Euge Groove Interview Page 4

Smitty:  But the cool thing, the bottom line, is we love it, dude!  And that’s the main thing.  So let’s see, you talked about it a little bit on your Web site.  I love your description of the new record on your Web site.  Give me your Web site, first of all.

EG:  www.eugegroove.com.

Smitty:  Yeah, and on there it says that you’re the proud parent.

EG:  Proud parent, yeah.

Smitty:  (Laughs.)  I like that, man.

EG:  And when that came out, that was very much how I was feeling.  I mean, there were definitely points in making this disc and making this CD that I never thought that I would be able to actually put a disc in the player and hit “play” and have the whole thing play the whole way through.

Smitty:  (Laughs.)

EG:  There were moments that I really had to talk myself through it, I mean, for various reasons, but the HD was kinda difficult to work with for the first time.  It was a learning curve for me.  I had very concrete ideas about how I wanted the songs to sound instrumentation-wise and sometimes they would start lending themselves to go into another direction, and in the past I used to kinda cave to that and then in the end I would be like “Oh, I wish I would’ve taken it the other way.”  Well, this time I really stuck with it and drove some people, i.e., Paul Brown, up the wall a few times with really trying to stick by my guns and really have it come out a certain way, so it was a really difficult one for me to make.  I got a bad ear infection in the middle of making the record, so I kinda had to chill from certain aspects of recording during that time. It was a joyous moment when I had it finally mastered.

Smitty:  Yeah, well, this is the fun time, among other fun times of making a record, but this is truly the fun time.  You’ve finished it, it’s coming out, the first single’s hit radio so, I mean, it’s a fun time to kinda really say “Hey, we did it,” you know?

EG:  Well, that’s true.  I mean, again, that’s like the birth of a child, you know?  There are those moments where it’s really fun and then all of a sudden they become like teenagers.

Smitty:  (Laughs.)

EG:  Not really sure if they’re ready to go into the world.

Smitty:  Yeah, true.

EG:  And sometimes it’s easier and sometimes it’s not, and it’s kinda nerve-racking right now to see what the public’s response is gonna be and, again, in this business all it takes is like one bomb CD and you’ll never get to make another. You know, I always complete each CD going “Well, this could be the last one I ever get to make.”

Smitty:  Yeah, somehow I doubt that, Euge, but one thing about it, man, you can always look back and say “I gave it everything I had and I gave it what I felt at the time,” you know?

EG:  You’re absolutely right and my wife has always instilled that in me and I think going back to when I had to take out a mortgage on my house to pay for making my first record myself long before Warner Brothers came around, my wife said “If you don’t do it now, you’ll always look back and think Could I?  Would I?  Should I?”  You know, that kind of stuff, so you always have to go into things with giving it your all and with no regrets, no regrets, that’s the key.

Smitty:  Yeah, absolutely, man.  Well, I want to congratulate you, man, on this great new record and thank you for doing what you do and keeping the groove alive.

EG:  Oh, any time, Smitty.  Man, you know, it’s always fun talking to you and seeing you and hanging out with you and chilling on a ship or something, you know?

Smitty:  (Laughs.)  Yeah, man, absolutely.  It’s always a fun time to hang with you, man.  Whenever I know you’re around, it’s like “Oh, Groove’s here!”  I know we’re gonna have a good time.

EG:  (Laughs.)

Smitty:  That’s always very cool, man.  Once again, congratulations and keep your flava strong, my friend.

EG:  (Laughs.)  I will.  I’ll do my best.

Smitty:  Absolutely.  We’ve been talking with the fantastic and amazing Euge Groove.  He’s has released another great new record.  It’s called Born 2 Groove.  It is a wonderful mix of great music and you know Euge, he’s all about the groove, so you gotta pick this one up.  Euge, thanks again, my friend, and all the best in 2007 and beyond.

EG:  Thank you, Smitty.

Baldwin “Smitty” Smith

For More Information Visit www.eugegroove.com and www.myspace.com/eugegroove1 and www.bluenote.com and www.narada.com