Reformed rocker gets his groove on with new band

Sick of the excess of the sex, drugs and rock'n'roll lifestyle, Elan Mills took a step back and acquainted himself with the classics.

Not classic rock, however, but classic soul and funk, discovering the likes of Ray Charles and Herbie Hancock, which inspired a new musical direction.

Instead of shredding with his former band, Wellington rockers Paselode, he has taken a more soulful direction with the Volunteers, an upbeat seven-piece who combine funk and grooves with soaring melodies and a high-energy stage presence.

A feature of the Volunteers is the three "backing singers" – Mills' fiancee, Marliesje van den Assum, Kate McCarthy-Burke and Maxine Macaulay – who are actually fulltime members of the band, providing a point of difference.

"I really like all the interplay, the way you can bounce off the female vocals."

A music teacher and student on the Kapiti Coast, Mills says he became sick of the ego and excess of the rock scene but still wanted to retain a sense of the genre.

"When we began, I know for me, I guess I'd been involved in rock music for years, and at the time I was over the scene, especially the additives that go with it – pretty worn out."I was listening to a lot of Ray Charles and some soul, and I wanted to do some stuff that was a bit more upbeat, get a bit more groove involved, without necessarily singing about really positive things.

"I kind of felt like we wanted to have a really uplifting vibe, especially with our live shows."

The Volunteers have proven to be uplifting and catchy, and their videos show they are also up for a bit of fun – something Mills says comes across at their gigs.

"The whole look of having the girls and the boys is great. We do lots of vocals – six out of the seven of us sing – so there is a lot of harmony and a lot of vocal presence."

• The Volunteers play at the Phat Club, Nelson on Saturday. Tickets cost $10; OneVibe are also on the bill. On Sunday, they will play the Riverside Community's music festival, followed by a free evening show at the Mussel Inn, Onekaka.

- © Fairfax NZ News