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view the interrogations
video.
First and foremost what's with your name.
What does it mean? Why of all the names to name a band, you chose
Totem Maples?
Larry: Just like Spanish and French and Italian come from Latin,
in North America 50 Native American languages come under a linguistic
umbrella called Algonquian-and the word Totem literally means "his
relations" and it stems from the Algonquian. Back when we were
just playing as Larry Erik and Matt, I thought we needed a name
so I called us just The Maples because I use to sit and write poetry
under these maple trees. And the image symbolized for me strength,
and shelter, and rootedness, and also flavor because you get your
rich syrup from it's sap. So The Maples was fine, and then we started
to mature. We gained a violinist, I thought we needed another name
to correspond with our evolution, so I threw in the Totem. I was
then and am still now an admirer of Native American culture and
people, so the "his relations" thing seemed to work for
me. Though we all are pretty much different in this band, we are
related in someway. And just like a totem pole so are we-different
faces, different beauties (or uglies), but all carved in together
on the same wooden stock.
Now your style of music is very different.
You use spoken word poetry as your vocal base as opposed to rapping
or singing. You use congas, acoustic guitar, turntables-not your
typical guitar/bass/drum rock and roll band. So what would you classify
your style of music as being? How do you describe your sound?
Matt: You can call it folkish/jazzish or whatever. I see our music
as something very conscious-oriented. Conscious like evoking thought.
It delivers thought to the listener but it also demands thought
from the listener. It's a home cooked meal and not fast food. A
lot of music listeners today want fast food and so they wouldn't
think twice about picking up an album by Coltrane, or Armstrong,
or Bird, let alone know who those musicians are. The late great
singer songwriter Nick Drake would dig our stuff.
Justin: It's music to lounge to but you don't lounge to. It's going
to prompt you to use your mind. It's on another level from lounge.
I want to say education music, but I don't want to say education
music. Personally, I've caught myself chillin' to it but then doing
more in my mind besides just chillin'. One thing's for sure, it
will move you. The lyrics will move you, the music will move you,
but put them together and it's dangerous.
The term Recitare was used by Larry to describe
Totem Maples' style. Explain.
Larry: Recitare is a Latin verb meaning "to recite".
Recitare, I'd say, is Totem Maples' number one adjective. It's not
a genre. It's not something to capitalize on. It's our intimate
style. Performance poetry which is not SLAM based. IT'S DEFINITELY
NOT poetry recited to background music, just because the music and
the verses are one-Siamese twins-just like rap music, but without
the rhyming, the street bravado, and STAGNATATION DAT-tape beats
that end in like 2 or 3 minutes. Recitare is understood only through
vibe and mood and contradiction. See, I'd tell you to go listen
to rap music, then go to a poetry SLAM, then go listen to Totem
Maples, and then you can probably feel what our Recitare is about.
Juxtapose a daydream to a night dream.
Specifically who are some of the musicians
and poets who have been instrumental in your life?
Matt: I'm a big fan of Louie Armstrong and James Taylor. When I
play guitar in front of the public, I want to make people feel good;
I want to be that source of entertainment and bring a heightened
awareness of happiness. As well as provide sanity for myself through
creativity. What I love about Louis Armstrong and James Taylor was
that when they played they never hit a negative chord-they were
positive and made you feel positive. Their music says to me that
although life is tough sometimes, life is still beautiful and worth
living. There's always that new day in their music.
Larry: Jimi Hendrix for me. There's so much I can say about him.
I look at him as like my artistic savior. Everything creative I
am into is because of him. I got into his music when I was 16. Before
that, all I could listen to or read dealt with African American
urban issues. Musically, all I wanted to listen to was rap and r
& b. In literature, I was only interested in Langston Hughes,
and the Harlem Renaissance. Today I still listen to all of that
and read all of that; but Jimi, who was African American and Cherokee,
wrote about the human struggle that transcended the ghetto and The
White Man. He made it legal for a Black guy like myself to be into
other things artistically and say other things. His lyrics took
imagery from Native American poetry, science fiction, African, African
American, and European mythology, and a bunch of other things, globally.
At first, it was hard to listen to, but reading about him I learned
about Picasso, and Van Gogh and art. I learned about poets from
South America and France. I learned about blues and jazz which I
thought I knew, but never really bothered to listen to. I even learned
about folk music-there'd probably be no Totem Maples had I not of
gotten into what Hendrix listened to and read, because I'd be after
a totally different harder edge urban hip hop political sound, which
our music is definitely not.
Justin: Growing up, De La Soul and Digable Planets were my teachers.
I'd describe them as second parents because they showed me points
in life. My parents taught me not to take drugs, but De La Soul
and Digable Planets through their musical expression showed me clearly
why I shouldn't take drugs, you know? My friends and the close people
in my life told me it was important to get ahead and better myself,
but De La Soul and Digable Planets showed me why I should do so
in their examples. I'm a musical person and I pick up things best
by music so the way they expressed their points through music really
made an impact on my life.
Justin, you have an interesting role in the
band as DJ/ turntablist. You've once said that one of your main
goals is to use the turntable as an instrument-an actual element
in musical composition as opposed to just something to make scratching
sounds with. There is a complex element in what you do than what
the average person-who isn't into turntable culture-who doesn't
know, hasn't yet seen. Tell us about your DJ mentality, what moves
you, and who or what helped to "build Buck".
Justin: It all started back in the crib! I started off with disco
in the crib! My parents say when I was a baby I could never go to
sleep unless they played popular music on the radio. I took classical
piano as a child and then I quit because I didn't like it. During
the 5th grade I got into turntables. From then on up for me I was
into stuff like freestyle, Miami, what you would probably call the
original west coast stuff-JJ FAD, LA Dream Team, Uncle Jam's Army.
I got into progressive hip hop, progressive dance music-drum and
bass, house-and I really started getting into acid jazz, which actually
turned me on to real jazz, instead of it being the other way around.
I'd say acid jazz has had the most influence on me, more so than
real jazz and hip hop. The DJ that has influenced me the most is
Gilles Peterson. He has a London NPR music show and plays all types
of progressive music. Back when we did Generic Soul (radio) it was
me and Matt and whoever else contributed with their mind and there
wasn't any strict format we followed. I think a DJ should play for
the audience-you have to feel the audience and know how to move
the crowd. But there's a certain other level when you as a DJ have
to play for yourself and not just for the sake of style or label.
You've got certain DJs who are just known by style labels-'oh, he's
a jungle DJ', 'he's a hip hop DJ'. But there are other level DJs
like Garth Trinidad from KCRW-he just plays phunky music of all
styles. A good DJ is an educator and an introducer.
Sometimes you have to dig in the crates and introduce
them to some stuff from way back that they've never heard of, or
some stuff from over seas. As long as you play it and remember it,
it lives.
Justin: Word. Usually if you just play the music that moves you,
you will draw an audience that respects you. Gilles Peterson showed
me "the genre of YOU".
This group formed at APU-Azusa Pacific University,
which is a Christian university. When I asked who are some of the
musicians and poets who've influenced you, Louis Armstrong, James
Taylor, Jimi Hendrix, Digable Planets, and De La Soul were all mentioned.
These are artists whom you wouldn't classify as "Christian"-but
all of you are and go to church. So now how would you term your
music-would it be considered "Christian" because you all
are Christian?
Matt: We're about music and community and expression, I feel. And
we give reverence to God through our actions, but I wouldn't call
our style Christian. I think we'd be cheating our selves and we'd
be cheating those who listen to us by just limiting our music to
that particular genre. Our music isn't for a church worship service.
Our music is very open-but respectful.
Justin: I would say yeah. I see it as a ministry and an outreach.
We've had the opportunity to play in Christian coffeehouse as well
as non-Christian coffeehouses and bars. We project our beliefs to
the world through our music. Totem Maples are on another level of
"Christian".
Larry: I'm just speaking for my poetry. The type of material I
write is probably not Christian bookstore literature, just because
the Christian bookstore audience is looking for a type of devotional
literature that I'm not writing. For Totem Maples, I have "Muse"…but
I write about a host of other things. I write about love, social
issues, symbolist/surrealist themes-I don't think you can find love
poems, socially conscious verse, and surrealist writings in church
hymnals. Jesus saved my soul and my spirit and Jesus is God. And
God is in my life 24 hours a day 7 days a week, BUT I am not sitting
inside a church 24 hours a day 7 days a week, and my poetry clearly
reflects that. I am a child of the Most High, but I still feel I
have the right to write about the aspects of my life that are non-devotional.
I live. I love. I feel. I seek. I write. I'm not a conservative,
and I'm not a liberal, I'm just me.
Any last words?
Justin: 5 foot 6 dark hair and tan skin
Let me introduce myself before I begin
I'm a smooth brother,
The Filipino lover
Once the ladies taste…they'll never want any other
'Cause just like Gillete
I'm the best that they can get
Lovin' all the ladies and leavin' um wet!
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