INTERVIEW: Slowey and the Boats have a simple message this time of year: Merry Christmas
Photo: Slowey and the Boats have a new Christmas album featuring their Hawaiian renditions of holiday classics. Photo courtesy of the band / Provided by Big Picture Media with permission.
Slowey and the Boats, the Hawaiian-surf band based in the Philadelphia area, have been going strong for almost nine years, thanks in large part due to their dynamic band leader, Isaac Stanford. In early 2012, he had a dream to create a group that would ply the musical waters by taking a nostalgic view of the past. He recruited fellow Philadelphia musicians David Streim and Freddie Berman, both of whom were playing with Amos Lee, and over the years the quintet was rounded out by Mike Hlatky and Brennen Ernst, according to the band’s official website.
They have released Set Sail and Beneath an Amber Moon, and this year sees the band’s new Christmas album, appropriately titled Merry Christmas From Slowey and the Boats (available now from Hi-Tide Recordings out of Freehold, New Jersey). Fans can enjoy their unique renditions of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” and “Sleigh Ride.” For listeners checking out the album digitally, there’s a bonus track as well — “This Christmas.”
Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Stanford about the band and the new album. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
For those who are unfamiliar with the band, how would you describe your sound?
I like to think the band sounds like a day at the beach. Relaxed but sophisticated. The guys in the band are all so versatile that we can really cover a lot of territory in terms of genre and feel. We play a lot of melodies associated with Hawaii, but we like to switch it up and play stuff from all over the world.
Where does the band’s name come from?
The origins of the name are shrouded in mystery, but to the best of my recollection, I became known as Slowey pretty early on after we started working up a set list of tunes. One of the songs we kept coming back to and working on was the great Frank Loesser tune ‘Slow Boat to China.’ Through a combination of luck and needing a name for our first gig we settled on Slowey and the Boats. The name seems to suit us pretty well for some reason.
When did the idea for a holiday album come about?
I’ve always had the dream of doing a Christmas album. I just love the melodies and the way they can lift your spirit during some of the darkest weeks of the year. Every time we’ve done a recording session over the past several years I would add a couple Christmas songs to the list. This record is the combination of Christmas tunes from a couple of those sessions.
Are you a fan of holiday music?
I can’t say I’ve always loved holiday music, but the older I get the more it makes sense to me. I like the idea of seasonal melodies and the way they mark the passage of time. Relearning a specific repertoire of tunes every year is comforting in some way.
How much has COVID-19 disrupted your musical output? Are you itching to get back in front of a live crowd?
The pandemic has had a big impact on us as a band because we really are a live band. We had a monthly gig here in Philly that had been going for over seven years. Since we can’t play out these days we are all very much looking forward to a time when we can start doing regular gigs again.
When did you first fall in love with Hawaiian music?
I think my first introduction to Hawaiian music came through some Ry Cooder records my parents had when I was a kid. A couple of those records had Gabby Pahinui playing steel guitar. I really loved that sound. Those records led me to a bunch of other great players. The feel of Hawaiian music is just so distinctive and evocative.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Slowey and the Boats’ new album is Merry Christmas From Slowey and the Boats. Click here for more information.
