Cosmic Roots Collective Press Conference Frequently Asked Questions

 

1:  How did the three members of the group end up playing together?

 

A: Wheeler and Ronnie met while Ronnie was an undergraduate at Florida Southern College and Wheeler was a graduate student at the University of Florida. Wheeler was a teaching assistant for Ronnie’s band class. They ended up becoming friends and started playing together in bands. Paul met Wheeler at Full Sail University while both worked in their Career Development department. Paul still works there, with Ronnie now, and Wheeler also works at Full Sail but in their IT Department.

 

2. What does their name mean?

 

A: The “Cosmic” is a reference to the late ‘60s/early ‘70s singer Gram Parsons’ coining of the term “Cosmic American Music,” which at the time was a blending of traditional country music, blues, and rock and roll, as well as the notion of creating music that somehow transcends space and time. The “Roots” part refers to roots music, as in the three aforementioned styles of music, and the “Collective” part just sounded good with the alliteration with Cosmic. It doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re a loose consortium of musicians who play together, although that sounds like it could be fun.

 

3. Who are their main musical influences?

 

A: They have many. Like so many before them, they all grew up listening to and loving The Beatles, so there is always going to be that element in there somewhere. They also love the grunge period from the early ‘90s, spearheaded by bands like Nirvana, and late 60s/early 70s proto-metal groups like Black Sabbath, and then of course lighter fare like old school country and folk. And they’re also big fans of current indie artists like Tame Impala, Father John Misty, White Denim, and Foxygen. Lately, Wheeler has been on a John Coltrane kick, so who knows how that might play into future songs. They’re always open to discovering new sounds and artists and incorporating this into our music.

 

4.  How would you characterize their sound?

 

A: Their sound has changed considerably since they started playing together in 2013. At first, it was more “rootsy,” with the acoustic guitar more front and center and had more elements of county, folk, and gospel. Their current sound is heavier and more psychedelic, with elements of progressive rock and some electronic and experimental music thrown in to the mix as well.

 

5. Why would they change their sound so drastically after having already established themselves as playing a certain style of music? Wouldn’t this essentially mean they would have to start over again as far as building a fan base?

 

A: Well, yes, in a way. It’s true, people did start to get to know them as a certain type of band and then they kind of went full circle. But they also didn’t want to become pigeonholed into playing a certain style of music. They are all fairly accomplished players who can adapt to different musical styles, and the new material we were working on just went this other route, so they went with it and didn’t question it. As far as their fan base goes, they weren’t so concerned about that; they first and foremost need to satisfy themselves creatively and artistically and hope people will be open to whatever they’re doing at any given time.

 

6. How would you describe the group’s creative process?

 

A; Wheeler is the main songwriter, so most of the song ideas come from him and then the three of us get together to flesh out the arrangements. Ronnie also writes, though, and a few songs of ours are based off of his riffs, “Big Hand” being a good example. But everyone is free to contribute creatively.

 

7. They released an album in 2014 entitled “Poor & Happy” when the name was “Wheeler Newman and the Cosmic Roots Collective.” Why did they end up shortening this to just “Cosmic Roots Collective”?

 

A: That record was being worked on as the core band was forming. Wheeler had written a bunch of songs he wanted to release and ended up using Ronnie and Paul on only a few of them. So, it was less of a band album per se, hence the “Wheeler Newman” at the beginning. After the core three started playing together regularly and it was clear this was a solid unit, it was decided to drop Wheeler’s name and have it be the band name only.

 

8. How and when was the album “Virtues” recorded?

 

A: The entire album was recorded in Wheeler’s house over the course of 2016 and the first half of 2017. The band engineered and produced it themselves with a very minimal amount of gear. It wasn’t about perfection at all but, rather, capturing a “feel.” Everything was overdubbed, since there weren’t enough inputs for the band to all play live. Like with a lot of recordings, they started with the drums, which were recorded over the course of a weekend, and then all the additional instruments and vocals were added incrementally over time. After the basic tracking was completed, the album was mixed and mastered by Wheeler’s friend Shaun Combs, a freelance musician/producer who used to live in Florida but now lives in St. Louis.

 

9. Why did they choose to release the album digitally only?

 

A: These days, so many people discover and listen to music on streaming platforms like Spotify, Bandcamp, and SoundCloud and, as an independent band on a limited budget, it was just easier to get it out there as a digital only release. They looked into pressing a limited-edition vinyl copy of the album but it was determined to be too costly. It’s possible they may do something like this in the future, though, as well as a possible CD run, but there are no definite plans to at this time. Bands that are more career-driven tend to have physical product but, as we all know, for better or worse, music has essentially become digitized.

 

10. What has been the reception of “Virtues” so far?

 

A: There has been a handful of very favorable reviews on mainly local and regional music blogs such as Amplify, Mieux Magazine, and The Vinyl Warhol, and national and international music blogs like Obscure Sound and Emerging Indie Bands. Also, the band’s immediate peers from the local scene, for example, groups like Zap Dragon, Someday River, and Transcendental Telecom have all sung its praises.

 

11. The style of music you describe for the group’s latest sound, especially the “psychedelic” aspect, is often associated with the use of illegal drugs. Do the band members take drugs recreationally and as a way to spur their creativity?

 

A: The three members of Cosmic Roots Collective are all married and have days jobs and all the usual “adult” responsibilities, so any recreational use of illegal drugs does not play into their lifestyles or into their creative process. They usually have a beer or two when they get together to practice, but that’s all.

 

12. As a follow up to the last question, rock bands are known for adopting a lifestyle centered around “sex, drugs, and rock and roll.” Does the Cosmic Roots Collective have groupies that come to their shows and are the members promiscuous?

 

A: Apart from this being a very personal and basically inappropriate question, the short answer is no. As I previously stated, all three members are married and they do not fit the rock and roll stereotype to which you referred in your question.

 

13. Do any of the members of the group have a criminal record or was any of them ever involved in any kind of scandal, for example, statutory rape?

 

A: No. All three members have middle to upper middle-class backgrounds and came from families who raised them with good values. They’re smart, sensible people who know better than to get involved in that kind of trouble.

 

14. With the astounding number of bands and new music being released on weekly, if not daily, basis, what makes the Cosmic Roots Collective think they have any chance at all of standing out in the crowd, especially when, per your previous answers, they clearly don’t have the time needed to make the band their careers?

 

A: The Cosmic Roots Collective are not delusional when it comes to how far they will go or how successful they believe they will become. They basically make music for themselves, first and foremost, because it gives them a creative outlet they otherwise wouldn’t have. They know there are plenty of other bands who are younger and have more of a “team” behind them to help with promotion and whatnot. So, again, they have no illusions about their chances for success on any grand scale. Success to them is making music they enjoy and that fulfills them creatively and artistically.

 

15. The great music critic Lester Bangs said as far back as the early ‘80s that rock and roll as a form and a genre is basically dead and that nothing new or original could really be done with it anymore. Do the Cosmic Roots Collective believe what they do is original at all, or are they, like most other rock bands, just rehashing what’s already been done and beating a dead horse, so to speak?

 

A: The Cosmic Roots Collective aren’t concerned with whether or not they are blazing a new trail in their genre or in music; they are artists on their own unique personal journey. Any artist in any medium is inevitably going to be influenced by those that came before him or her. No one, not even the most groundbreaking artists throughout history, has ever worked in a vacuum. They are unique in that there is no other group in the world consisting of those specific people and they believe their music is worthy of the attention of those who would be interested in what they do.

 

16. How come the group doesn’t play more often and how come they haven’t played more outside the Orlando area?

 

A: They would like to but, as I previously stated, none of them are in a position in their lives to devote themselves full time to the band. Again, all of them have day jobs, and one of the members is in his middle 40’s and has a family, so it’s not like he has the freedom to play out of town on any regular basis. But yes, it is true that bands need to venture beyond their immediate locale in order to build a following and, ideally, tour.

 

17. Why didn’t the group choose to record their album in an actual professional recording studio, so they could make an album that can at the very least compete with others on a sonic level?

 

A: The decision to go the DIY (Do It Yourself) route was not only out of necessity, due to the band’s very limited budget, but also because for years many smaller independent groups like Cosmic Roots Collective have been making home recordings that, while they clearly don’t sound like they spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in a top notch professional recording studio, have a certain vibe that works for what the group is trying to achieve. Sometimes a “less is more” approach can actually work in your favor. Anyway, for what they spent on the recording, i.e., basically nothing, they are pretty happy with the overall sound and feel it suits their style and creative vision.

 

18. Does the band feel that, being from Orlando, which is known throughout most of the rest of the country, if not the world, as the land of Disney and Mickey Mouse and basically a tourist destination, that this will make people less likely to want to listen to their music?

 

A: This isn’t something the members of the group worry about, as it’s something that’s beyond their control. You are correct, most people probably do not consider Orlando as having a great music scene, or as having many cultural advantages, but great art exists everywhere and in places that would probably surprise a lot of people who live in main cultural centers like New York and Los Angeles. Whether or not Orlando ever makes it onto the musical map the way a city like Seattle did in the late ‘80s/early ‘90s with the grunge movement is not really cause for much concern to the guys in the band.

 

19. Rock music was always traditionally a young person’s game, if you will, with so many up and coming artists being in their late teens and early 20’s. How does an aging unknown independent band like Cosmic Roots Collective stand a chance against younger artists who have more time, energy, and, in many cases, industry backing?

 

A: The Cosmic Roots Collective’s ages span the early 30’s to middle 40’s, which, in today’s day and age, isn’t really that old. Sure, they’re not 20 anymore, but look at some of these older musicians who are in their middle ‘70s, like The Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney. Not that I’m comparing them to artists like those but the point is this music can be played and played well at just about any age. There is an intrinsic value in doing something you love, regardless of whether or not it has any career, financial, or other implications. The three guys in the band enjoy making music together and are good friends. There doesn’t need to be any more motivation than that.

 

20. What does the future hold for the Cosmic Roots Collective? Will they remain together or work on other projects?

 

A: They will continue to promote “Virtues” for a little while longer and try to focus on getting songs from it onto more Spotify playlists. They also recently started working on new material and will most likely record again soon, maybe release another single in the near future. Wheeler writes often so he may release some of his own music independently of the group but as long as they all remain friends and living in the greater Orlando area, they will continue making music together.