Vibes: Interviews.Features

HEAVy Interview

Who is HEAVy?
By Norman Mayers
So who exactly is HEAVy? The duo of vocalist Nicky Guiland and producer Casey Benjamin have been creating buzz since they appeared on DJ Spinna’s Intergalactic Soul. HEAVy make the kind of music that refuses to be categorized. A little bit of hip-hop swagger, a dash of rock edge, and a whole lot of attitude characterize the sound. But even though HEAVy’s sound is influenced by 80s new wave, punk, a hip-hop, it has a forward thinking vibe that connects it to genres like broken beat and drum&bass. On their debut album JazzMoney$$, out on BBE, the duo take uptempo soul and feed it a bag of magic mushrooms, spinning it on its head, switching up the tempo and ramping up the intensity. This is true future funk and the world may not be ready for the HEAVy sounds of Nicky and Casey.

Nu-Soul: What does the name HEAVy and the unusual capitalization of the letters signify?
Nicky: Well, I came up with heavy… back around 2001/2002 when we decided to give it a go as a group. The word was sorta just hovering around us, being used in different circles, all meaning basically the same thing. Something good or great. So to me… heavy= something with a lot of matter… quality… good/great. I couldn’t think up a better word to describe what we were getting into. As for the uppers and lowers… blame it on my fat fingers and CAsey’s penchant for all things off kilter/odd. HEavy is Heavy is HEAVy is heavy. All the same, good quality (fun) music.
Casey: I CAME up with the CAPITALS and the lower case Y. It’s MY idea. I’m taking credit. And HEAVy and Heavy aren’t the same… just like that.

Nu-Soul: How did you (Nicky and Casey) meet?
N: We met at LaGuardia around senior year. I knew of Case before then, but he was this big wig superstar and stuff. We didn’t work together/become friends till Jazz History [class].

Nu-Soul: What artists have influenced you from both a production and a vocal and lyrical standpoint?
C: Quincy, David Rubinson, Charles Stephney, George Duke. Thomas Dolby. Isley Brothers, Michael Franks. Barry White.
N: My base influences stay the same… Carmen (Mcrae). Joni (Mitchell). Wayne (Shorter). Minnie (Riperton). ATCQ. Prince.
Everyone else floats in and out of my musical life… Syreeta. Depeche Mode. Siouxsie and the Banshees. B-52’s. Bjork/the Sugarcubes. The Cardigans. Rush. Dilla. Return to Forever.
I’m leaving out a lot of names. A lot of my influences heard on this record really just come from sense memories of a sound.

Nu-Soul: What were you hoping to create with JazzMoney$$ and do you feel you have accomplished your goal?
N: I wrote/recorded an honest album about my life, released almost in real time.
I shared with the rest of the listening audience a side of me that was getting over looked.
I made people dance. I made folks forget/think about their problems in a different way.
I didn’t sell too much of my soul that I couldn’t buy it back at the end of the day.
That’s pretty much all the goals.

Nu-Soul: Do you feel there is a growing audience and culture for your type of music, which seems to reflect the melting pot times we live in?
N: Yes I do. Kids are getting savvy and are seeking out different sounding acts that live on the fringe. They might get introduced to Prince through a Prince-ish sounding tune… or Zapp from T-pain, but I’d like to think “hot sound of the day” tunes are gate way drugs to acts like us…
I refuse to label this new ground swell of “different” sounding acts. We all pull from similar influences. We’ve all been exposed to just about the same things, and our generation is just showing how various Rock/Soul/Rap/Jazz/Pop acts impacted us. Being a part of the OUT crowd is in vogue, and the mainstream is starting to take note. The beauty of artists like us and our musical peers… we don’t care so much WHO is listening. We just like that you guys ARE listening.

Nu-Soul: You both have roots in the Caribbean. Do you think your music would be embraced there?
C: No. I think some of the elements in our music would be embraced.
N: I’d like to think so, but I’m fighting for recognition on THIS little island of Manhattan…
Without getting into island politics, being anything other than a BIG mainstream artist or a reggae/dancehall/soca star… just isn’t relevant. Collaborations and exploring that side of me/us WILL be a great experience, when the time presents itself…
In the meantime, Case and I will keep on writing Calypsos and Soca tunes as writing exercises.

Nu-Soul: What can people expect to see at one of your live shows?
N: Blood. Sweat. Open Hearts. A ½ Naked girl. A ½ Naked guy. 3-6 folks playing like we like it… cause we like it.

Nu-Soul: To those who have never heard your music how would you describe your sound?
C: The sound of NY… One of the biggest influences in [popular] music happened in the late 70’s/early 80’s, the fusing of rock, punk, rap, Jazz fusion… experimental. It’s a mix between that and y’know, being a part of the Hip Hop generation now.
N: Can you describe what Wind feels like?
OK.
It sounds like… the musical equivalent to abandonment of inhibition.
HEAVy sounds like pop rocks and soda in your mouf.
HEAVy sounds like the E train approaching W4th in the middle of August.

Nu-Soul: How did your collaboration with DJ Spinna help your career momentum?
C: Besides being a great producer/writer/musician, working with him helped us connect to his fanbase, and we reached more people that we weren’t able to reach before. It’s always good to have a DJ friend that can put you onto S*it that you never… that’s so rare, you’d never find in any store. Anywhere in the world.

Nu-Soul: What is currently on your plate to promote the album? (touring, videos, etc)
N: All of the above.
C: Working on the ULTIMATE youtube video.
N: Getting on Robyn Byrd’s Public access show.

Nu-Soul: What is the next step in the HEAVy journey?
C: Continue trying to out do ourselves.
N: Hitting more stages fit for an act like us. Touring with The Rolling Stones. Unauthorized Biographies.
C: AHoooooh Hot Pepper Sauce.
N: Golden Krust Franchises in the Netherlands…

www.myspace.com/whoisheavy

Read the review of JazzMoney$$