ELI SMART INTERVIEW
Photo by Alyssa Britton
On August 1st, Eli Smart made his debut at Delmar Hall opening for his good friend Declan McKenna. St. Louis reveled in Eli’s signature sound he’s coined as ‘Aloha soul.’
Our cofounder Alyssa Britton was able to meet up with Smart after his set for a short interview.
Alyssa: Feel free to introduce yourself, your band.
Photo by Alyssa Britton
Eli: Hello, my name is Eli Smart. I’m here with my wonderful band. We’ve got Hamster on drums and Jordan Paul on the eggplant shaker; and we have my grandma Tutu who is out with her friends. We just played Delmar Hall in St. Louis opening up for Declan McKenna and it’s been a good time!
Alyssa: Tell me a bit about your creative process.
Eli: Well it depends really. Everything starts in a different way. I’ll start with a groove sometimes and try to build a tune around it. Honestly the creative process is just trying to write something you enjoy playing and then throw some words on top of it. Then we play it live and see what happens you know?
Alyssa: Absolutely, yeah. So what got you into music? I know your sound is combined, you’ve created your own.
Photo by Alyssa Britton
Eli: I think you’re referring to Aloha Soul which is the genre I came up with. It’s my way of paying homage to where I grew up and you know, the culture I was lucky enough to grow up around and witness. Music is very deeply rooted in Hawaiian and Asian culture so to see that growing up and how music and community go hand in hand, that really influenced me a lot.
Alyssa: It’s nice to see and hear those roots in your music. What about your influences? What artist inspires you most? It can be anyone in your circle even, family plays a massive part in most music I know.
Eli: Well yeah. I mean my family they all inspire me kind of. They’re the reason I do what I do; number one for sure. Then you know other cool music I’ve been able to listen to. I’m really inspired and moved by like Brazilian music for instance. I might not know what they’re saying, but it’s so fun and energetic.
Alyssa: Oh sure! It has a fiery energy. It’s very fun. What’s your favorite part of performing?
Photo by Alyssa Britton
Eli: Just doing it with such a fun band you know? I love being able to look to my right and see Jordan just doing his thing. I turn to my left and Hamster and my grandma holding it down is the coolest thing ever.
Alyssa: Do you have any secret talents?
Eli: Well I can make a water droplet noise with my mouth- it’s my only party trick.
Alyssa: Amazing honestly. Um, what song do you have on repeat right now? I’ve been loving My Kinda Lover by Billy Squier.
Eli: Yeah? Sick. Honestly, it’s like always probably Say a Little Prayer by Aretha Franklin forever of course.
Alyssa: Always. Such a strong vocalist.
Follow Eli on Instagram and check out his latest music here!
