NEWS FLASH!!
STEVE ARRINGTON I S CO MI NG TO LO NDO N
Steve Arrington is coming back to London in November and WILL be taking you back to the Slave days. Read what he had to say to Fitzroy just a few weeks ago.
His previous interview with the Soul Survivors is also available in our back issue number 21 from December 2010 if you go to our website. www.thesoulsurvivors.co.uk
STEVE ARRINGTON Fitzroy talks to
After an epic two and a half hour conversation printed in issue 21 of Soul Survivors in 2009 I caught up with Steve again last month ahead of his long awaited UK return in November 2013 after over 25 since his last mid 1980's concert. That last gig left many disillusioned as Steve preached his new found gospel as opposed to spreading the funk he was known for between 1978 and 1985. Steve was candid and honest in his answer to the burning question that some fans and sceptics have been asking since the news broke that "The Invade" is coming back to London. Did his reply meet my approval? Read On... When we spoke four years ago you said you were already into spirituality and had been a Buddhist and studied Islam as part of this life. Music was a part of your life but not the whole of your life. You
said Nobody Can Be You was the place where you started to change and you understood the mourning from others of you going into a new place. Everything is temporal but you believed you were being true to yourself and being honest. Do you remember saying words of that effect to me Steve? Yes I do.
Unfortunately those who came to see you in the mid 80’s didn’t see things that way and didn't expect the type of concert you gave with your new found spirituality. I wasn’t there but I suspect they expected to hear Way Out, Snap Shot, Watching You, Weak At The Knees, Mellow As A Cello, Just A Touch Of Love, Wait For Me, You Meet My Approval and all the Arrington trait classics.
At the time did you experience the backlash of that from the UK fans?
It depends on how you look at it. I understood that what I was doing was very unique at the time, doing spiritual music to a secular world. I also knew that it was going to be challenging on various levels. I didn't have a problem with it because I was being honest and real with it. It’s a funny thing what I'm about to say, but it has it’s relevance in this conversation’s context...People had problems with Miles Davis when he went electric having listened to him perform the bluesier jazz he was famed for when he did the Bitches Brew album. Same thing happened when John Coltrane went avant garde. There's time that you make moves in your music and the fans find that the direction was a hard left or right from what they were used to and I understand that. I was growing as an artist and how to present that new found artistry. It was also an understanding that people may or may not travel with me but I continued until I felt I wanted to get back out there and do this again. So now the audience is gonna get Just A Touch Of Love and Dancing In The Key Of Life, Feel So Reel and also get Weak At The Knees.
That is the answer I wanted to clarify in print so that those reading can see I’ve asked the question direct and in return got a straight answer. Although in our interview four years back you explained the reawakening of your Slave and Hall Of Fame repertoire, maybe you can give those that are sceptical an assurance that Steve ‘The Invade’ Arrington is back on the Funk train and will deliver those immortal classics?
Well there is nothing to say, apart from you don't stay away twenty five years and come back into the scene tricking people about what I’m gonna do. If I was going to stay in the mould that took me away and continue to do spiritual music, I would have stayed and done that for twenty five years more. I’ve got new music coming out and I'm re-releasing Hall Of Fame and Positive Power with remixes. I’ll continue to push funk as I see it with the Slave catalogue also and that's my intention from here on out. I’m gonna bring it to you hard core to show that The Invade is back.
That's what they want to hear!!
You mentioned that you are re-releasing the Hall Of Fame and Positive Power al-
bums with remixes which I'm quite excited about, when can we look for that to be available? I would say around 2014 and what's good is going into the studio and hearing those tracks again and there is some unreleased material too.
That sounds like music to my ears.
Floyd Miller came over for the charity event House Of Slave put together by Dennis Dee Mac Johnson who’s a massive Slave fan. This was a tribute to raise money for the late Mark Adams’s headstone, who passed away unfortunately on your earthday 5th March. Many are now speculating if the remaining members of Slave will get back and bring us the Stella funk flavour. Has there been any talk that this may happen?
Well I don't know what the future holds but prior to the passing of Mark Adams and Drac, Mark and I were talking about getting back together and then he passed. In the midst of that after 25 years I'm establishing my career and if in the future it's something that can be worked out, its something that could happen along the line. I'm gonna be giving my all and my heart to perform at a higher level in September and so I'm excited.
To be honest there have been a lot of retro bands reforming or performing in the past few years but one of the most anticipated reunions is one of a Slave reunion so fingers crossed.
The appreciation of my catalogue and to be able to do it again excites me so much.
Thanks Steve see you in November.
And thanks Fitzroy it was great talking to you four years ago to get that spark started and even though we had a few stops and starts it’s now happening and thanks for updating things in the present.
You’re welcome Steve.