The E-Block is a Rotterdam, New York-based band appealing to Gen-Zers and geriatrics alike with its smooth and sometimes jazzy R&B. The band, which is quickly gaining regional popularity, is manned by keyboardist Devin Tetlak, guitarist Luke Pascarella, bassist Daniel Folds and drummer Aaron Shields. I spoke with the band about the its new single “Stars” and what’s next for the group.
On Spotify, the band is described as an indie alien R&B group. What does that mean?
Luke Pascarella: That's a good question. I feel like we've sort of like eluded all genres at this point. Like I have people come up to us after our shows, and they're like, yeah, like, ‘what do you guys call that? Like, what is that?’ And I've not come up with a good answer. It's really just like a combination of everyone's individual influences, all coming from a different place. And we don't really talk about, we don't really talk about the music, like, what we're gonna play. It's more of like an intuitive thing that we do in the moment, and then whatever it whatever it comes out to be, is what it comes out to be. I think that's, that's what it is. We're all very intentional musicians, so I think as long as we have put the right intentions into what we're playing, it, it comes out good, regardless of, like, what we've discussed beforehand, kind of.
I first saw you guys perform at a basement show here in Albany when I was in college. What does that music scene mean to you?
Pascarella: It was like, kind of like our it was like, kind of like our jumpstart into being more of an Albany based band, because we had just up until then, like, we had done a few Albany shows, but we had not really, like, built a fan base. I think the basement scene really gave us the like platform to play our own original music. Because otherwise, there was not really a place in Albany where we felt welcome to, like, play our own music and be encouraged to do that. So just yeah, having, having, like, a younger audience. We were playing bars before, like, it was only 21 and up venues, so once it was open to just anybody who wanted to come see a new band. It really was a whole different experience for us, for sure, like, yeah, that's what was my perspective. I don't know if anyone else had a different perspective.
Devin Tetlak: I feel similarly. It's like, just like the kind of like we just kind of kicked off the bands around it, like original movement. I feel like starting to do our own stuff. And, yeah, that's that was a cornerstone, I feel like, of our progress going forward.
Pascarella: Which show? Do you remember which show it was?
It might have been at the Rat Den or something like that. I can't remember exactly. I went to him all the time. I don't remember what one it was, but I know it was a basement. I know I left coughing. That's it.
Pascarella: It was probably Caesar's Palace, I would assume.
That's what it was. That's what it was. It was Caesar's Palace.
Pascarella: Once you said you left coughing, and I was like, yep!
Why didn't you feel welcome in the Albany music scene?
Pascarella: I don't know it. We were kind of just kind of told that, like, wasn't really the space for original music. Like Troy had a lot of original music happening, but unless you were, like, at a point where you were selling a good amount of tickets and could, like, put on your own shows, there wasn't really like a scene for original music in Albany, at least in terms of live music. I know there's like a hip-hop scene, I know there's other scenes, but in terms of what we were doing. There really wasn't, there wasn't a place that really, like, was encouraging us to come and play our own music, other than, like, when we went to Pauly's Hotel and did some shows there. But we never really built any traction that way.
Daniel Folds: For me, at least sometimes, like, it felt like we were just trying to be used as like a cover band, which really didn't sit well with us. So, we kind of had to take a step back from it, like we had to focus in on ourselves, what we wanted to do, as far as you know, our own music, as far as pushing our sound.
You've released three singles this year, Stars being one of them, just came out a few weeks ago. Number One being another one. They all have a little bit of a different sound. I noticed you have a lot of EPs, but no album. What was the process here?
Pascarella: So Stars was one. It's a song that we've been playing together live for a long time, and that was like the one of the first songs that we had really like, fully arranged it live for the stage, way before we even thought about recording it. It only just existed, like in our heads and in our hands, like that was the arrangement. So, then we just brought that exact, that exact vibe, into the studio setting, played it exactly how we would have played it on the stage. Yeah, opposed to, like a song, like Number One, that was more of like a demo that I had just made, and then we built on top of that demo, and then we started playing that one live based on what the demo was. And even now, the way we play that song live, it's evolved into something different. So, it was cool to kind of like reverse the process, figure it out live, have everybody put their individual unique voices on the writing process of the song, and then document that and put it out as a studio recording.
You were recently featured on a few songs with Soulyhad. He's got a pretty big following. What was it like working with him? And have you gotten any feedback, any new fans from that yet?
Pascarella: For sure, yeah. I mean, it was, it was kind of just like something that we stumbled upon. We were, it was like years ago. We were playing an acoustic gig at Blue 82 which no longer exists, but, and we just ran into him there. I mean, we, he was on our radar in terms of, like just being, like a really successful artist in this area, but yeah, once we, like, found the opportunity to start working with him, it was, yeah, it was kind of just a good match, because he was looking for kind of more of like a live produced sound for his records, and then we started being his live band for his tours and just any kind of live show that he had going on. It was kind of like, anytime I had like a piece of music, or like extra tracks that I didn't think were gonna fit into, like E-Block, I would kind of send him his way and see if he had ideas for him. And then the tracks that ended up on his EP, where we're more collaborative, that there was actually somewhere, like, he came to our studio, and we just like, messed around until we came up with something cool. But yeah, we definitely opened us up to a new fan base. I mean, we grew up only a few miles from each other, so it was like, we had a lot of the same friends. So yeah, it's been really cool to be like in that kind of, it's, it's a different it's got a very different audience than we do. So, it was cool to kind of mix in with that.
And you've headlined a few shows now around here, one being at The Linda across the street earlier this year. You have one coming up at the Hollow on Halloween. How does it feel to be growing your fan base and getting into bigger venues and being like the name that people are going to see?
Pascarella: For all the time we've been a band, up until then, we kind of had a chip on our shoulder, like being kind of the new band, being the band that feels like we have to, like, prove ourselves, and we still have that kind of energy. But like, when we are in those spaces, and it's like we are the headlining band, and we come out and people are there specifically to see us, it's like we can kind of let go a little bit and just, like, just kind of tap into to ourselves more, because we don't have to win anybody over. They're already here to see us. So, it's kind of been totally different. And I still love, like, getting ourselves in the position of being an opening band for other, bigger bands. So, we still keep that like energy with us. But it's been interesting. It kind of was a thing that just happened, like, we started working with Greg Bell, Guthrie Bell productions, which is like, kind of was the turning point for us to start headlining. Because, like, in our conversations, our early conversations with him were like, ‘yeah, like, we're totally cool being an opening band.’ Like, Lark Hall was putting us on for a lot of their like, when they had bigger acts coming through, and Greg was kind of like, ‘well, at a certain point you got a headline.’ And we're like, ‘OK’, so we gave us one show at Parish Public House, which is now called Ophelia’s, and we're like, all right, let's see what happens. Like, we're the only ones on the bill, like, let's see. And we had a really successful show. So, from that point forward, we're like, okay, I guess we're, I guess we're a headlining act around here, which was cool, and then we're just kind of trying to build it from there.
And jazz is seeing a little bit of a resurgence, especially among people our age. From what I heard songs like Do it Myself and Wake Up, I heard a little bit of jazzy undertones in there. Who are your inspirations for that? And where does that sound come from? And where does it fit with your music going forward?
Pascarella: Hip hop is where it comes from. For I think for all of us, like Kendrick Lamar, like him, infusing jazz into his into his music and collaborating with artists like Robert Glasper and Terrace Martin and Kamasi Washington, I think that, like us just being super interested in the artists, who's playing on the records of the artists that we love.
Aaron Shields: I feel like everybody's background in music, I feel like there are taste in music it kind of similar. We, like, just like Luke was saying, like, we try to, like, dig deeper, to see who's actually playing the making the music for the album, and then try to replicate, I try to replicate what I hear. And also try to go up at least one level above that.
Folds: A lot of my inspiration just came from church, realistically. I did have like, a little bit of jazz band influence, you know, playing in jazz band in like, fifth and sixth grade up through high school. And John Coltrane really was somebody, listening to Coltrane is just, I don't know, it's interesting.
Tetlak: I feel like this is also like, how, like, the alien kind of R&B ties into this, because we all take a little bit of the jazz elements and other-worldly kind of, like genres that we like, and kind of infuse it. Into this stuff. So that's, I feel like it's like a little bit of an oddball in terms of what kind of mix you're going to get.
The E-Block’s keyboardist Devin Tetlak, guitarist Luke Pascarella, bassist Daniel Folds and drummer Aaron Shields.