ON OUR RADAR: ESTEBAN
Esteban tell us how a decade hiatus makes no difference to their endeavour to create powerful, hard-hitting music with a message.
Introduce yourself!
Hey, you’ll find main man Stephen Wright up front, singing his heart out and dancing to every note. Talking of notes, on guitar Liam Ryan plays tonnes of them in his unique finger-style funk. On the other side, and keeping the audience on their feet, it’s big bass man Ricky Houghton. Whilst out back, I’ll (Samuel) be keeping the atomic time signature ticking.
How would you describe your music to a potential listener?
As a band we have never tried to fit in to a particular genre, we coined the term ‘Desert Funk’ to describe our sound and it stuck, it’s the sound that we have always made when the four of us get into a room, funky bass and drums, four-part harmonies with a bit of Latin guitar thrown in, it’s a groove that makes you move.
Since being a BAND, do you feel it has grown in the direction you hoped for, or has there been any setbacks?
That’s a good question. I don’t think we have forced any type of style upon ourselves per se so, I guess we’re all pretty happy to still be playing from the heart. We did have a huge set back; a decade hiatus, which to our surprise didn’t leave us totally devoid of skills when we set about rehearsing our new album Jackpot Motel.
Which tracks are you most proud of to date and why?
I think ‘Santiago’ was a big step forward for us in terms of what that song did for us. I remember when Spencer Wells, James Morrison’s manager came to see us rehearse and we played ‘Santiago’ to him. He booked us on the spot to play our first major festival Summer Sundae 2006 alongside Gomez, Elbow, The Proclaimers and James Morrison. It was the same song albeit a version then called ‘Santiago Daze’, which caught the eye of The Animal Farm who, after signing us in 2007 as their first artists on the label; asked us to come up with the chorus hook you hear today. It became an instant sing-a-long on the road so it was the perfect track in many ways.
Where do you feel you fit in in an ever changing and demanding music scene?
We don’t change, like I said, Esteban are the first Desert Funk band in the world and because of that, we exist out on our own in some crazy party happening along some ancient road someplace. If you want to come along for the ride then, that’s cool with us.
Do you have any tips for keeping your mental health in check throughout this period of time?
Yes, some song writers might say shine a light on the negatives to find the best deep and meaningful riches but consider this… try shining a light on the positives and you’ll find just as many, if not hopefully more inspiration to lift your spirits. I like to take a negative and turn it into a positive in a song, try your usual boy/girl break-up scenario but end it in an awesome friendship or lesson you learned from that experience, one that has stayed with you. Then, share it with the world.
What issues are important to you? How do you use your music and platform to communicate these?
As musicians we are tapped into all sorts of issues - probably too many to list. We're a conscious bunch, we learn, we travel and we live the human experience. This is an essential part of our writing process; we translate these experiences into the music. We talk about the world we live in, taking inspiration from everything; special everyday moments or ancient tales, drawing comparisons to our own lives and that of the people around us. In all our songs you’ll find a powerful message - live every moment to its fullest!
What are your top three albums at the moment?
Colours - Beck
Rough and Rowdy Ways - Bob Dylan
Study in Brown - Clifford Brown
What’s one song you wish you could have written?
Probably anything by Pasek and Paul right now. ‘This Is Me’ from The Greatest Showman has a wonderful back story.
If you could tour with anyone, who would it be?
Hmmm personally I’d say Stevie Wonder, it’d be a dream to be a part of.
What should your fans be expecting from your band in the near future?
Apart from the latest 16 track desert funk odyssey Jackpot Motel, we’re releasing remixes of a track called’ Black Flower’ from the album. We’re really excited because you’ll hear a side to Esteban that hasn’t been heard before. Be sure to follow us on Spotify for the latest noise.
Stream Estaban’s latest single ‘We Are One’ and it’s accompanying lyric video on YouTube below.