Sydney eight-piece urban roots group The Strides are touring the country and taking it all in their stride, pun intended.
Currently in the middle of their national tour, The Strides are making the most of taking in all of the different landscapes Australia has to offer.
“We try and make time wherever possible. Our last few weeks have been so busy driving between shows that we've only been able to manage an early morning swim or a surf. We did have one day off in Byron Bay where we got to do some fishing,” tenor sax player Jeremy Rose says.
The Sydney group have just released 'One For One', the new single off their upcoming third album. The new song features the voice of future-soul artist Ngaiire, a song about self-realisation, self-discovery, and coming to terms with a new world.
“We've known Ngaiire for a few years now and after we'd written the song we knew she'd be perfect for it.”
To prepare for the upcoming album The Strides spent a week in Byron Bay followed by another week at Tanuki Lounge in West End with producer Paulie B. An experience Jeremy said allowed them to concentrate on the artistic direction and infuse a hip hop edge. But recording an album with eight musicians isn't always easy.
“We try and be as open as possible to everyone's thoughts on the creative process. Everyone has some valuable insight into how the music should be recorded, produced and finally mixed. But at the end, there's got to be a few of us steering the boat you might say,” Jeremy says.
The sheer size of The Strides lends itself well to the stage, however, creating a powerful dynamic.
“It can be quite a spectacle. The dynamic between our two main vocalists Ras Roni and LTL Gzeus is quite amusing to watch, with their iconic dancing and on stage rivalry.”
The Strides play Island Vibe Festival alongside Ill Gates, J:Kenzo, Soom T and many, many more at Home Beach Minjerribah North Stradbroke October 25-27.