Witnessing Elevaters in concert is like a spiritual experience. You reach for the sky in exaltation. You shout, making a "joyful noise". You hug your neighbor. If it weren't for a missing Bible, or the absence of someone shouting "Thank you, Jesus", you'd swear you were in church. The positive energy is palpable, the smiles on faces ubiquitous.

Periodically, after pinching yourself several times, you look to the stage and wonder just who the hell these six guys are whose vibes can raise the endorphin levels of a packed concert hall.

At first glance, they look like a group of 21^st century Rainbow Coalition poster children. Sam Golzari (MC, vocals, keyboards) is Persian, Ben Hall (MC, vocals, percussion) is Caucasian-American, David Noily (guitar, bass, backing vocals) is Jewish, Miles Gregley (MC, vocals) is African-American, Itai Shapira (bass, guitar, backing vocals) is Jewish, and Andre Morton (drums) is African-American. Everyone with the exception of Andre is in their mid to late twenties, and everyone has a unique perspective and musical insight that they bring to the table.

Itai Shapira - "Andre is into Prince, John Mayer, and The Time, Miles is into Pink Floyd and Ice Cube, Sammy's into Daft Punk, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson and D'Angelo, David is into Classic Rock like Led Zeppelin and Classic Funk, Benny has always been into Bob Marley and Latin music, and I've always been into Latin music and World Rhythms."

No matter what their individual backgrounds and musical tastes, when these gentlemen take the stage as Elevaters they groove as one symbiotic, synergistic unit. Their musical journey will take you through the land of Soul, Hip-Hop, Funk, Rock, and Pop - with each stop feeling authentic. These guys are simply being true to who they are along the way as they seek to empower, enrich, and reflect matters of the soul that we've all experienced in one way or another. Their beautiful melodies wrap themselves around your head like halos, and their funky grooves are so deep you could drive a truck through them. Their tunes are reminiscent of Stevie Wonder, Sly & The Family Stone, Hall & Oats, and The Doobie Brothers in an accessible Pop/Hip-Hop format for the ‘heads'. Their first full-length ‘Rising' (May 2007) is a refreshing fusion of these influences that is guaranteed to keep your head noddin', and your heart pumpin'.

But how did it all begin? How did six guys from such eclectic backgrounds make it work when today groups of three childhood friends break up over fisticuffs?

David Noily - "There were four of us initially - Miles, Benny, Sam and myself. We met doing open mic performances and at UCLA's Bearth. I'd bring my guitar, and Benny his djembe. Sam, Benny and Miles would sing and rap. We started doing this regularly at parties and all of a sudden it became a part of our college experience."

Sam Golzari - "It really came together when we wrote a song called ‘Grandma's Hand's' based on the Bill Withers' track. We performed it at ‘Spring Sing'. From there our popularity grew. I considered what we did Acoustic Soul."

But they didn't consider themselves a band. It was still a hobby of sorts, with four guys getting together to perform periodically because they liked doing it and appreciated each other. They had a contact at a local studio and decided to cut the tracks ‘Let's Get Real', ‘Dangerous', and ‘Lady Love' - still with no intention of becoming a bona fide band or making an album (yeah, I know ‘wake up guys!'). Well, they finally did wake up because something this good was bound to change, and the group slowly began to evolve and expand.

Itai - "I met David in a class called Artists for Social Change at UCLA and we started hanging out and sharing music. Eventually I became part of the band."

David - "Itai's an incredible musician. After we couldn't find a suitable bass player we asked him if he would mind playing bass. It worked."

Itai - "I was a lead guitar player and David was a rhythm guitar player. I had played bass before, but my main instrument was guitar. Still, it all worked out.

Cazembe Abena (LA2DAY) - "How did Andre come on board?"

David - "When we were still acoustic we used to play at the Mint. After one of our sets, Andre came up to me and was like, "Give me ten minutes, man and I'll blow the shit up!""

LAUGHTER

Andre - "Yeah. I thought these guys were tight, but they needed a drummer. So after David and I jammed together he was like, "Hey, man I like you, but I'm gonna be honest... if Benny doesn't like you it don't mean shit."

LAUGHTER

Ben Hall - "When I finally heard Andre I was like, "Yo, this guy is funky!""

Itai - "Andre's one of the funkiest drummers around. As a bass player I wouldn't want to have any other drummer to play with."

There was a brief stint of inactivity after graduation. David moved to Northern California, Ben moved to South America, and Sam and Miles had their acting careers. But, it was after a period of contemplation and soul searching that David sounded the call to arms for the band. He moved back down to LA, Ben moved back from South America, and Elevaters finally formed officially in April 2006.

Cazembe - "How do you guys classify yourselves musically? Or do you want to be classified?"

Sam - "I used to classify us as Acoustic Soul..."

Andre - "Not any more..."

Sam - "Yeah, I know. On iTunes our EP is under Rock, and our LP is under Hip-Hop. I don't know..."

David - "I think a lot of the Indie artists now are blurring genre lines. I guess if you had to call us anything it would be Pop because we include a lot of different elements in our music and make it accessible."

Sam - "Things have changed a lot for us in writing. We started out writing Hip-Hop and Raps, then Soul. Then we added Rock elements, got into House music, and then Latin music."

Cazembe - "From talking with Garth Trinidad, I learned about a genre name that was created by the Grammys based on his KCRW show ‘Chocolate City'. It's called ‘Urban Alternative'. It seems to fit what you guys are doing because it encompasses a lot of different Urban elements as well as World Beat and Latin influences."

Sam - "I like that. I've never heard of that before, but I like it."

David - "Yeah, that's cool."

Cazembe - "Who's the primary songwriter? What's your creative process?"

Sam - "There really isn't a primary songwriter. The lyrics that people sing have been done by themselves for the most part. Most of the songs, especially early on, started with David playing a classic chord progression on his guitar."

Cazembe - "And would you figure out these chords on your own or with the rest of the group?"

David - "Usually on my own. I would lay it down and then give it to the rest of the group. The lyrics and melodies that would naturally pour out of Ben and Sam would be incredible. I was never gifted with lyric and melody, but I could always write good chord progressions."

Cazembe - "So is it primarily the three of you writing?"

Sam - "In the beginning it was."

Benny - "But now everybody contributes. We decided that once the six of us agreed to make music together. Everyone has something to contribute to the music."

Andre - "This is possible because Sam, Ben, and David are so open. You sing something long enough around Sam and Ben and they're guaranteed to come up with a hook. They've given us all the freedom to contribute."

David - "It's been transformative. We've gone from coffee shops to being able to fill the Avalon. We're bringing heat now with everybody's input. It's changed our songwriting style entirely."

Benny - "The only other note about songwriting is the songs that are primarily keyboard are mostly written by Sam. He brings us the track and asks us to augment it as a group."

Cazembe - "Miles, as a rapper into Ice Cube, and Public Enemy, what attracted you to Elevaters?"

Miles - "It was the music. It had Soul and it was hot. I'm a fan of the music. Sometimes when we're onstage I want to jump off stage and watch."

Andre - "I think what these guys on vocals do is inclusive. It's hard as a band to eliminate that space, that air between the audience and the group. I've played with a lot of bands and good musicians, but to be captivated by the vocalists is a different thing. These guys suck that air right out and meet the audience. It's inclusive."

Itai - "And a classic example of that was how Ben was able to connect and sing with the kids on stage at The Skirball. It was magical."

Benny - "It was great. The kids were singing, there was a guy in a wheelchair dancing, elders were out of their chairs..."

David - "From that we realized we could rock a Rock, Pop, or Hip-Hop club, and make it all sound hard. We can play at The Skirball for kids, families and geriatrics and make it sound good. The thing that makes Elevaters stick is our audience. It's all about crowd participation. People are drawn to us because they see how much love we get from our fans. It's all about the audience for us."

I've seen Elevaters in concert three times in less than six months. I defy anyone to see them only once. With Elevaters, once will never be enough. Just ask their loyal fan base.

The fact that Elevaters started out as an acoustical unit molded them to create infectious, visceral melodies and lyrics without relying on posturing and senseless antics. Their music is genuine because they're genuine. As a group, they are special because they remain true to their diversity.

Never felt so strong before/Droppin' on your dancefloor/Things will never ever be the same...

Let me make just one thing clear/We goin' be jammin' right here/Hope you're funkin' down to do the same... (Lyrics from ‘Ivory Tower')

Yeah, we're down fellas. As long as you're throwing down, we're down.

By Cazembe Abena

Check the video playlist on the right and get more insight into who the Elevaters are.
(VIDEOS PRODUCED BY: Gabe Soufo)

Myspace.com/elevaters

ALSO READ PART 2 OF THE ELEVATERS INTERVIEW