photo by steed media service

Believe it or not, real musicians do still exist, just ask the New Orleans natives that make up the group Water Seed. In today’s world of auto-tuned ear candy, group founder Lou Hill, lead singer Ryan Johnson, key boardist J Sharp, flutist Cenise, and bass player Marius Tilton, have created a unique sound of funk, jazz and rock unmatched by any group on the underground scene.

Currently promoting their live LP, Early for the Future, this eclectic group of musicians champions their musical quirkiness. “Our music is so universal … there is something we’ve found that works with us — that transcends boundaries, that transcends categories, transcends people … in the end I think we bring everyone together and that reflects in our fan base,” says Johnson, whose voice is as diverse as her group’s sound.

Whether its dreadheads, hippies or bourgeois types, all walks of life are represented among audience members of a Water Seed show, something Hill says comes from never taking their music for granted. “We have that mentality that we’re here to work, this is a gift that has been given to us, and we’re not going to squander it,” he says.

Water Seed translates their love and knowledge of transforming dominant 7th chords and Aeolian scales into something different, with their upcoming disc, Wonder Love. “The chapter on music for mankind — the book is still being written,” adds J Sharp. “There are directions that music can go and we’re trying to go [in] those directions and not just fit into a template of what has already been done musically.” –gavin philip godfrey

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