DAVID: The sound and style of the song comes from the specific mixture of influences of Purple?’s founding lineup.
AMAURY: Just Maybe is the first chapter in the albums storyline. In that song, you see the protagonist experimenting with different girls and having fun in that area in general. Later in the album though, he begins his search for Mrs Right.
E: How does the structure of the tracklist represent the album?
AMAURY: The tracks are structured in chronological order following a narrative. In short, the album is about a man going through a few trials of love and receiving advice from loved ones in regard with what to think or do next.
E: I really liked what Juan did on this particular song as well. Juan, when I saw you perform with Kaelin Martin during his “Superfiction” set at the Cream show last December, I noticed you went into this trance-like state almost. I loved it. You seemed to enter a whole new state of mind through music. Could you talk a little bit about that and what it was like working with Kaelin leading up to and at that show?
JUAN: HOLY SHIT. DUDE. That show was super fun And working with Kaelin is completely different for me and i learn alot from him. I mean, we make completely different types of music so when i work with him, its almost like we are complete opposites in a way. To me, that’s what makes it fun working with him because our ideas are fucking weird and strange. He’s a Mini Kanye to me because he has a vision that I DON’T even fucking know till this DAY. And about that trance that i get when i play…….. I HAVE NO FUCKING IDEA. The music literally makes me feel like I’m in some fantasyland and i feel like im floating in the air to the sky and i can’t control it honestly. People ask me all the time what the fuck is wrong with me and i just shrug my shoulders.
Also I’ve worked with kaelin since i think 2013 because we have mutual friends and shit. I learn alot because he listens to alot of the stuff that the people are in to. So he keeps me updated on what the kids are listening to because i dont really listen to alot of the music that’s poppin now. Kaelin and I have alot of material in the making so stay tuned kids..
E: Moving down the tracklist, “Think About This” and “Simple Man” both seemed to have this underlying theme of not just love, but the lose thereof, which carried out through the project. How influential do you think those emotions or experiences are in both the songwriting and the performance of your music?
AMAURY: Emotion is everything. Sometimes it has to first be felt, then you get to hear what that feeling sounds like. It’s a beautiful thing.
E: What I particularly liked about this EP was the heavy use of more rhythm (or acoustic?) guitar rather than heavy electric guitar like most bands in this area. How do you guys think your music would be different (both sound wise and reception from fan wise) if you had decided to go with a heavier, more electric sound?
JUAN: I really like the lyrics and the guitar solos and the music makes you think about things you’ve never thought about before. Lmao the guitar in the whole album is beautiful in it’s own way. Our music can actually put you in a trance if you listen close enough. I think the fans label us as a “Chill mellow smoke some weed” type of band. That’s cool with me.
E: On songs like “Convinced” and “Life Is Sliding By”, you guys talk about not repeating bad habits and going out and making something positive happen. Personally, since I decided to take art and creative endeavors seriously as a career, I’ve noticed more and more the lack of drive and sometimes even a basic desire to do anything positive at all in the masses. Do you guys feel you can help that situation through your music?
E: In terms of promotion and marketing, how do you guys think is the best way to handle that? Nowadays a lot of musicians are going with self-management and networking solely off the Internet like soundcloud and the various social medias (Ex. Key!, Awful Records). Do you guys think this approach could work for bands as well?
ALDO: Self-management is a great way for an artist to take the reigns of their career and realize their vision as they see fit. It’s a great model for the solo artist, but a band must take a different approach to this. A strong sense of responsibility, drive and cooperation is needed from all members, not just some, in order to self-manage. The music industry is rapidly changing in incredible ways as technology continues to help us listen and connect to new artists. The way that a band functions in the music industry is certainly changing as well, and we will have to adapt. It will be a matter of refining the method as time goes on.
E: How do you guys think music streaming platforms like Tidal and Apple music are impacting the craft and the mindsets of artists, both positively and negatively?
ALDO: Speaking anecdotally, music streaming has changed my life for the better as a listener. It allows me to indulge in all the jazz, classical, rock and world music that I enjoy without worrying about a limited amount of memory on my iPod. As an artist, it’s an excellent medium to share your music with people. But the streaming model is still being refined. Currently, artists are not making enough revenue off of streaming. Spotify has trouble paying the artists enough. And with ever-increasing competition, how they can continue this is something yet to be seen, and they’re one of the big streaming names. As mentioned before, it is a matter of refinement as time goes on.
E: What can people expect for your next project?
AMAURY: All I can say is that the quality of our next album will set new standards for what local bands and artists can do.
DAVID: A severe case of explosive grooves and good sounds.
ALDO: Innovation drives music forward, and I believe that’s what is happening in Purple?
JUAN: Our next project is gonna be fun to listen because its COMPLETELY different from the last one. Can’t tell you much but stay tuned.
E: Where can people find you online and where can people find your music?
AMAURY: Here’s everywhere you can find “The Purple?” : iTunes World Wide, Google Play, Amazon MP3, Spotify, Last.fm, Shazam, eMusic, Rhapsody, Digital Virgo, Medianet, Zune (Musiwave), Myxer, 24-7 Entertainment, Play.com, 7 Digital, Slacker, Deezer, Simfy, Aspiro, We7, Nokia, Gracenote, Hoopla,iHeartRadio, JB Hi-Fi, Muve Music,Xbox Music, Omnifone, and Rovi.
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