Earlier this month I came across a beautifully eclectic and multifaceted EP called ‘Withstand’. Courtesy of the Cornelius Eady Trio, a New York-based threesome, the EP blends together elements of just about every genre. It’s folky, bluesy, and funky, with hints of R&B and soul sprinkled into the mix just for good measure.
I really wanted to get to know the three musicians a bit better, and was over the moon when they agreed to an interview! Chatting with us about their previous band, what they love about being musicians, and what they have in store next, please give a big welcome to our new friends Cornelius, Charlie, and Lisa!
Hey Cornelius, Charlie, and Lisa! It’s awesome to have you all here! Let’s kick things off with an easy one…Who is the Cornelius Eady Trio and what brought the three of you together?
Lisa: We were in another band called Rough Magic. A lot of people in the band decided to go their separate ways, but we wanted to continue to still play together.
Cornelius: The Trio began as a spin-off solution to Rough Magic – that full band was six members and it was sometimes hard to get everyone together at the same time, and some venues were too small for a full, six-piece rock band. But the true spark happened when there was a gig in Columbia, MO. I was teaching there at the University of MO at the time, and only Lisa and Charlie could make it. We did a stripped-down set of what we usually played as Rough Magic and it sounded so good and was so much fun that after the gig at the hotel bar, we made a plan to record as a trio. That turned into the LP ‘Field Recordings’ (Kattywompus Press/Soundcloud). Rough Magic went on for another two or so years, and when that band broke up we decided to keep going. As I type this I’ve been working with Charlie for a little over ten years, and Lisa for about seven.
For those who haven’t discovered your musical prowess just yet, how would you describe your sound to newcomers?
Charlie: All of us bring in a lot of musical influences, and Cornelius is very open to that. So we always start with Cornelius’ melody and lyrics, which are often set to a blues/folk-inspired foundation. From there, Lisa and I shape our parts on various instruments and see where it goes. I would describe the project as a folk/R&B sound personally.
Lisa: Folk Blues Funk.
Cornelius: With a bit of poetry. In fact, the first track of the EP is a poem I set to music by a friend of mine, Mary Molyneaux.
I was blown away by your most recent EP ‘Withstand’! It’s just so unique and eclectic. I believe you each recorded your parts separately to create the album, and I was wondering what that experience was like. Not being in the same room and everything…
Charlie: There are pros and cons to remote recording for sure. From my perspective, it’s nice to be able to create a part, develop it, and record it on my own timeline and in my home studio. I feel that I work very efficiently in that context as a recording artist. It’s also a challenge because when we are in a room together we have a shorthand, a collective energy. Nothing can substitute the results that scenario provides.
Lisa: We respond really well to each person’s recorded tracks. It’s very much a conversation between all of us, and we trust each other’s parts completely.
Cornelius: It’s six ears and three brains between us, and we’ve learned over the years of playing together and thanks to COVID how to build a zone where we all can hear and appreciate what we’re up to and what we bring to a song. Charlie’s right about the difference – before COVID, we’d rehearse the songs, then go off to a studio to record, a lot of the times live, between one and three takes. The session we did at Sun Studio in Memphis, ‘706 Union Ave’ (Kattywomus/Soundcloud) is a perfect example of that old process. We recorded eight songs live in around three to four hours. It’s a slower process to record remotely, but we learned as we went through the process that wound up as our COVID project ‘Don’t Get Dead’, (June Appal) that we could add other colors to our pallet.
Who would you put down as some of your biggest musical influences? And who would you ultimately credit for helping shape your overall musical soundscape?
Charlie: As a guitarist, I’m very influenced by the likes of Glenn Campbell, Dominic Miller, and Mary Halvorson. In terms of arranging and composing, I take a great amount of inspiration from Early Music and contemporary R&B. My ideas are shaped by the simplicity, intensity, and beauty of composers such as Hildegard Von Bingen and Palestrina. I take an equal amount of inspiration from the melodic flow and emotive song-craft of artists like SZA and Kehlani.
Lisa: For me – Debussy, Django Reinhardt, Stevie Wonder, Sonic Youth, Radiohead, and Stereolab.
Cornelius: Too many to list! But one or two I’ve been thinking of lately is a neo-classical guitarist named Linda Cohen – she was from Philly, and though she never wrote lyrics to her compositions, to my ears they bumped up against that singer/songwriter vibe. She was classical, but you could tell she’d been affected by rock n roll. She had a very lyrical approach to her playing style. Her album ‘Angel Alley’ is still one of my all-time favourites. Robbie Robertson has just passed, and I loved his playing and his lyrics – the economy in both. He only has a clutch of 15 or so of his “best” songs, but those best are as good a catalogue to my ears as anyone’s! Dylan, Simon, Mitchell. ‘King Harvest’ is untouchable in my head as a song and a recorded performance, and the lyrics – wow! I feel the same about Townes Van Zandt. That’s the way it rolls for us – drop the needle anywhere in the last 40 or so years of Rock, Pop, Folk, Country, Jazz and Blues and you’ll catch it somewhere in our vibe.
What are your thoughts regarding the music industry of today? And, if you were able to, what changes would you make to it?
Charlie: The music industry is in a very exciting place currently. It’s never been more possible to discover new music, and there is an astounding amount of brilliant artists creating forward-thinking music. It’s an industry that is always changing and requires those within it to continue to change. I don’t spend much time thinking about what I would change about the industry itself – I prefer to put my energy into changing with the times and functioning as highly as possible within them.
Lisa: Personally, I just create and play the music that feels good to me. I’d like to see more monetary compensation and respect for music artists for all the hard work we put into our craft.
Cornelius: Agree to both. In this band, we’re more ant than grasshopper.
If you could each have a conversation with a legendary musician and ask them one question, who would it be, and what would you ask them?
Lisa: Ella Fitzgerald. What does it feel like when you’re scatting and soaring?
Charlie: I actually don’t think I’d ask anyone one question. If we are talking about a conversation, there is a long list of musicians I’d love to have a meal with.
Cornelius: Yes. Or be a fly on the wall. I’ve often wondered how it felt to be one of the tourists in the Mermaid Cafe when Joni Mitchell and Cary rolled in, and she brought all of the “freaks and soldiers” a drink!
What do you love most about being musicians? And on the flip side, what are some of the biggest challenges that you’ve faced so far?
Charlie: I love the opportunity to use music as a language in my life. It’s an absolute privilege to make a living communicating in a way that I can craft into personal articulation. Being able to play with Cornelius and Lisa and absorb their musical language as well as share my own is something I’m eternally grateful for. Challenges are many in this lifestyle – staying on top of workflow, often working long hours for weeks on end, to name a couple. But even with all the challenges, I’d never want to do anything else with my life.
Lisa: I love the constant discovery and becoming in the art form. Challenge – to protect the space and integrity to keep creating and playing music in safe spaces
Cornelius: We all have other projects and obligations in our lives, but I think we agree we’ve found a special space we’ve carved out for ourselves. It’s something that helps us deal with the other stuff out there. We love where it’s taken us so far, and we want to keep seeing where the adventure goes – so it’s tricky to juggle at times, but so worth it.
Thanks so much for chatting with us! What comes next for the Cornelius Eady Trio?
Lisa: More recording, a festival in New Orleans, and shows in TN!
Cornelius: Plus, a limited vinyl release of the ‘Don’t Get Dead’ project from June Appal, hopefully at that festival in New Orleans in April 2024. We’ll be shooting a video for it soon!
