Interview with Chris Reed of the Band, Aivar

Formed in 2006, the San Jose, California-based band, Aivar, describes their music as a mix of funk, world music, R & B, and soul. Lead singer and saxophone player, Chris Reed, recalls that he has been singing and playing music ever since he could walk and talk. Aivar, whose core band members are Chris Reed, Matt Gonzales and Jacques Bickett-Velet, have played the Vans Warped Tour in 2009, Shoreline Amphitheatre, The Catalyst, Voodoo Lounge and The Blank Club in San Jose. They have also played with musical acts such as Eekamouse, The English Beat, Tribal Seeds, Sashamon, The Dirty Heads and Lyrics Born.

Dig In Magazine: How did you come up with the name of your band, Aivar?

Chris Reed: Basically, we had been playing in the garage for about 6 to 9 months and we originally we were playing a lot of reggae and blues. We were always going back and forth with names and were not really sure what to do. For a while we were calling ourselves "Camino Royal" and we even did a show with that name. Then, one day we were having a barbeque, and I'm from Croatia and my family is from an island over there, Brac, (in the town of Supetar) and there's this Mediterranean sauce that is really popular over there in Eastern Europe, Turkey and what not. It's a vegetable relish with eggplant, bell peppers and roasted garlic. So, we were having that on a barbeque sandwich, and then, we were like, "we should name the band that!" But in the original spelling, it is called Ajvar. In the Croatian language a "j" is pronounced as a "y". So, it is "aivar". We just took out the "j" and put in an "i" and there we are!

DIM: When was Aivar formed? And how long have you all been playing together?

CR: So, Aivar was formed in 2006. And we've gone through a series of different members for various reasons. We've had some members that were playing one instrument originally and switched to another instrument. For example, Matt is our guitarist now, but [he] originally was our keyboard player. So, when we played with The English Beat a year and a half or two years ago, he was playing keys then. And the next time we played the main stage at the Catalyst with Eekamouse, Matt was playing lead guitar for us. And as far as all the guys and how long they've been playing, I know that Jacques has been playing music probably since junior high. He did band and went onto do marching band. He still plays a little bari saxophone and trombone. And Matt has been playing since he was around ten. He had a guitar mentor that he learned everything from and he just kept on playing. Matt and I have been playing together since 2003. We were in a band called Red Agenda, which was a reggae, rock, funk kind of thing...kind of like Sublime, but like the Red Hot Chili Peppers. We were together, and we were with these other guys who were basically lunatics, [so] we stopped playing in that band. We kept in contact and started playing open mics together and jammed. He'd call me up and said "hey we're doing a show, you should come up and play sax." Over the years, we just kept in contact and [we] added him as a key player.

DIM: When did you start singing and playing saxophone?

CR: I've been singing since I could talk, basically. When I was one or two, I had an accordion, [so] I've been playing since I could walk. I did a lot of theatre and musical theatre. I picked up saxophone when I was in the fourth grade. So, I was like 7 or 8 when I picked up saxophone. I played all the way up until high school and they had marching band, [which] I couldn't stand, so I quit. [And] I picked it back up when I got out of high school like in 2000 [or] 2001.

DIM: How would you describe your music?

CR: A combination of rock, reggae, which is the obvious, but we definitely fuse everything else together. For me, it is a little hard to describe, because when you listen to certain bands, you hear "this is like Sublime," [or] "this is like a rock-reggae thing." But I don't feel like we're completely categorizeable with that, because we mix funk, world music and world sound, R & B, and soul. When we talk to certain people, they always tell us, "you guys are what we call alternative," because there's not exactly a genre category for it. But the problem with categorizing it like that is that everyone assumes that "alternative" is "Nirvana" and #$%! like that.

DIM: Who are your musical influences?

CR: My personal musical influences would be like the gospel band, Blind Boys of Alabama. They're pretty awesome. The group is basically all blind guys from the south and they harmonize. They actually cut an album with Ben Harper and I'm a huge Ben Harper fan as well...also, Manu Chou. We've done a couple of his covers. We're actually recording a medley of a few of his songs right now.

DIM: Regarding musical influences in terms of genres, would you say that your music is mainly like reggae and funk?

CR: I know that Jacque is a big funk person. He really enjoys that kind of stuff. And I know Matt is big on The Doors and that kind of music. For me, my musical upbringing and what I was brought up with, is that really old dirty blues...slave music, black spirituals. And then, a combination of world reggae, and a lot of African music. I dig all that rootsy kind of stuff. I do appreciate and enjoy Bob Marley, but I'm more ragga.

DIM: Who are some of the artists that you've played with or opened for?

CR: We've played with Eekamouse, The English Beat, Tribal Seeds, Sashamon. We played with The Dirty Heads a few times. They're getting a lot of air play right now. We've played with Lyrics Born and a few others. We did last year's Warped Tour, so whoever was on that tour.

DIM: How was playing and participating in The Vans Warped Tour last year? Which location will you be playing at in 2010 for the Warped Tour?

CR: It was a lot of fun and a great experience. We were part of a contest. The fans voted and we won. It was an honor that people voted everyday and got us up there. And the fact that we were playing at Shoreline was awesome. Being around that many kids there to see music was pretty amazing, because it's not a chance that you get everyday. It was definitely a magical experience. And we're playing in Sacramento this year for the Warped Tour.

DIM: What other venues or concerts have you played?

CR: We played multiple times on the Catalyst main stage and countless times at the Atrium at the Catalyst as well. We played The Blank Club in San Jose. Voodoo Lounge. We play Monterey a lot. We're playing Monterey tonight. We're helping found a new festival in San Jose [called] Left Coast Live. We're big into that community stuff. We try to stay really involved to help support the youth. And we're also part of this committee called Bring It Back and they do festivals as well.

DIM: You mentioned that Aivar is working on a new album and you have a self-titled album, how long did it take to record your album?

CR: The recording process usually takes about three months. And then, mixing takes about a month and a half to two months. Reproduction takes about two months. So, in total [it takes] about ten months or just under a year.

DIM: Where is your studio?

CR: So, we had a keyboard player named Steven Murr. He has a company called Murrman Productions. And basically, he was in our band playing keys for a while. He had mixed and mastered our last self-titled album. So, he was like, "I just want to be in the studio, so when you guys our ready lets come into the studio and record the album." So, that's who we record with. It's in South San Jose. We're working with him and it's great, because he already knows the music since he's played music with us before. And he's just a really talented producer as well. It's a pretty awesome opportunity. We recorded 17 with another guy up in the North Bay named Scott Llamas. He works with LIVE 105 a lot. So, we did one track with him. But it's better working with somebody you know, because you can get a lot more done. You can communicate better versus working with someone that you don't know...lines of communication can get a little tough sometimes.

DIM: Where is your album being sold?

CR: Right now our album is being sold on all online distributors. So, iTunes, Amazon, and CD Baby.

DIM: How do you come up with the concepts for your songs? Who writes your music?

CR: Each one is a little different. Well, it will come about in different ways. We have one song right now that we're recording. It basically came off of a guitar lick and bass line. The guitar and the bass just played off each other, and we jammed for a while. And I just wrote lyrics on top of that. And in the studio, we recorded the chorus over and over again until we found one that we all liked. And in the end with the chorus, three of use figured it out together. Another example is that I'll come up with melody and lyrics, and come to the guys with my idea. Then, they'll build the music off the already existing lyrics and melody. And then, sometimes there's another song that Matt wrote the lyrics, the melody and the music for, and we basically, just learn those parts, and fill in the blanks. And then, the song's done. The idea of having the core of us is that we all use our own expertise and trust everybody's judgement.

DIM: Where did you and your band members grow up? Where are your stomping grounds?

CR: Matt grew up in the Bay Area. I think [he grew up] in the eastside and South San Jose. I grew up all across the South Bay, from Sunnyvale to Santa Teresa. And Jacques grew up in the Midwest and moved out here when he was in junior high. And he has been in Campbell ever since.

DIM: Do you enjoy playing live?

CR: Absolutely! Playing with the crowd and being able to vibe off the crowd, and feel them out and use their energy, whether it's positive or negative, [and] using that energy to put other things together...helps you form new ideas and really brings the music to life. It helps me to be possessed by the music in a very good way. It's a lot of fun playing live. You've got to really dive into that energy of the music and eat, breath and live that for those few moments.

DIM: Do you like playing the smaller venues or the larger concerts like The Vans Warped Tour?

CR: They both have their positive sides. To be honest, the bigger venues [like] the Warped Tour are great and all, but the Warped Tour just comes down to just being really good for the resume. Something like the Catalyst Main Room is pretty big, not huge, but big enough. I would definitely say that that is an ideal setting, because the sound system is great, you have a very participant crowd, a crowd that is excited to be there, and that's a rarity sometimes. Finding a crowd that is really excited to be there and that is ready to live the music and ready to go on a journey with you. So, as far as the best rooms I've played, I would definitely say the Catalyst Main Room is one of them. And then sometimes you have those random off the wall shows. We did a show in this crappy dump called The Checkered Flag in San Jose somewhere. And it was just a little dump, but we turned it into this uproar. It was just rockin'! We had the entire place dancing and having fun. We also did this small little place called The River Shack in Coloma, which is where they found gold, basically. And it was a middle of nowhere river town. So, we start playing for two or three people, and they call and text all their friends who live in town, and by the end of the night the entire place was full. So, those are the fun times...anytime when people are letting loose and enjoying themselves to their fullest. It's a great time for us!

DIM: What is in the future for Aivar?

CR: Just finishing up the albums, all the recordings, and getting the new music out there. We're planning a tour to Hawaii right now. That's the plan for the summer and we'll go from there. Ideally, we'll try to get over seas as much as possible. I think our music will fit in pretty well with other cultures.