Q I understand you're working on a new album. Tell me more. Is it much of a departure from your last album, Free Yourself? How much of it has been completed? When will it be released?
A It follows on from the general themes of Free Yourself and [debut album] Soul Revolution but there are movements towards more diverse musical influences. It's a big sound. The trick will be to get it down on CD.
Q How much time have you spent on it? Has it been a drawn-out affair or a wham-bam approach? Has much of the material been road-tested or is it relatively new?
A: A mixture of experimental and tried and tested. There are the old-school Cornerstone Roots sing-alongs and there are new intense but "in the zone" numbers.
Most of the newer tunes have not been road-tested. That won't happen until we have them down. I'm thinking this summer we'll have a brand new set of songs and a new live set.
Q Any interesting collaborations on the new album, or forthcoming singles?
A Nothing in the pipeline yet. I'd like to do something with Whirimako Black. Her melodies are beautiful. I've just got to give her a call I guess.
Q Is Cornerstone Roots a full-time concern for you and the other members? Do you have day jobs? How busy are you?
A A lot of time is spent on Cornerstone Roots. We are self-managed so there's the business end that needs to be done; logistics and promotion all need time and a set of systems and people to maintain that workload. So with rehearsals and shows it's a fairly full life. I also book shows for some other artists and venues.
Q Is Raglan still home? If so, do you get much inspiration from that environment?
A: Raglan is still home for us, yes. It's just one of those special places where you can be out there in the community doing your thing or chilling at home being a recluse. No-one really cares. There are lots of interesting characters and events here, so there's a constant stream of inspiration from people in the community.
Q Your CV is growing all the time, with a range of festivals. Can you recall any favourite gigs?
A Best Of Reggae in Noumea and the Parihaka Peace Fest 2007 was a good one.
Q Speaking of festivals, are you still involved in organising Soundsplash at Raglan? How much work does that involve? Do you enjoy the promotional side of the music business? Is it a good way to meet and network with other artists and gain insight into how others operate? Has it helped shape your approach for Cornerstone Roots?
A Soundsplash has always taken up a huge chunk of our lives and we have learnt quite a lot from it. Recently, we've decided to back away and concentrate more on the band and our family. I suppose it's time to move on. I do like the promo side of music business. I find it interesting and there's definitely a formula that can be applied.
Q Given your upbeat yet relaxed vibe, is it a case of the bigger [audience] the better? How much does an audience affect your energy levels? Would you still be able to put on a show for, perhaps, three men and a dog?
A I've always had that philosophy that it's 100% every time. And we've done that when there have been 10 people in the room.
Most bands have been through it. The only time it happens these days is when you are moving into new territory or no-one knows we're playing. I find that when a crowd is into it and vocal, I tend to feed off that energy and give straight back. You can do it with 10 people but it's even better with 1000.
Q Do you enjoy getting down to the South? Do you book time off to enjoy yourselves away from the stage?
A To tell you the truth, it's expensive. But I love going down south. It's one of my favourite places. I like the roads, the places, the towns, the food and the scenery. We condensed the dates this August so that we don't have too much downtime. Last time we caught the ferry and took our time and had a look around Marlborough.
This time we'll be flying in to Christchurch and doing the van-style road trip. I hear we might need chains.
Q What next after this tour? Any overseas trips planned?
A Some of us want to go to Europe next year. I'd like to have a look as well and see if we can build a following there.
So . . . finish the album . . . head to Europe . . . come back and tour it in New Zealand. That should take around 12 months.