Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Live from the Mercedes Benz Interview Lounge.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
From Christmas in the City.
Speaker 3 (00:07):
It's out now, the album Pentitonics. Pentatonics is so good
to have you, guys, having you on our show. We
were talking while you were singing. We were whispering. We
should have been paying attention. The energy level, the fun right.
Speaker 4 (00:21):
This just makes you happy.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Thank you. That's always want to do. Thank you, and uh,
y'all make us happy.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Well as you make us happy. God, I'm gonna cry.
It was I think we calculated twelve years ago. You
came into our studio.
Speaker 5 (00:35):
Yes, and oh my gosh, we were so nervous. We
were baby babies. We came straight out of a high
school in Texas. We were like, but we didn't know
you were nervous. You sounded great to us.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
And I don't know if I'm alone here, but I
always see you guys working. I mean there's always you're
always working. Yeah, yeah, I'm sure you take we do.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
I mean the holidays, of course, is the busiest time
of year for us, but it's also the most fun.
We have the most fun and we love Christmas tours.
They're just yeah, just everyone is having a good time.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
November first we lock in.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
It's true, that's January.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
First Christmas ever ends.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Okay, let's talk about the artist. Okay that really do
capitalize on Christmas. Let's be real celebrate Michael B. Black
all right, carry patonics.
Speaker 4 (01:27):
I was the ones that really matter, said, I really
wish everybody would start listening to Christmas music in June
because I could use the strings.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
Struggling around Christmas for you. Interesting though, being you know,
a cappella and uh, the first time I actually saw it,
I actually saw you guys performing with an orchestra at
one point.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Did I not?
Speaker 3 (01:51):
Oh yeah, we've got two reforms that our stript The
first time I saw it, I'm like, oh, those liars
and you're like this.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Is You're like, I'm gonna expose them.
Speaker 3 (01:59):
Yeah, so is it still freeing and best for you
just to have the five of you.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
And that's it. Oh my gosh. We love it all.
Speaker 5 (02:06):
We've been exploring all like, this album has a lot
of big man in orchestra, but we love to do acapella.
We were just talking about it yesterday. There is always
a magic about acapella that's just the human voice.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
So you're naked by the way.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Yeah, I mean right now, literally, right now, it's you.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
It's you. I mean an orchestra can cover up a
lot of stuff, but they can't.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
But that's that's how we achieved our sound, I mean,
and our blend because we've just been doing it together
for so so long. Thirteen years is that we said,
twelve thirteen?
Speaker 3 (02:33):
Yeah, yeah, we're one of your first Yeah yeah, I think. Yeah,
so Matt you you joined Patadonics last, but that was
not that was a long time ago. I mean you've
been together for how long.
Speaker 6 (02:45):
I've been in the group for about eight years now, Okay,
so yeah, long I thought it's crazy time is fine? Yeah,
getting married, having kids and you know, all the whole thing, right.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
Yeah, we'll talk to big Daddy down there.
Speaker 5 (02:59):
Have a kid, Scott, Yes, I'm having a child with
my husband Mark via surrogate. Y you're not doing it naturally, No, No,
we try, We're trying. We're trying right now. Yeah, it's
a new year, man, we can do it all.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
It's all great. But yeah, growing up with each other
and basically is what you have and are still doing.
I guess someone would say advantages disadvantages. I mean, you know,
each other very well. Is that good or bad?
Speaker 7 (03:33):
I think it's great. I mean I feel like we
are truly a family. We went to high school together,
we did a lot of choir and like the same teachers,
same blend, Like we've been together for forever, and then
as a group, we've been together for like fourteen years,
and so we've truly just become a family. And like
Matt was saying, like just seeing everyone grow up. And
I also feel like Pentatonics has always been kind of
like a boat, and it's at other points like people
(03:54):
have kind of fallen off the boat or like needed
extra help or whatever, but we've all brought each other
along and always take care of each other, and that's
what a family does. So it's nice.
Speaker 3 (04:04):
You know, Kevin, are you tired of people asking you
just to hit it beat boxing? I mean I love
doing it so.
Speaker 8 (04:13):
Right here. The reaction from people when wait, that's not
a drum kit, that's not an NPC, He's like, no.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
It's just just my mouth.
Speaker 4 (04:24):
The imagine if we had him in here every day,
the sound effects would have the college.
Speaker 8 (04:31):
I had some friends be like, can you just walk
beside me and just be the soundtrack of my day,
and I like, that's such a funny thing.
Speaker 6 (04:37):
So I do that.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
It's going to be expensive.
Speaker 7 (04:41):
You should do a TikTok series doing that. I'm just
starting to follow people.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
What a great answer to any question that asked if
you your answer is it's just my mouth.
Speaker 6 (04:51):
What I mean.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
I just saw this and even though I heard he
had passed away. You have a song with Frank Sinatra. Yes, yes,
but I mean the icon of all icons. Can we
talk about this and you know what, as soon as
we're done talking about it after the interview, I want
to play it.
Speaker 7 (05:14):
Yes, yes, I mean, it's so amazing. We wanted to
do a classic cover Irving Berlin, Great American Songbook. We
had it for a while and then we started working
with our executive producer, Dave Pierce, who also orchestrated a
lot of the stuff on our album, and he knows
the Frank Sinatra estate. So when we told him that
we want to do I've Got My Love to Keep
Me Warm, he was like, why don't you do it
with Frank Sinatra?
Speaker 2 (05:35):
We were like, of course, that would be amazing.
Speaker 7 (05:37):
So it's an unreleased track and you can hear like
the stuff that's happening in the studio behind him, and
the vocal hear like.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
The ruffling of the sheet music.
Speaker 7 (05:45):
And amazing, and so we were honored and they blessed
us with his vocals and we were Yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
When we're done, Yeah, yeah, them.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Play the entire album.
Speaker 3 (05:59):
Why not to the bar and start drinking. Okay, this
is at Pensatonics Christmas in the city. It's a mini vinyl.
It's your target, right, Yeah, it actually works like on
a on a record player.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
I think there's one song on each side. So cute.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
I'll push this on Instagram. It's the world's smallest vinyl piece.
It's so little, Like, this doesn't work, does it? I can't.
I'm gonna take it away. Actually, so you haven't actually
seen your tiny vinyl inaction?
Speaker 2 (06:35):
No, no, we just got it. We can't find a
tiny vinyl player.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
I can put it on a regular size.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Yeah, yeah, did it?
Speaker 3 (06:45):
Funny? I mean, vinyl has been around since before I
was born, and I'm like, what is this thing? Vinyl?
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Come back here? What do you want to know? Yeah?
Speaker 7 (06:53):
Well, you guys are the ultimate testament to a group project, right,
everything you do is a group project.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
But how hard does that get?
Speaker 7 (06:59):
Through the whole year having to work with each other,
each other, schedules, each other's families.
Speaker 4 (07:03):
As a group project.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
The scheduling is the who's the biggest pain in the ass?
Speaker 7 (07:13):
I mean everyone has different things, Like different people have families,
different people have like career side projects that they're doing,
and all at different times too. We all kind of
like take turns having something, you know what I mean?
Speaker 4 (07:23):
Yeah, yeah, Now, how do you decide, Like when you
were singing outside, like some of you thought like this
sounded good, but that didn't sound so good. Let's change it,
let's fixt it, like who would have the final say
on if it's you know, what we should put out there?
Speaker 5 (07:36):
Boost something I've always been really proud of. And our
group is we always come to an agreement a union
disagreement almost always, and if there is, we'll do like
a super majority vote if there is a disagreement. But
usually we all are on the same page. And like
people think we have our ow language, we'll be like,
well that part was the second, oh yeah, one, the
third yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
Yeah wow wow.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
Our group could never do that, not at all. So
I mean, the three of you group together in Texas,
So what is it about music. What I mean, it's
your livelihood obviously partially that's part of it, but the
career path, it's it's music, it's it's art. Do you
ever stop down and go, God, I'm a spoiled little brat.
Speaker 6 (08:18):
To do this.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
We all five of you, by the way, I mean,
do you ever have to slipe yourself silly and go Okay,
absolutely yes, do it right in front of it.
Speaker 5 (08:29):
No, It's like it's like such a dream, like this
is what we always wanted to do, and it's like
when we were we chose this path because it was
like all like we wanted it more than anything, and
we're just lucky that we get to live our dream
in the music industry.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
That's a really hard thing to do.
Speaker 8 (08:42):
Yeah, I mean for me though, they kind of plucked
me out because I was in college for pre med
and also Eastern and Studies, so I never expected music.
So for me, I had no plan of making this
a career. So when they plucked me out and just said, hey,
do you want to try this, I was like, Okay,
we'll see where this goes. And then all of this
has happened since, so I definitely pinched myself and go
(09:04):
how did I get here? I'm confused.
Speaker 4 (09:07):
What does your family say when you're a premium the way?
Speaker 3 (09:11):
So you have to understand.
Speaker 8 (09:12):
My dad' from Nigeria, my mom' from Grenada. So there's
this thing called the immigrant holy trinity where you have
to be a doctor, a lawyer or you know, her
family is black sheep or brown sheep.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
Of the family.
Speaker 8 (09:30):
No, exactly. So like I'll give you an example. So
when we want our second Grammy, we're performing with Stevie
Wonder that's the Way of the World for Earth, Wind
and Fire. And then immediately afterwards we give Stevie Wonder,
we give Ed Sharon. With Stevie Wonder, Ed sheear's Grammy
four thinking out loud for song of the Year, and
so I sit back down next to my dad and
he's like, congratulations on your Grammy. When are you going
(09:54):
back to medical school? Did you not just see what
happens first out laughing, I'm so proud of you. So
you can find yourself. So it was.
Speaker 3 (10:06):
It was a good moment.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
It all right.
Speaker 3 (10:10):
So Pentatonics, where will we see you during the holidays?
Speaker 2 (10:13):
On tour?
Speaker 7 (10:16):
On tour, but for Christmas we stopped tour December twenty second.
But right now we're finishing up tour. Ten more shows
and then we'll be home with our families and relaxing
and taking some much neing to time off.
Speaker 5 (10:27):
And yeah, and then January first we start Christmas.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
We start thinking about it.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
It's just awesome having you guys here, and congratulations to you.
And I'm going to say something. Okay, someone that works
with you, who's very big in the business, said they've
been in this business for so many years, but they've
never met a group of people together who have it
so together and are so easy to work with nothing
but compliments. I will not give this person's name. I
(10:54):
want to do a really bad way though, but it's
coming from someone who I rarely hear positive things out of.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
No, I'm kidding.
Speaker 3 (11:03):
So you just understanding when you leave the room, there
are people still in the room that are thinking great
things of you, and you're making them very wealthy. A
Christmas in the City is what usually playing around the clock.
Of course, during the holidays and in July, I play
the Share Christmas song. In summer, why can't we play
(11:26):
Pedattic Christmas? It's their holidays holiday studio album, Christmas in
the City Pensatonics, Thank you guys for coming in today.