After a recent performance by EeVaan Tre and the Show at the Coachella Valley Art Scene, I asked Tre: “Why R&B and soul music?”
He laughed. However, David Morales, the bassist, had an answer.
“It’s how we feel.”
The powerful R&B and soul of EeVaan Tre and the Show has not only made the group one of the valley’s best bands; it also landed the group a slot at Coachella in 2015. The band’s live show is exceptional; it’s truly feel-good music.
“I personally love the R&B from the ’80s,” Tre said, “the real cheesy love stuff. I guess it’s just a reflection of how we grew up and what we like. We all really dig the same stuff. … I guess that’s why I like to perform R&B and soul. I guess for myself, my exposure to it was in a specific way. I grew up listening to doo-wop. Doo-wop was first for me, and then pop music.”
Before a performance at The Hood Bar and Pizza earlier this year, Tre invited DJ Alex Harrington and me to his car, where he showed us some of his used vinyl purchases from that day: Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross and Bobby Womack albums.
“For me, some of the new stuff is the old stuff,” Tre said. “When I first started to work on this project, I was inspired by the latest Daft Punk album and just how they created the music. They basically made it to where you don’t need any rules, and you can break into strings here or there if you want, and that’s the shit. That kind of did it all for me, and it made me say, ‘Fuck it; let’s just do whatever it is that comes out of us. We’ll make it work.’”
When it comes to writing music, Tre said he has no problem making it personal.
“On my own, I find it kind of easy. It’s really personal, and some artists like to be personal at times,” Tre said. “Some people are really reserved about their feelings. … I love feeding off of different vibes and energies in the room when I perform. It creates an environment for me to be creative and do something out of the box.”
Performing at Coachella was definitely a highlight for a group.
“I remember going into Coachella, and it was so last minute when we were called in to do it,” he said. “We didn’t think we were prepared going into it, knowing we weren’t performing at the level we were supposed to be. Coachella has amazing performers from all over the world, and we went there to learn what it really takes to be at that level.
“Other than that, the experience was amazing, because I got to spend it with my friends. My best friends are all my band members. It was a learning experience, because it’s different when you’re standing behind the artist onstage watching how they do it, as opposed to being in front of it watching them as part of the audience. It’s different, and we learned from it.”
There is plenty of room to grow and evolve, and EeVaan Tre and the Show is open to new music and new inspiration, Tre said.
“I think we always overthink it, and we’ve learned that music is an in-the-moment thing,” he said. “When you got something and you put it down, that’s what it is as far as capturing the moment. … I think that further along, it will have another feel if it’s destined to feel different. I feel that the sound will progress, because we will continue to learn different sounds, create and be curious. We’re always listening to different records.”