Albums, tour keep Sola Rosa 'pretty mental'

Sola Rosa. Photo / Supplied

You can't fault Andrew Spraggon's work ethic.

The man behind Sola Rosa has been on the go since the album Get it Together hit the shelves in March, with three new releases, a music video and a national tour on the horizon. "It's pretty mental at the moment," he says.

Perhaps Spraggon is making up for lost time - his latest album, a genre-bending mix of funk, soul and reggae, was three years in the making. Now the Pt Chevalier-based musician is taking his unique brand of kaleidoscopic dance grooves to the road for the second time this year.

Sola Rosa began nine years ago as a one-man electronic project and has since evolved into a formidable live band. But even those familiar with Sola Rosa's current incarnation can expect something a bit different on this tour, Spraggon says.

"We're honing the live set with visuals and lights.

"It'll be a different set and we'll be pulling out some songs we've never done before."

Wellington songstress Iva Lamkum, who contributed vocals to several tracks on Get it Together, will accompany the band for their groove-laden live shows.

"She won't be playing with us regularly because she's got her own thing going on, so people should come along and make the most of that," Spraggon says.

"It might not happen again in a hurry."

After four New Zealand dates, Sola Rosa is hoping to impress audiences further afield. Australians will get a taste next month with a showcase gig and a performance in Sydney, while in Europe the song Del Ray is doing the rounds. It has been included on several compilations, including the latest album by British electronica legends Nightmares on Wax.

Del Ray, which conjures up Western border towns with its tremolo guitars and Mariachi-inspired horns, was a nightmare in the studio, Spraggon says.

"It was a hard beast to tame, that one. I kept thrashing it with a stick and all of a sudden one day it blossomed into what it is now. It's probably one of my favourite tracks on the album."

The song is due to appear on two new Sola Rosa releases - a limited edition eight-track vinyl record with cover art by renowned American designer Dan Stiles, and an upcoming remix album.

The remix project came about when Spraggon got in touch with local and international acts via the social networking site MySpace and asked them if they would like to reinterpret one of his songs.

"I'd say I had a 90 per cent response rate, and to be honest it was mostly locals who turned me down. A few of the people I asked are extremely busy with albums they've just put out or albums they've been working on, so it's understandable really."

Despite the let-downs, Spraggon is excited about the project. "There's some pretty big names in there and it's pretty humbling, to be honest."

Spraggon won't name the contributing artists, but the finished album is likely to contain 18 remixes of songs from Get it Together.

In the meantime, Sola Rosa will release a single for Humanised this month.

Spraggon says it was an easy pick out of the 11 tracks on Get it Together. "It's probably the strongest contender for its pop sensibility and its radio appeal. You always pick the tracks that are not necessarily the best tracks but are going to get through to the wider audience."

A music video for Humanised, directed by Tim van Dammen, will also be released soon. "We let Tim have free rein on this one. There's a couple of actors in it, and the rest of it is all animation and trickery and green screen action.

"There's definitely lots of skeletons in this one."

Spraggon must be confident about the song's chances after the second single off Get it Together, Turn Around, was named one of the top 20 songs this year, putting it in line for an APRA Silver Scroll songwriting award.

"It was the first time we've ever been accepted [for a Silver Scroll nomination]," he said. "We never expected to win it, but it's an honour to get it into the top 20, for sure."

Spraggon will be hitting the road with long time Sola Rosa members Will Scott (drums), Matt Short (bass), Ben White (guitar) and vocalists Spikey Tee and Iva Lamkum from August 28.


TOUR DATES

Dunedin, 28 August - Bar 10
Christchurch, 29 August - Al's Bar
Wellington, 4 September - San Francisco Bath House
Auckland, 5 September - Sale Street

- NZPA