Start your week by jamming to The Pursuit EP by Rise Up
Photo courtesy of Rise Up.
Looking for some musical inspiration as you get the week started? Definitely check out Monterey, California-based reggae band, Rise Up, and their 2021 EP, The Pursuit! The five-song EP shows off the band’s cool vibe, rocking guitars, grooving keys, drums, and vocals. Dailyreggae.com caught up with the band’s bassist, Rich Mihalek, to learn about the inspiration behind The Pursuit, their work with E.N Young, and what’s to come!
Tell us about the inspiration behind The Pursuit EP!
This album was really about "pursuing" new ways of moving forward as a band and honing our style despite the physical limitations of the pandemic. It was important to all of us to have something to show for the time we couldn’t play shows – something we could all be proud of, especially considering this was going to be our first record with our keyboard player Danny, the newest member of Rise Up.
We did not want to fall victim to the situation so we embraced the technology and techniques it would take to not only write songs remotely but also to have the album produced by E.N Young when we couldn’t be in his studio. Aside from that, there were situations going on in the world and a myriad of human emotions that we were dealing with in response to everything. We really needed to address these things and couldn't wait for the world to be "normal" again to do it. We were really focused on ways to still connect with people through music.
The world needed the vibes and energy of reggae music, so we took it upon ourselves to help answer the call.
What was it like working with E.N Young?
This was our second time working with E.N. When we recorded Lion Roar in 2019 we went down to his studio, Imperial Sounds, in San Diego. It was kind of hard to not be a bit star-struck for a minute, but we buckled down and knocked out three songs in one day. It was really his skills that allowed us to work so efficiently and get that accomplished. It was a great experience working with such a creative person who is a master of the craft. We really lucked out because his style seems to suit our music perfectly.
Because of the restrictions imposed by COVID, we did not get the opportunity to work with him in person this time around. We recorded the entire project at our guitar player Lee’s home studio in Santa Rosa and E.N produced the record at Imperial Sound. It was a totally unique and first-time experience for us to create a record through remote collaboration, but we couldn’t be happier with the result. We’re currently writing some new tracks that we’re looking forward to recording at Imperial Sounds when that time comes.
Do you have any upcoming shows?
We don’t have anything on the calendar right now. We recently played a really cool private event opening for Sensi Trails and The Expendables, which was our first show back in over a year. We’re looking to make up for lost time and play as many cool shows as we can, so hit us up!
Wrong To Dem by Rise Up is the Daily Reggae Song of the Day.
