Vancouver's Gonna Boogaloo; The Greyboy Allstars are Coming to Town

The first time I saw the names Greyboy and Karl Denson, it was on the back cover of The September Sessions Soundtrack: track 3, "Grey's Groove". As a lover of bands like St. Germain and Thievery Corporation, Denson's expressive flute solo in combination with the tune's flowing beats had a way of enveloping me in the sound.

Six years later, the band Greyboy and Denson co-founded are coming to town. The Greyboy Allstars take the acid jazz of Grey's Groove and inject it with the funk of Sly and the Family Stone and the soul of James Brown—a mixture that guarantees to get listeners dancing.

I had the opportunity to ask GBA bassist Chris Stillwell some questions via email. Continue reading for his responses.

For readers who are unfamiliar with your music: who are The Greyboy Allstars?
CS: A Jazz/Funk Boogaloo band originally from San Diego formed in 1993.

What is boogaloo?
CS: It's a 60's dance style. Same era as the Camel Walk or Frug. For Latin music, it's more of a music style. Same as Charanga, or Marengue. Fred Wesley (James Brown trombonist) was going to show us the dance steps way back in our mid-90's period, but he never got around to it. I'm still curious.

Your music is the stuff that makes people want to move. Where do you look to for inspiration?
CS: It starts with the drums for me. If we have a common starting point musically and time wise, it makes my job a lot easier. I can let go and play a lot freer.

Who are some of The Greyboy Allstars' favourite contemporary musicians?
CS: Bjork is one. We all have similar tastes. Myself, I tend to look backwards. I don't read Spin, or listen to the radio, so it's hard for me to know what's going new that's good. Someone has to give me a CD of something for me to get with what's current.

It has been thirteen years since the release of The Greyboy Allstars' first album, West Coast Boogaloo. How has the band changed over those years?
CS: I think we are better players obviously, also, just more mature in our choices musically. But, we still try and keep the focus on what inspired us in the beginning. I think we're happier as people too. Just about all of us have families and I think that makes a difference since our younger days.

While you never changed the band name from The Greyboy Allstars, DJ Greyboy left the group prior to 1997 release A Town Called Earth. How did his recent return affect the dynamics of the band for the making of What Happened to Television??
CS: It was like a timewarp sort of. Grey's input was just like the old days. He was an important part of this record. It helps to have an outside ear so things stay focused.

How did the band approach What Happened to Television?? What was the writing process?
CS: Basically no pre-written material. A few of us had some vague sketches of things, but everything was fleshed out till we were happy. We managed to get at least a song a day—sometimes two. It was pretty fast and furious. I've never had a better time making a record personally.

What is your favourite thing about performing live?
CS: Making no mistakes...no really it's more than that. When things are clicking, the songs take a larger shape and manage to play themselves so to speak. A good crowd really helps.

What can Vancouver expect from The Greyboy Allstars at their March 26th show?
CS: Newer songs, and some older things we've managed to revive.

What does the future hold for The Greyboy Allstars?
CS: Hopefully we can keep this going till we get too old. There's no reason why it couldn't. We just enjoy playing music together too much to let it slide. On a more immediate note, we are planning to get another record done by May or June.

The Greyboy Allstars will be playing at Richard's on Richard's this Wednesday, March 26.
Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster.
Their latest album 'What Happened to Television?' is available on Amazon.