[piano intro] - [Announcer] "Shaped by Sound" is a co-production of PBS North Carolina and the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

The series is presented by Come Hear North Carolina.

- [James] I'm James Mieczkowski and this is "Shaped by Sound."

Gospel, soul, jazz, R&B, rock and hip-hop.

There isn't much that lives outside the musical universe of Winston-Salem native Sonny Miles.

While his music may float through genres and can be hard to define into a single source of inspiration, his musical universe continues to expand and is now brighter than ever.

Today on "Shaped by Sound," performing within his set inspired by Afro-Futurism and in conversation with me, Sonny Miles.

[relaxed jazzy music] ["Run Around" by Sonny Miles] [jazzy ensemble music] ♪ Done with all the in-and-outs and the hurt hearts ♪ ♪ Love was so hot, cooled it off when you got smart I swear ♪ ♪ Taking pictures of me ♪ ♪ Grabbing on your thighs in the rental ♪ ♪ Turned to fighting over nonsense ♪ ♪ Wonder why'd it start ♪ ♪ Go like this, depart ♪ ♪ Tired of the run around ♪ ♪ Tired of the run around ♪ ♪ She wonder will it find me ♪ ♪ Tired of the run around ♪ ♪ Oh ♪ ♪ Seeing all the ways I'm the problem ♪ ♪ Seeing all the ways that I waste time with my involvement ♪ ♪ If I don't choose one ♪ ♪ Brothers be the same from Hollywood to Harlem ♪ ♪ Game ends, tell me ♪ ♪ Are you sixth man or the starter, word to Marlin ♪ ♪ I tell you I done lost a good thing ♪ ♪ Trying to pay your mortgage ♪ ♪ Trying to keep the paint flash ♪ ♪ And a new day for every other carpet ♪ ♪ So I can't do another seven month blame just for flossing ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ Feel it's time to tame me, look at what it's costing ♪ ♪ Oh, oh ♪ ♪ Feeling lost and tired of the run around ♪ ♪ Tired of the run around ♪ ♪ She wonder will it find me ♪ ♪ Tired of the run around ♪ ♪ She wonder will it find me ♪ ♪ Tired of the run around ♪ ♪ Tired of the run around ♪ ♪ She wonder will it find me ♪ ♪ Tired of the run around ♪ ["Run Around" by Sonny Miles] [relaxed jazzy ensemble music] [relaxed jazzy ensemble music continues] ♪ She wonder will it find me ♪ ♪ Tired of the run around ♪ ♪ Tired of the run around ♪ ♪ She wonder will it find me, oh ♪ ♪ Tired of the run around ♪ ♪ She wonder will it find me ♪ ♪ Tired of the run around ♪ ♪ Tired of the run around, oh ♪ ♪ She wonder will it find me ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ She wonder will it find me ♪ ["Run Around" by Sonny Miles] [relaxed jazzy ensemble music] - So Sonny Miles.

- Indeed.

- You're from Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

- Indeed, the Tre.

- The Tre.

I feel like your music is not just one thing.

It's like so many things and I'm so excited that you're on our show "Shaped by Sound."

Thank you for being here.

- Thank you for having me.

- Yeah, man.

So I kind of wanted to start out just right off the top from talk a little bit about your journey.

- Played drums in church, didn't want to sing.

Didn't really know I could sing.

- You didn't want to sing?

- Nah.

I was good on that.

- At all?

- Nah, my dad, he was a singer.

- Yeah.

- And then on top of that, I didn't like the pressure of being in church 'cause it's like I'm not really trying to be religious and you can't really be in and out.

- [James] Right.

- At least when I was coming up.

So it's like all right, so I found refuge in the drums.

I didn't have to do nothing, you know what I'm saying?

I'm chilling in the back.

But around I'd say 13, 14, I began to just appreciate hip hop, lyricism, write poems, you know how it goes.

But I didn't really, again, start singing until I was about 17 and then I started playing the guitar at 18.

I'm 28 now.

- Yeah.

- So it's been a cool 10 year journey.

It was always kind of like "Oh, I guess I'll try this thing out" and then you're like "Oh, okay, I'm solid."

- [James] Yeah.

- And then you continue to progress and it's like "Oh, okay.

I just gotta shapen this up."

- I wanted to talk to you a little bit about collaborating with us.

One of the things, we had a brainstorm with you early on and we were like, "Sonny, if there's anything that you'd want to articulate visually in your show, what would you do?"

And you said "Astro Afro" like immediately.

- Obviously influenced by The Sunrise, the Nona Hendryxes, the Parliament-Funkadelics.

Not only in their aesthetics but just like in their ability to be like "Yo, we're gonna make this crazy sound."

I love just imagining what Blackness can also be and what it can also sound like in another realm that isn't just this planet.

- One thing I wanted to ask you too about this record is it feels like there's a lot of love influenced this record.

- Yeah, absolutely.

- Can you talk about that a little bit?

- Everyone just wants to talk about sex and everyone just wants to talk about like just all these things.

Don't get me wrong, I still listen to the radio.

You be hearing top 40 or you just hear R&B radio.

I'm like man, we are just, like all of our messages are homogenized and I understand why they have to be.

I get it.

I don't want to just be limited to just the worst parts about love and I feel like we don't have anybody just making love songs.

♪ You want me to love you ♪ ♪ And trying to fight it though ♪ ♪ To be invited ♪ ♪ Losing myself in you ♪ ♪ Losing track of the time ♪ ♪ Been away, it's been riding on me ♪ ♪ In the days, I've been eye upon it ♪ ♪ I decide that I abide to it ♪ ♪ Too ♪ ♪ And I just want you baby, baby ♪ ♪ Out of all the many ♪ ♪ This is one life, one life ♪ ♪ With you, it would be plenty ♪ ♪ Think this could last awhile ♪ ♪ You remind me of my old 120 ♪ ♪ Ah ooh ♪ ♪ Ah ooh ♪ ♪ Far as I've shown, been far from defeat, hey ♪ ♪ Far as you know, been whole and complete ♪ ♪ Shattered glass hard as twice that ♪ ♪ Every love was a fix, every fix was a fight back ♪ ♪ Removing my disguises, painkillers for our vices ♪ ♪ Spirit richer than the righteous ♪ ♪ Double doses for the low, love is rolling dices ♪ ♪ Just trying to buy it low 'fore they rise it ♪ ♪ And I just want you, baby ♪ ♪ And no disguises, no remises ♪ ♪ You give me joy, play your new alignment ♪ ♪ A newer story from the right batch ♪ ♪ From the ground when it came to remain on the same track ♪ ♪ Said she keeping her last name the same ♪ ♪ And I said right back, oh ♪ ♪ And she asked me if I'm feeling the same ♪ ♪ I said it's like that, oh ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ Ooh, ooh ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, ooh ♪ ♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh, ooh ♪ ♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♪ ["120" by Sonny Miles] ♪ And I just want you baby, baby ♪ ♪ Out of all the many ♪ ♪ This is one life, one life ♪ ♪ With you, it would be plenty ♪ ♪ Think this could last awhile ♪ ♪ You remind me of my old 120 ♪ ♪ Ah ooh ♪ ♪ Ah ooh ♪ ♪ And I just want you baby, baby ♪ ♪ Out of all the many, hey ♪ ♪ This is one life, one life ♪ ♪ With you, it would be plenty ♪ ♪ Think this could last awhile ♪ ♪ You remind me of my old 120 ♪ ♪ Ah ooh ♪ ["120" by Sonny Miles] - How do you think that you've been shaped by sound?

- Ooh, sound is so much more than just, I don't just want to hear music.

Like what does, if I think about what North Carolina sounds like, I want to think about the birds.

I quite literally think about the road and the way that the road sounds, the rivers, the cicadas, these sounds and their rhythms have had a profound impact on me.

Just being around nature, being from the Carolinas, I think I'm always listening to what is just in my I guess arena or in my aura.

It's not just this music thing or it's not just what I can make right here.

How can sound be heard in other ways?

So I think how a lot of my sound has been shaped is in my environment.

Like a clock in my Nana's house and how it goes off every hour or like a new song that comes on with it.

- Does it feel like a bunch of little things that just add up?

- It does.

I feel my sound is more than anything else just surrounded with nature, surrounded with the ways that Carolina speaks as well.

The ways that I guess my family, how they just live and move in their life.

I think that has profound effects on me.

It's hard to say all the ways I've been shaped by sound but I know more than anything else, I'm always listening to my environment and the weird sounds that you feel like probably don't matter, that shapes me.

♪ Pendulum, it surely swings ♪ ♪ In my favor, favor ♪ ♪ I'm nothing than another dream ♪ ♪ Set my income with paper ♪ ♪ She'll know I'll be counting 'em ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, all these petty aspirations ♪ ♪ All we've seen is too much love ♪ ♪ Blindly mimic admiration and I ♪ ♪ I'm higher than your ego is ♪ ♪ I tell you it's of you now, you now, hey ♪ ♪ Harping ain't about where you know and who you've been ♪ ♪ It sound like you still new now ♪ ♪ Oh, call them Bedroom Hollywood ♪ ♪ Hey, hey ♪ ♪ I think we the new disease ♪ ♪ Moses, tell us where to next ♪ ♪ Following just where you lead, oh ♪ ♪ You'd love it if I ♪ ♪ You'd love it if I ♪ ♪ If it's just to pay myself, ain't in it to ♪ ♪ If it don't pertain my sales ♪ ♪ These gimmicks they wanted me to sell ♪ ♪ Oh, to sell ♪ ♪ All my senses ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ The pendulum, it surely swings ♪ ♪ And it's in my favor, favor ♪ ♪ I'm nothing than another dream, oh ♪ ♪ Set my income with paper, oh ♪ ♪ Soon though I'll be counting 'em ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, all these petty aspirations ♪ ♪ All we've seen is too much love ♪ ♪ Blindly mimic admiration and I ♪ ♪ I'm higher than your ego is, hey ♪ ♪ And I tell you it's of you now, you now ♪ ♪ Harping about where you know and who you've been ♪ ♪ It sound like you still new now ♪ ♪ Call them Bedroom Hollywood ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, I hear we the new disease ♪ ♪ Moses, tell us where to next ♪ ♪ Following just where you lead, hey ♪ ♪ You'd love it if I ♪ ♪ You'd love it if I ♪ ♪ If it's just to pay myself, ain't in it to ♪ ♪ If it don't pertain my sales ♪ ♪ These gimmicks they wanted me to sell ♪ ♪ To sell ♪ ♪ To sell ♪ ♪ To sell all my senses ♪ ♪ Oh, oh ♪ ♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♪ ♪ Woo hoo ♪ ♪ Hey ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♪ ♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♪ ♪ Ooh, ooh ♪ ["Bedroom Hollywood" by Sonny Miles] - So we've got Daniel "Slim" Maxwell joining us now.

You are part of the Sonny Miles group here, the band that we've got on stage.

Thank you for joining us, man.

- It's a pleasure.

- Sonny has told us how much of an impact you are on this music and I really want to jump into that with you both while you're here.

So what are some of the things that you like to bring to this sound that y'all were developing together?

- I feel like I'm the anchor of like the funk and gospel aspects of what we bring.

A lot of like the changes and stuff that we do in our shows is changes that I've developed from playing in church.

A lot of my fields are very like funk-based and we both love funk, we both come from church.

A lot of our other band mates have some experience in the other genres like jazz and stuff.

So they bring those influences in and when those mix together, it makes a beautiful thing.

- And in our influences, it becomes so pertinent that you see why they just drive songs.

You see why they just stay in the pocket.

You get the importance of being in pocket 'cause it's really not about you.

You are the conduit of what's giving people some life.

- For people that don't know, explain what it means to be in the pocket.

- Ooh.

- If you can.

I know that's kind of a hard thing to describe, right?

- Yeah, being in the pocket is [Sonny beatboxes] pretty much the groove that you're supposed to feel going through the whole time.

Like you're supposed to have this feeling that is established by the band.

Usually the drums and the bass usually get that locked in for you.

It usually takes about two, three times around to get it.

So like over and over, you hear that ♪ Ba, da, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dum ♪ ♪ Ba doom, ba dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dun, dum ♪ Third time around, you're locked in.

- Right.

- That's the pocket.

- Yeah.

- You don't want to do anything that's gonna distract people from still locking in on that.

- And identifying it.

- Yeah.

- Right.

["Over & Over" by Sonny Miles] ♪ Oh, ooh ♪ ♪ Oh, oh ♪ ♪ Oh, ooh ♪ ♪ Oh, oh ♪ ♪ Oh, ooh, ooh ♪ ♪ We can make it easy ♪ ♪ Trying not to lie to myself ♪ ♪ Know it's hard to believe me ♪ ♪ I want you, no one else, baby ♪ ♪ We can make it easy, baby ♪ ♪ Trying not to lie to myself ♪ ♪ Know it's hard, I know it's hard to believe me ♪ ♪ I want you, no one else, baby ♪ ♪ Over and over, I still try to find a lady ♪ ♪ But it ain't no use ♪ ♪ And I've been free falling for you ♪ ♪ Can I adore you for all time ♪ ♪ That'd be fine, baby ♪ ♪ And I've been free falling for you ♪ ♪ We can make it easy ♪ ♪ Losing all my sense of self ♪ ♪ No, I'm not ashamed, I'm not hiding it ♪ ♪ I want you, no one else baby, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ Yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ Over and over, I still try to find a lady ♪ ♪ But it ain't no use ♪ ♪ And I've been free falling for you ♪ ♪ For you, can I adore you for all time ♪ ♪ And I've been free falling for you ♪ ♪ Over and over, I still try to find a lady ♪ ♪ But it ain't no use ♪ ♪ And I've been free falling for you ♪ ♪ For you, can I adore you for all time ♪ ♪ And I've been free falling for you ♪ ♪ Here we go ♪ ["Over & Over" by Sonny Miles] ♪ I've been free falling for you ♪ ♪ Free falling for you, for you ♪ ♪ I've been free falling for you, you, you, you ♪ ♪ For you ♪ ♪ Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah ♪ ♪ Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah ♪ ♪ For you ♪ ♪ Over and over, I still try to find a lady ♪ ♪ But it ain't no use ♪ ♪ And I've been free falling for you ♪ ♪ For you ♪ ♪ For you, can I adore you for all time ♪ ♪ That'd be fine, baby ♪ ♪ Hey ♪ ♪ And I've been free falling for you ♪ ["Over & Over" by Sonny Miles] - I wanted to kind of end this with asking you all if there's anything else that you'd like to add.

- I'd say do what you love, love what you do and it'll love you back and find the people that you can trust and take them all the way with you.

- There's a lot of things I feel like I could say right now but I'm just thankful for this opportunity.

We are going to continue to shed light on all marginalized and oppressed peoples across this nation, across this world.

Do know that.

We are not artists that are gonna stand for that nonsense.

- Not at all.

- And we can express that a little bit clearer in other ways but you will get the gist of what we mean.

Thank y'all and we're just gonna keep rocking it out.

- Thank you.

- That sounds great.

All righty.

Thanks y'all.

♪ Let's take it slow ♪ ♪ For tomorrow may not take us down that road ♪ ♪ Take it slow ♪ ♪ There's a reason for my madness, don't ya know ♪ ♪ I learned that this loving don't need colors ♪ ♪ Don't judge it based off everything you've heard ♪ ♪ 'Cause I've learned ♪ ♪ Don't take a gift, don't hurt her ♪ ♪ Don't judge me based on what you could observe ♪ ♪ 'Cause when it comes down to it ♪ ♪ I'm waiting for you like the breeze in the coop ♪ ♪ Is failing in June ♪ ♪ You don't fret, my darling ♪ ♪ It's coming around, stay with me ♪ ♪ I'll show you how ♪ ♪ To take it slow ♪ ♪ I'm only trying to see your indigo ♪ ♪ Take it slow ♪ ♪ I'm only trying to see your indigo ♪ ♪ You told me be patient ♪ ♪ And I will say don't look down ♪ ♪ Just be still, baby ♪ ♪ 'Cause you know ♪ ♪ I'm only trying to see your indigo, hey, hey ♪ ["Slow" by Sonny Miles] [relaxed tempo jazzy ensemble music] [relaxed tempo jazzy ensemble music continues] [relaxed tempo jazzy ensemble music continues] [relaxed tempo jazzy ensemble music continues] ♪ You told me be patient ♪ ♪ Hey ♪ ♪ Oh my ♪ ♪ And you told me be patient ♪ ♪ And you told me be patient ♪ ♪ And I will say don't look down ♪ ♪ You told me be patient ♪ ♪ I will say don't look down ♪ ♪ You told me be patient ♪ ♪ I will ♪ ♪ Don't look down ♪ ♪ Just be still, babe ♪ ♪ 'Cause you know ♪ ["Slow" by Sonny Miles] ♪ And you told me be patient ♪ ♪ And you told me be patient, ooh ♪ ♪ And you told me be patient ♪ ♪ And I will say don't look down ♪ ♪ Just be still, babe ♪ ♪ 'Cause you know ♪ ♪ I'm only trying to see your indigo ♪ ["Slow" by Sonny Miles] [relaxed tempo jazzy ensemble music] - [James] Thanks for joining us on "Shaped by Sound."

If you'd like to hear the songs we discussed today, you can find them over on our website at pbsnc.org/ShapedbySound Or you can find 'em on YouTube.

♪ Take it slow ♪ ♪ I'm only trying to see your indigo ♪ ♪ Take it slow ♪ ♪ I'm only trying to see your indigo ♪ ♪ You told me be patient ♪ ♪ And I will say don't look down ♪ ♪ Just be still, babe ♪ ♪ 'Cause you know ♪ ♪ I'm only trying to see your indigo, hey, hey ♪ ["Slow" by Sonny Miles] - [Announcer] "Shaped by Sound" is a co-production of PBS North Carolina and the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

The series is presented by Come Hear North Carolina.