Neo Soul

Mothers Favorite Child was practically a household name and then they disappeared. We find out why, where they have been and where they plan to go next. We also have the exclusive story on who their new lead vocalist is.

NSN: OK, so last we saw of MFC you were giving killer shows while supporting and sharing the stage with national acts. Just when the Industry thought you were going to be the next Neo Soul group to go national we couldn’t find you. What happened and where have you been?

MFC: We felt we needed a new mood . . . some new inspiration as well as a new fan base to add to what we already built on the East Coast so we moved out West. We felt it was necessary to change our overall lifestyles in order to make our music a full-time career. A new start in a different place and a good business plan has helped us tremendously. We had a fear of becoming one of those bands that plays the same clubs month after month, year after year without ever taking chances & making changes. Some musicians are content with being comfortable and fear what we view as true success. We want to truly examine our demographic and broaden our fan base significantly. Moving West was the best opportunity for a new and exciting start. So far, It has paid off dearly.

NSN: The “face” of Mothers Favorite Child has changed several times. How are you able to maintain your fan base while continually gaining a new audience?

MFC: I think it has to do with just making sure we continue to write great songs. We can write a song and have several different versions with different vocalists and they seem to always stand the test of time. No version of any particular song is truly better than another because everyone seems to have their own favorite version. It also helps to have great musicians for shows and there are many unknown great musicians in every city and town. We just hustle and find them. It also helps when you have vocalists like Rhian Ayanna join the movement.

NSN: How was Mothers Favorite Child born and how did Rhian Ayanna become a member of MFC?

MFC: (Paris) Originally I wanted to put together some songs that I wrote and invite different artists and musicians to perform them. I put some musicians from different states together and we rehearsed the material then recorded. Some of the musicians liked it so much they thought we should put a band together and play some gigs. Since then, the singers and musicians have changed but the passion, hustle and songwriting has not. I met Rhian when I was working with a producer (Chandlar) who had sent me some tracks he had did. I heard her voice on one of his tracks and just knew I had to work with her. I had never in all the years of listening to singers been so inspired to want to work with someone. I truly fell in love with her voice, lyrics and music.

NSN: What sets you apart from most other artists?

MFC: Our lyrics automatically put us in a different place than most other artists. The words of our songs bring poetry back into the mix & end up channeling the very best efforts from the musicians & vocalists involved with the project. I believe with Rhian now singing in MFC this will even set us apart even more.

NSN: What are your favorite MFC lyrics?

MFC: (Paris) My personal favorites are 15 Minute Kiss, Beautiful and Gently.

NSN: What commercial artist or group do you think best defines your style of music?

MFC: Well, we conduct ourselves as more of a musical movement than a band. On stage and lyrically though, I’d say we’re a little more like vintage 7o’s bands. Prince, is my (Paris) biggest influence. I am also heavily influenced by Sly Stone, Stevie Wonder & Donnie Hathaway and since we can’t even touch what they did, all we can hope for is to come close and have others appreciate our version of what they created. With the addition of Rhian I think our energy will be better focused and balanced. It is truly a blessing when you have an artist who understands the business and the maturity it takes to make it.

NSN: How do you feel about your current album and what would you like listeners to take from it?

MFC: The Audio Files was really a way to share something with our fans while we create the “album of our dreams”. It was fun to put a new spin on our classic MFC sound by inviting a few producer friends to bring a little progamming to the mix. I think we’d like listeners to recognize that we are pretty versatile and are able to easily create different vibes whether it’s with live instruments or programmed tracks.

NSN: Does the material on the Audio Files CD reflect a new sound for MFC?

MFC: No. It reflects more of a pre-production sound which I guess you can say would be new to our listeners. We usually re-record the songs with live instruments. So this is a new sound for MFC to release to the public but not a new sound for us in the pre-production process. This is not something I would do again. I feel for us the writing process should stay in the vault and our listeners should only hear our professionally recorded songs. We have released enough demos and live bootlegs. It is time for people to hear our music the way it is suppose to be heard.

NSN: Paris, you are the “bandleader” and yet, we never see you . . . why?

MFC: (Paris) I like to concentrate more on the behind the scenes work. I was never into the stage thing. I was always into the intimacy of writing at night alone with the image in my mind of the show and feeling the energy coming from the stage while being an audience member. I like the building of things and then moving on to what comes next.

NSN: When can we expect to see a live MFC performance?

MFC: A new cd is expected to be in stores late Spring of 2009 with the Unplugged Tour soon after. We will be playing in the states and we are working on going overseas as well.

NSN: How would you compare your upcoming album to the recently released Audio Files EP?

MFC: Well, The audio files was more of a collaboration showcasing other producers’ ideas of how they wanted to remix some of MFC’s songs. The new cd has the original sound that Mothers Favorite Child got its early recognition from the sound we personally feel most at home with and inspires us the most even if it is no longer the “industry standard”. We have a rock album, soul album and acoustic album all coming out in 2009.

NSN: Who do you most admire in today’s music scene?

MFC: Many of today’s artists haven’t really given us much inspiration but we do appreciate people like India Arie, Kanye West, Omar & many more. And Prince still throws a track on his album that makes us mad that we didn’t write it. It’s really hard because everytime I think I like a new artist I put on Donny or Curtis Live and realize we all have so much more to do to work on.

NSN: How do you feel about the internet music world?

MFC: It’s really helping to bring a lot of incredible “unknown” artists to the front of the line. There are so many talented people out there who wouldn’t necessarily be considered by the commercial music industry but could easily compete with what’s featured in the media. If not for the internet, I don’t believe MFC would have found as much success without having to sacrifice some of our vision. We have been able to release our without an exec telling us it won’t work or that we should be doing, sounding or writing like someone/something else. It also gives artists a great opportunity to network with other musicians & industry professionals. Rhian received a publishing deal overseas because of the internet which has helped greatly with our download sales.

NSN: What artist(s) would you like to collaborate with?

MFC: Anthony David, Omar, Me’Shell Ndegeocello, Prince

NSN: Do you see an end to MFC anytime soon?

MFC: We do not see an end to MFC. The band may stop performing but the music seems to continue. People still ask if they can remix our songs and we get requests often from other artists who are interested in performing and recording songs as covers. As long as people are inspired by the songs that have already been published, MFC will continue on through another, even if we no longer play, record or release new cds.

Checkout Rhian Ayanna on buySOUL.com for more info and music samples!

NSN: Describe your earliest musical experience.

Nigel: My Earliest Musical experience was back in 89. I was 8 years old and my dad had a really nice keyboard given to him. He was a guitar player so he gave me full reign of it and after a few months of getting to know it, my friend Byron who was a drummer, we put together a band. It was the funniest thing in the world because we really thought we were doing something. It was cool though, It opened me up to many different ideas growing up and inspired me to learn more of what I was doing so I wouldn’t have to laugh to try to play it off that we sucked!

NSN: Where did you grow up?

Nigel: I grew up in the Washington D.C. area. I also lived in Maryland, too.

NSN: Name 3 of your biggest influences in life.

Nigel: I could go on forever with this one…George Duke is probably my biggest influence musically. Vocally, is Donny Hathaway. Just knowing his story and then listening to him sing is incredible. He was a man who dealt with so much pain and tourment in his life that when he sang he released it all and if you’re really listening, you’ll hear it. He’s the Baddest… My son is also a big influence for me as well, He’s 4 (in October) and he’s so grown. And at this age I can already see his potential. I have been blessed to have someone so divine in my life. I learn so much from him and he keeps me on my toes. I love him.

NSN: When you listen to a song, what do you tend to pay most attention to . . . the instrumentation, the lyrics or the vocals?

Nigel: With me it’s a matter of listening to the whole idea, then I pick it apart. It’s kinda like when someone says something to you, you cant listen to HOW they’re saying it as opposed to WHAT they’re saying. If it’s right, it’s right. Because one can’t argue with truth. After hearing the Whole, I like to listen to what the person does musically and then lyrically. It especially good when the artist has something substantial to sing about. Instead of singing about “throw your underwear on the dresser and let’s get busy”, they are teaching you something and expressing righteousness through their music.

NSN: What commercial artist or group do you think best defines your style of music?

Nigel: I really don’t listen to enough of it to be able to compare because I don’t like how people embarrass themselves to make a buck these days. However, I really like John Legend, I think he is a pure representation of music and what comes from his soul (we’ll see how long it lasts). Kanye West too.

NSN: What was the last CD you purchased?

Nigel: A few of them actually. I bought “Jack Johnson” by Miles Davis, “Winter In America” by Gil-Scott Heron and “Electic Byrd” by Donald Byrd.

NSN: How do you feel about your current album and what would you like listeners to take from it?

Nigel: I feel really good about what’s happening with it. I just want people to know that there are still people who care enough about music that they wont destroy it to make money. I’m not in this to make money, dress nice, have nice cars and girls etc/etc. I just want to hear good music. I was blessed by God to be able to make good music and I wanna show people that it can still be done in a civilized manner.

NSN: (Here’s that deserted island question) If you were sent to live alone on a deserted island, what 3 albums would you need to survive?

Nigel: I LOVE THIS QUESTION!!! George Duke- “Feel” (This was the album that made me want to be a professional musician) Donny Hathaway-”Extention of a Man” & The Head Hunters- “Flood” …and a 6 pack of Corona (does that count?)

NSN: What would you be doing if you weren’t a musician?

Nigel: Nothing. Being a Loser, maybe? It’s all I ever had in this life that I’ve completeley trusted.

NSN: If you made a list of places you’ve visited, which would be your favorite? Why?

Nigel: I would like to go to Africa. I would like to see my people doing what we were doing before we were brought over here. In School, they depict us as bush-whackin creatures. I know that’s not true because I don’t whack bushes and I’m Good looking. I’ve never seen a good looking creature. My point is, You will never know where you’re going unless you know where you came from.

NSN: Name 5 essential items that would appear on your tour rider.

Nigel: There’d have to be a… 1.Wurlitzer Electric Piano (I would say a Rhodes, But it’s too heavy, Plus it would already be in the trailer). 2. A Turntable of some sort. I’m a Vinyl Junkie. 3. Good Deodarant. After shows I’m usually kinda ripe 4. DVD player, I watch alot of movies. 5 Herbal Refreshments (self explanitory)…
NSN: Which 3 people to you need to meet before you die.

Nigel: Bill Cosby -. He’s a funny dude. He’s always been. Taught me how to be a parent from all those years watching the Cosby show. James Brown - So I can learn how Powerful the “1″ is. George W. Bush - So I can smak the dog shit out of him for making me pay almost $4 a gallon in gas…Fuc@#$ Ass%^&*.

NSN: What is your favorite color and how does it make you feel?

Nigel: Green. It’s the color of life. Long As I live, I will see green.

NSN: Who do you most admire in today’s music scene?

Nigel: Kanye West. He’s an innovator. He purposly sets him self apart from everyone else. (I always root for the underdog).

NSN: What sets you apart from most other artists?

Nigel: I think it’s my choice of sound. I like Old sounding stuff because I grew up listening to Motown and stuff from the 70’s. Even live when I play I use old keyboards. They are a pain in the ass to carry around and I HATE it. But for the sound, I’m willing to have a broken back for the Rhodes and Clavinet and Wurlitzer and B-3. It’s just that Sound…

NSN: Is there a particular theme that seems to dominate your songs?

Nigel: Not really. It’s just an expression of my emotions, If I hear omething in my head it will drive me nutz till I get it out. I guess (if anything) it would be that I want things to sound old, but new.

NSN: What does your life look like 5 years from now?

Nigel: Hopefully I will be still making music, My family will be happy,and I wont have to worry about bills anymore.

NSN: How do you feel about the internet music world?

Nigel: I think It’s cool. Music should be shared. It’s not such a big deal about people downloading music. To atleast be able to hear it should be enough but then you have people who are extreamist and it messes everything up for others. Other than that It’s cool. I guess…

NSN: What has been your designated mantra throughout your life?

Nigel: Really simple. To do what I was put on this earth to do. To make a joyfull noise unto the Lord. Not many young people KNOW why they were put on this earth. I do, so I’m gonna run with it and I know that God won’t lead me into somthing that I can’t handle…

NSN: Name an independent artist that you would like to collaborate with.

Nigel: Mothers Favorite Child. I heard they got it goin’ on

NSN: What inspires you to create a song?

Nigel: Everything.

Checkout Nigel at buySOUL! for more info and music samples!