“The band’s name is B11 and it is a trio – guitar, bass and drums. We play original instrumentals and I am the main composer. Our new project is called Vitamin for the Soul and it was released on March 11. The name of the drummer in Mike Levesque and the one of the bass player – Tom Appleman. They are both really good musicians from Boston. I have worked with many people, but these two are the best that I know. Mike is the most recorded drum player here in New England for sure, while Tom is definitely my favorite bass guitarist in the city. His father was in charge of the Berklee Bass Dept. for like 30 - 40 years or so. His grandfather used to play with William “Count” Basie. My guys are a serious thing and their names mean nothing less than prestige and music at the highest level…”
Asked about the album’s style, Boyan answers that his music taste has always been more like retro and that is why one can find soul, funk, R&B, surf and even Latino music in Vitamin for the Soul. Just like the next piece - Cuba Mi Amor:
Boyan says the CD is suitable for any type of situation – in the car, at the mountain’s peak or the seashore, giving energy in the mornings and providing some minutes of relaxation at dusk. You just need to enjoy very simple arrangements – guitar, bass and drums only. The style is aimed at a more mature audience and the USA is the main market of the band, although the guys cannot complain about a lack of fans in Europe and Latin America as well. Still, Boyan says on his staying in Boston that “it just happened that way”, as his wife works there. They have a 10-month-old boy, Ray, named after the great Ray Charles. The Bulgarian guitar player says he is successful and not only a survivor in the USA since he’s been doing what he’s always wanted to and with people he had never even dreamt of. At the same time Boyan admits that it is not easy to be a musician anywhere around the globe:
“If I say it is some sort of a paradise here, it would be a lie. It is tough now and everywhere, especially for musicians, as the industry is gone – we have show business nowadays, but good music is not a part of it… For the first time in my career I offer a product that is fully complete, including the visual side – the painting on the cover belongs to talented artist Elizabeth Chapman from Missouri and the design was made by talented Bulgarian graphic designer Stefan Vassilev. As far as the influences are concerned: I do listen to Eric Clapton. Next come Ry Cooder, funk and soul from the 1960s, Henry Mancini, etc.”
Asked where he would love to present his album, Boyan Hristov answers that any warm and exotic place with palms, sand and sea would do great. In the meantime anyone, willing to learn more about Vitamin for the Soul may go to www.b11band.com
Translated by: Zhivko Stanchev
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sunshine, cloud, rain and thunder
Partly cloudy, chance of rain