Soul Flow

The Soul Flow interview with Ethan Townzen from WLCA 89.9 College Radio’s Best in Godfrey Illinois. - Ethan Townzen

Thank you all for your help, and thanks to Go Saints and CAB for allowing me to take video for the event. Glad I can help! - Austin Davis

Hello, I hope this message catches you all at an amazing time. I just wanted to take the time out to say thank you for your patience and assistance at the festival!
I want to again truly apologize to my performers. You were the highest level of talent we have seen but due to the DJ having conflicts and there not being music for some time you did not all receive the optimal crowd or performance. I cannot apologize enough for that. Due realize it was out of my control and I got the second Dj to BPF as soon as possible. A special thanks go to Soul Flow and Julia D for staying to perform again while we waited for the new Dj.

Ms. Dieta is phenomenal and I hope you all got to see why I love having her MC every year. Putting together a festival is hard but she makes it a lot less stressful. If you ever need an MC for an event I would highly recommend her. Also, if you did not know I heard she makes amazing fried chicken. Maybe we can convince her to have a pop-up stand next year for all of us to try.

To my vendors, you all were amazing and truly supportive. I heard nothing but great things from your customers. You all are a huge aspect of BPF and I hope you understand how grateful I am that you felt the event worthy enough to come out.

I cannot emphasize enough that BPF does not get enough recognition. So if you have pictures please send them. If your friends or family came to have them like the Facebook page or write a review. Also, I hope each of you could take the time to give feedback on the event. I want to hear how you felt and how the event can be improved in your eyes. I thank all of you for giving an 18-year-old a chance to put on a great festival. Age does not equate to maturity or professionalism and I hope everyone can learn that.

However, to close this message as I have told many of you I left for school five days after the event. I am at Xavier University studying Biology Pre-Med and with that being said my workload is large and I will no longer be the coordinator of the event. I am still the founder of BPF and I will, of course, do some checking in and making sure the event is progressing. If you would like specific details about the event or to help in any way next year.

Cayla Adams
Belleville Peace Festival Coordinator - Cayla Adams

Hi Soul Flow,

Thank you so much for playing with Sofar! We hope you had an amazing time—we sure did! - Karim Selah

Soul Flow is a band from the Metro, St. Louis area whose been changing lives and bringing good vibes in every show of his. This group filled with ambitious musicians who mixes together various styles of music with hip-hop has made their mark in the areas of Sofar Sounds, and now they’re looking to play more shows and make a name for themselves!

Soul Flow has this refined soul you will find yourself cultivating and immersing yourself in! Don’t believe me? Take a listen to their single “Survive” and you will find yourself satisfied by the energy they present. It’s like Soul Flow lightly picks their listener up and allows them to float with the movement of the smooth-sailing melody. Like a nice breeze outside carrying you away, the atmospheric element in “Survive” was relentless. I LOVED the hook of this song. “We tryna get by, We Tryna fly, We tryna Survive” the vocalist sings, but instead of keeping it simple and boring, because I mean who likes things plain? He stretches out the notes on the ending word of each lyric. Like a smoothly connected melody, the tune was flawless! “Survive” was rich in texture and soul while remaining simple enough for the listener to follow the journey! It’s sculptural production was nicely delivered with ebullience. Soul Flow talent is remarkable!
Listen to "Survive" here and get to know more about Soul Flow below!



Hey Soul Flow! As a band, how do you guys manage to fuse the multiple different personalities and characters into the brand of SoulFlow?

For us at Soul Flow, we are able to bring everyone together because of our similar passions, dreams, and goals about music. We all have have different musical influences, but we have actually managed to make it all blend with our music. In the pursuit these dreams, we’ve all put our egos aside to complete the common task. There were a few times where our individual personalities did collide with the common goal, but we managed to work through those rough patches and come out with a bond that is stronger than ever.

We love a good story on how the formation of bands happens! How did you guys meet and form the project Soul Flow?

So it started with myself (Malcom) and Martin (guitarist) in the beginning. We left the military in pursuit of more than the world has to offer. After being for about two, we started doing local open mic shows as a family band. After a few shows, we heard about Sofar Sounds and wanted a piece of the action. We wanted to incorporate a new twist to the music we already, and that’s when we brought Moses (Vocalist) on board. At this point, the band was almost complete. But we still needed a drummer. We ended calling Eric (Drummer) and seeing if he would like to join the band. After we had our first band practice together, we knew that this was the beginning of something that was bigger than ourselves.

Let’s talk about this comforting record “Survive”. Despite the smooth-sailing instrumental playing and the unforgettable vocals (In which we couldn’t help but sing along with you guys because everything was so addictive!) what’s the lyrical message presented behind the record?

Behind the Lyrics of Survive, you find a meaning that everyone can relate too. We all struggle. In the Journey of life we find ourselves trying to just survive through obstacles we face and this Record was turned into a vent that echoed from your soul while going through the process. It’s like you’re put into the mindset of “Im trying my best, but the shit hurts.”

What inspired you to write “Survive” ?

At this point in time of our Journey all of was stressed. Searching for a pivotal breakthrough within ourselves and we were searching for a way to over come obstacles in the early band life. We had a practice one day just Vibing and Martin (guitarist) played a lick from survive and then Moses (Vocalist) stopped him and said play that again. Next thing you know the rest of the band is brainstorming putting the song together. It was like poetry.

What’s next for you guys? Any exciting upcoming shows?

So, we have quite a few plans for this year. We plan on going to the studio in July to record our new single “Summertime Love” and have a music following the release shortly after. Later this year, we plan on releasing our bands first album titled “The G.O.D” and hope to have that completed by November. As far as shows go, we just played a show in San Francisco with the Sofar Sounds team, and will be back for another show on June 15th. After that, we have Sofar Sounds San Diego on June 22nd and Sofar Sounds LA on July 13th. We are still looking for more shows and also for opportunities in the future to perform with some more of the local groups in the area.

Connect with Soul Flow on social media
www.instagram.com/soulflow_official
www.twitter.com/SoulFlowBand - Buzz Music LA

Soul Flow KUCI 88.9 FM in Irvine, CA interview - Lili Do

Eric Drake, Malcom Holman, Martin Holman, and Moses Holman came together in college with the goal to create music. Their band, Soul Flow, combines music from all different walks of life to create one beautiful melody with thoughtful, hip-hop style lyrical content. Originally from St. Louis, Soul Flow has uprooted and touched down in SoCal to pursue their passion, and we got the chance to ask them about their journey and what drives them to create.

—-
INTERVIEW

—

1. HOW DID YOU ALL MEET AND FORM SOUL FLOW?

Soul Flow started with just a few musicians in college that wanted to make music together. We used to spend a lot of time just jamming out with each other that we became so in sync with each other’s playing.

—

2. OUR NAME, REVOLT, MEANS TO REVOLT AGAINST ANYTHING HOLDING YOU BACK AND LIVE THE LIFE YOU’VE ALWAYS DREAMED OF. HOW DID YOU CHOOSE YOUR NAME, AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU?

The name Soul Flow came about because we all have different genres of music that we all are in to. We all wanted to combine it together and make it one giant “flow” We kind of just play whatever music comes out of us…Soul Flow is the music that comes out of us

—

3. WHO OR WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO MAKE MUSIC, WAS THERE A DEFINING MOMENT WHEN YOU KNEW YOU’D BE A MUSICIAN?

I would say that, for all of us, it was a matter of seeing how music impacts that world on so many levels and being able to impact others. Music is around us and it has given us so much, this is our way of giving back and saying thank you to music

—

4. WHAT DOES THE PROCESS OF MAKING A SONG LOOK LIKE FOR SOUL FLOW?

The process is honestly coming together and “jamming out.” If something sounds good, we just build off of it.

—

5. WHAT MUSICIANS ARE YOU MOST INFLUENCED BY? IF YOU MADE A TOP-FIVE OF ALL-TIME PLAYLIST, WHO WOULD BE ON IT?

Top 5 would be: Kendrick Lamar, Victor Wooten, J. Cole, John Mayer, and George Benson.

—

6. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR SOUND TO SOMEONE WHO’S NEVER HEARD IT BEFORE?

I would say imagine being at a pop concert with rap at the center, and jazzy progressions.

—

7. YOU OFTEN TALK ABOUT DIFFERENT ISSUES AND MESSAGES IN YOUR LYRICS, WHAT OVERALL MESSAGE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPREAD TO YOUR LISTENERS? WHAT CAN SOMEONE LEARN FROM LISTENING TO YOU?

We would like to inspire our listeners to never give up on your dreams and to always do what you love. Living a life with big ambitions is not easy, but the journey makes you feel so alive.

—

8. WE KNOW YOU’RE ORIGINALLY FROM ST. LOUIS, WHAT BRINGS YOU OUT HERE TO THE WEST COAST? HAS YOUR SOUND CHANGED SINCE YOU’VE MOVED?

We came to the West Coast because there are obviously more opportunities for music out here. Our sound is still the same, but our lyrics are more meaningful and personal to us and our journey.

—

9. WE SAW YOU ARE PLANNING ON RELEASING AN EP SOON! WHAT CAN WE LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING? ANY THEME OR MESSAGE, STAND-OUT LYRICS, OR NEW SOUNDS WE SHOULD BE ANTICIPATING?

Our EP is more about us and our journey, the struggles, the ups, the downs, and everything in between.

—

10. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOUR LISTENERS WHO ARE ON SIMILAR JOURNEYS TO MAKE THEIR OWN DREAMS A REALITY?

I know its cliché, but never give up, the journey will be hard, and sometimes you might question if it’s even worth it, but at the end of the day, you don’t want to live a life filled with regret and thinking about what you could have done.



More Info: Website // Facebook // Instagram







20 NOV LOCAL HEADLINERS UNTAPPED, MUSIC - Revolt Wines

Today we’d like to introduce you to Malcom Holman.

Malcom, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Soul Flow started. It’s a grand adventure in June of 2018. We were a local band in the heart of Metro St. Louis trying to find our sound. Throughout 2018, we played at several local venues including festivals and Sofar Sounds shows in St. Louis and Chicago. As grateful as we were for these amazing opportunities, we wanted to expand our horizons and grow in our musical journey.

In the beginning of 2019, Soul Flow decided to make our westward expansion and move to California to chase our musical dream. By the Spring of 2019, we began to gain exposure and perform in both Northern and Southern California. To have our voice be heard in the beautiful state of California, where so many artists get their starts, was a huge accomplishment for us. It has officially been a year since Soul Flow has made San Diego their stomping grounds and we have so much more to offer the beautiful people of San Diego. From new content to song releases and performances, the sky is the limit for the Soul Flow Team.

Has it been a smooth road?
One of the biggest struggles the band faced moving to San Diego was our lack of network connections. There were a lot of times where we would write these amazing songs and just sit and wonder when the next show would be. Although we were gratefully plugged into the Sofar Sounds music network, it was vital for us to get out and meet other likeminded artists to ensure the presence of Soul Flow was felt.

Another major challenge was being a self-managed band that had minimum experience in the business field. We had to navigate through the business, promote our craft on our own, fund ourselves and learn how to operate in a professional standard without any guidance. Looking back in retrospect however, I am glad we did things the way we did because we are much stronger because of it. This learning process has not only helped us in the music industry but in all areas of our lives.

Soul Flow – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Soul Flow is best known for its unique Hip Hop style that we bring to the San Diego area. We merge hip hop with a wide variety of other genres such as jazz, soul, pop, and anything else we are feeling at the time of our songwriting progress. We are very versatile and cannot be boxed into a particular genre which allows us to connect with a wide variety of people.

One thing that certainly sets Soul Flow apart from other bands is our undeniable stage presence. The way we demand control of the stage, involve the audience and show a genuine love of the craft is in a league of its own. We also love to connect with local artists who have never performed in the San Diego area and give them the opportunity to do so. It is very important for us to shed some light on the San Diego music scene and all of its incredibly talented artists who reside here. We believe that everyone deserves a chance to have their shot in the limelight, so connecting people helps us feel like we are doing our part in the community.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I would definitely say I love the fact that there is so much to do and see in San Diego. It almost feels as though there is always something to do in this great community. From the wide variety of beaches, eateries and bars, it feels like the possibilities are endless. I also love how incredibly dog-friendly the city is. I can truly say I don’t think there is one thing that dislikes about the beautiful city of San Diego, CA.

Contact Info:

Website: https://www.soulflowmusic.com/
Phone: (252) 649-8032
Email: wearesoulflow@gmail.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulflow_official/
Facebook: https://facebook.com/wearesoulflow
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SoulFlowBand
Other: https://linktr.ee/soulflow_official

Image Credit:
Mathias Fau and Ally Seagrave

Suggest a story: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here. - San Diego Voyager Magazine