The Black Seeds

Some manage to sustain interest through regular stylistic reinvention – the likes of David Bowie and The Bee Gees come to mind. For others, it’s the result of reliably issuing quality releases and effecting minor stylistic tweaks along the way.

The latter approach explains the 16-year perseverance of feel-good roots-reggae exemplars The Black Seeds. In 2012 the New Zealanders released their fifth LP, Dust And Dirt, which was followed by a sizeable global touring campaign. Recently, however, The Black Seeds’ live shows have been few and far between. But there’s no cause for worry, as guitarist/vocalist Barnaby Weir says record number six is well underway.

“We’ve actually been working on an album for a couple of years now,” he says. “It was always going to be a less gigs and more studio, rehearsing and babies year this year.”

Hailing from New Zealand’s capital city, Wellington, The Black Seeds formed in 1998. They’ve never been spotlight hogs, but since releasing their debut LP Keep On Pushing in 2001, they’ve attracted a loyal following. Each of The Black Seeds’ five albums has been met by doting applause, so it seems natural that they’d reflect on their discography when contemplating new material. But Weir says there’s no inclination to repeat a winning formula.

“We don’t want to say, ‘Oh, this one sounds like that song we did.’ We’ve got our own sound and people will say, ‘Oh, that sounds pretty similar to your first album.’ It’s like, ‘Well, we are that same band.’ We’ve got a vibe and a certain approach.”

A key thing underpinning The Black Seeds’ decade-surpassing appeal is that these six savvy musicians not only dig a similar aesthetic, but there’s also a mutually held understanding of the band’s collective strength.

“I think we’re just happy with the kind of vibe that we are,” says Weir. “We all come from a similar direction, musically – or appreciate probably more your retro sounds, as opposed to club techno sounds.”

One thing you can be sure of is that the flashing lights and slender figures of the latest trends aren’t going to have an impact on The Black Seeds’ next release. But even if it’s unlikely the band’s sound will undergo any major refurbishment, Weir says they’re always open to new ideas.

“We do like to experiment with sounds and try to use new sounds. As long as we like what we’re doing then we’re quite happy. It’s about cutting through the crap and making it so it’s not a bore for anyone else and that it’s actually exciting.

“We’re certainly not going to worry about what’s fashionable and think, ‘Oh, we should really put some drum’n’bass bits in there,’ or, ‘We should put in some dubstep,’” he adds. “If you’re making stuff up to try to get on the radio or impress a certain scene, I think you’ve lost your grip.”

Possessing a shared vision has no doubt gone a long way towards keeping the majority of The Black Seeds’ original lineup intact (a notable departure being Flight Of The Conchords’Bret McKenzie, who left after three albums). While they’re all on the same page musically, each member’s life circumstances have altered significantly since the early days.

“Our lives are obviously a lot more complex, or depending on how you look at it, more simple,” says Weir. “We’re not flatting together anymore, we’re not all in the city anymore, we’re not free to be a poor student type of person anymore. Life’s changed, and thank God it has. At the same time, you do need to manage that friendship, that brotherhood, that desire to still want to do it together. You’ve got to have goals, you’ve got to have a plan and try to keep communication open.”

Along with sticking to their guns artistically, through the years The Black Seeds have hung onto an independent ethos. As has been the case in the past, Weir is occupying the producer’s seat for the new record.

“I’ve taken on the production duties, in terms of having a plan and putting it together and suggesting what’s going to be on the album. [I’m] being a bit of a musical director. Before we decided that, we’d done a lot of work together just jamming and just recording lots of ideas. There was heaps of work that had been done and we decided that I’d give it a good crack this time around. I love doing that stuff.”

Later this month, The Black Seeds will take a break from the studio and jump across the Tasman for an Aussie tour. The group might be old hands at this by now, but they’re still dedicated to delivering the best live shows possible.

“That’s always a big priority for me,” says Weir. “Making sure that when we do a gig anywhere, no matter how big or small, that it’s fucking awesome and not like a covers band of the band that you used to be in. Sometimes it can happen if you’re not in form or if you’re tired. But most of the time, we do it with feeling.

“I don’t want to brag,” he adds, “because that’s the worst. Jaded musicians are such a pain in the arse.”