This isn’t ’80s disco rock.
G-Soul, or God Soul, is guaranteed to bring down the house at the Eugene 08 Festival on Friday night. Many have tried to fit this group in a box, but according to the band’s founder, Clarence Williams, their music exceeds all boundaries.
“Our music is original; we don’t do anyone else’s music,” Williams said.
With nine members and a whole lot of energy, G-Soul manages to begin with a bang and carry it through to the last note.
With music like that it’s almost impossible to classify, but Williams did try.
“We’re strictly funk, soul, gospel and jazz rolled up into one,” he said.
The band began playing together in 2002, bringing musicians from various churches in the Eugene area. Williams said most of the members were tired of being told what to play and wanted to create something new. So they did.
Most of the members are not necessarily homegrown.
“We have professional musicians and singers from all over, and it’s ironic that we’ve all cultivated right here to Oregon, but this is our home,” Williams said.
Williams said he is proud of the music scene in Eugene and sees it as an up-and-coming area for soul and funk. He said it’s ripe for development.
He also said the band is excited and grateful for the opportunity to play before festival attendants. The trials and the people it brings to the area will help showcase what Eugene has to offer, Williams said.
“I don’t think that anyone could have imagined the magnitude of what it’s bringing to the city, what it’s bringing to the culture of the city and the opportunity for people in seventeen countries outside of this city to see what Eugene is about,” he said.
G-Soul will play from 10 p.m. until 11:30 p.m. at the Eugene 08 Festival main stage after Friday’s sporting events have concluded.