WYSO music director Juliet spoke with Felix Cavaliere, founding member of the 1960s rock group The Rascals, about the band’s upcoming performance at Rose Music Center in Huber Heights. The Rascals will perform alongside legendary funk rock band War on Friday, July 14.
In the interview, Felix looks back on decades as a professional musician. He reflects on the enduring popularity of The Rascal's work, and talks about how the group became a quintessential “blue-eyed soul” group. He partially credits his classical piano training for giving him a strong foundation in music. “I think in any profession, if you come up through the ‘classic’ route you’re going to be better off learning the fundamentals. Music theory hasn't changed.”
Felix also spoke about working with the members of War, which also got its start in the 1960s. “When you do shows with other acts [like War], it’s kind of like when you go to a reunion, because we don’t see each other that much, all the bands from the old days. The only time we really see each other these days is when we [play on] cruises—that’s really fun too.” He went on to talk about the unique experience of performing on cruise ships, where, he said, seniors socialize and enjoy music as they did in their youth.
Felix also talked about recording his next album, which is slated for release in September. He will perform at Rose Music Center with guitarist Gene Cornish, another founding member of the Rascals. Tickets to the show are available on the Rose Music Center website.
