Page 15 - ION Indie Magazine MayJune 2023

Jordan Stafford: Anything that takes you out of that creative space as a musician is always
the least favorite part...loading equipment, un-loading equipment, setting up a stage,
malfunctioning gear, dealing with bad venue owners, grunt work, etc. Imagine yourself
performing about 100 shows in a year, and every show you are expected to be ‘on point’ for
several hours -- after hauling and setting up equipment. We each have to be our own tech,
performer, writer, and a member of the production team. Every show is effort. Not to mention
the hours of rehearsal and mental preparation for the performance and the normal financial
and family responsibilities on a musician's pay. There is always a sacrifice, but it's true that
anything that is worth it in life takes dedication.

MH: Where do you all see yourself in 5 years?

Brock Lange: I would like to continue to grow our fan-base and explore more great venues.
Opening up for a touring act would be pretty cool, too.

Jovaniel Rosario: We hope to be playing primarily original music. We are in the middle of
writing the next album. I am really anxious to see where that will take us. Covers are cool,
but we want to speak our personal language, and want to experience the satisfaction of
saying what we can say in our own unique way.

Jordan Stafford: Our vision is simple…more of the same. To live our passion. To keep writing
and refining; to just continue to do the good work. We have always tried to ignore the
distraction or lure that might lead us astray. We try to keep our undivided attention on our
own path. We have no plans to deviate from our original goal of making music that people
fall in love with.

Kathi McKay: I agree with ‘more of the same.’ We have an extremely rare experience that
other bands and even some families struggle.to find. I just want that to continue as long as
we are fortunate to experience it.

MH: What trends or changes throughout the years of the modern jazz/R&B world have
you noticed?

Kathi McKay: Music will always change. I have been the only female in all of the bands I have
been in since I was 13 years old -- for over 50 years! Thank goodness there are more female
musicians. I'm happy for that improvement, but another issue that frustrates me, that seems
to have gotten worse, is when creativity and even humanity is crowded out by profits. For
me, the human connection is what makes music (or anything for that matter) valuable. When
I opened for Ella Fitzgerald in Las Vegas way back in 1978, she complimented me on my
voice. The encouragement she gave me had nothing to do with talent. She was the epitome
of grace and humanity. That's what music is to me. A unique and special vehicle for positive
human connection.

John Stafford: Obviously, the delivery of music has changed. The internet has flooded the
market but has also taken the control of the music from the gatekeepers. With social media,
we are not dependent on someone else's control of our music. In that case, the talent does
have the opportunity to rise to the top.

Jovaniel Rosario: I think real talent is less valued today. Things like auto-tune and AI aren't
necessarily bad, but if there is little talent behind it, that really frustrates me.

MH: How do you balance the music with other obligations?

Kathi McKay: The key for me is to prioritize. Because it is difficult to keep everyone and
everything important in my mind, I try to write down my daily/weekly priorities and visit them
often to keep myself accountable.