Soulstice

 “I think what makes us Soulstice is the strong connection between all of us. We have a heavy passion for what we do, which we believe really shines through when we perform. While we want all the gigs to go amazing-ly and for every crowd to be super supportive, that may not always be the case, but we know that we will always be able to rely on one another.”

 

 

Up n’ Comin’ NI is happy to introduce this week’s artist, Soulstice from Derry/ Londonderry. 

 

Soulstice is a three-piece, indie-rock pop band. “We all formed in the beginning of March earlier this year and have been inseparable since, with a heavy passion for music and the live-music industry. We love to gig as much as we possibly can. Since we already have such a strong connection with each other, it never fails to be a great time. We have played in venues like Bennigans, the North West Foyle Theatre, outside the Guildhall and The Oh Yeah Centre down in Belfast.

 

The first member of Soulstice is, Derry-born, Odhran McCann, the bassist. “He is quite the comedian of the band, making us constantly have a good laugh, the vibes just would not be the same without him. He loves to do magic tricks and his favourite drink would have to be a redbull.” As well as playing the bass, he also plays the ukulele and guitar, describing himself as a “multi-instrumentalist”.

 

For Odhran, music is an escape. It’s a way for him to clear his head after a long day, lay back and be present in the moment. This, he says, inspired him to pick up his first instrument (the ukulele) a couple of years ago. Since October and joining Soulstice in March, he has learnt and loved playing the bass. 

 

Odhran is heavily inspired by King Kruel. His bass journey started in October of 2022 when he began learning one of King Kruel’s songs ‘Out getting ribs’ and Odhran has grown from there, becoming the “iconic bass player that we know today”.

 

Odhran’s words of wisdom which he sticks true to is, “Be yourself.” When he is up on a stage performing, he will never fail to put as much of his personality out there as possible and people really love him for being so authentic. It makes you feel so easy and comfortable around him.

 

South African- born, Fallon Raiyne is the guitarist of Soulstice. “Fallon is the most mischievous member of the band, with a short attention span and more energy than any 5'6" should ever have- you just never know what to expect next. They bring this amazing energy into the room, always fired up and ready to play or give whatever task they are doing their best shot. Fallon has a wide interest in not only the performance side of things, but also in the promotional side.”

 

Music has always been a huge part of Fallon’s life. Since the age of 5, they took lessons for Irish, Scottish and Modern dance, which meant they were constantly in and around music most days of the week. Their dad is a huge music fan too, introducing them to South African artists such as Johnny Clegg, Nude Springboke Girls, Mango Groove and many more, which Fallon still loves to this day. At the age of 9, Fallon decided to buy their first guitar. They have loved the guitar ever since and have gone on to learn the ukulele, bass and keyboard.

Fallon’s favourite artist is Gregory Alan Isakov. From a young age, they have always enjoyed folk and acoustic music, and they pull a lot of inspiration, especially while writing and producing their own music from Gregory's style. Until February, Fallon focused on rhythm guitar, but now they are learning and enhancing their guitar skills, opting for more fingerpicking and soloing. “It’s very rare that you catch Fallon without their guitar!”

The Lead Singer of Soulstice is MAI. MAI grew up in Coleraine but is now based in Ballymoney. “They have a wicked sense of humor and when you put all three of us into a room, there is never a dull moment.” MAI has always wanted to study music. They now do so through the North-West Regional College. They play the Piano, Ukelele, Guitar, Bass and sing. 

 

“MAI has a very strong sense of their sound and the direction they want to go in as an artist, which is an incredible thing to have at the young age of 17. We wouldn't be the band we are today without them.”

 

MAI's favourite artist is Mitski. They have been singing since they were young and over the years developed their tone based on inspirations such as Mitski, Billie Eilish and Phoebe Bridgers.

“There is a saying, ‘Write what you know’ and it really is so true, by writing about something that you know or relate to, the listeners will be able to sense that emotion from you and will relate to it on a deeper level.”

 

“We all would consider ourselves songwriters.” Fallon has been writing the longest, starting around the age of 11. The band don’t write songs together. Instead, they all write separately and then decide on material together. Odhran creates arrangements on Logic Pro, and then writes lyrics when the arrangements are finished. MAI follows a more flexible creative process, writing whatever comes to mind first. 

 

While they all write separately, their music mostly follows the indie genre conventions. “I would say that over the years our writing skills, whether that be the instrument side of things or the more lyrical side, has gotten a lot stronger as we have developed and grown as artists.”

 

The band use a lot of their own life experiences to inspire their writing. For example, “Fallon recently wrote this beautiful song about a close friend of theirs who passed away last year. By writing about what they know, they were able to create these very emotional lyrics in one evening.” The band says that “we use writing as a way to channel certain thoughts or emotions which were created by certain events in our lives. The easiest way to process that or express that is by turning it into music.”

 

"Dance like no one is watching." This is more metaphorical than literal. Be exactly who you know you are, and don’t let other people's opinions tear you down. Stay determined even when the going gets tough and strive towards your goals and dreams.

 

The band gig quite often. They played a gig on the 29th of March in Bennigans, as well as a supporting gig for The String Cut Puppets in the 720. “It was a really great experience for us.” They also performed in the Northwest Foyle Theatre, outside the Guildhall, for the 24hr busk with the Nerve Centre. 

 

What sets the band apart from other, as well as MAI’s “haunting vocal tones”, is the fact that they are a diverse range of people. “With two of our members being half-American and one member South Africa”, they band have a lot of different life experience to share with each other and their audiences.

So, what’s next for Soulstice?

“We are playing at the Final Showcase at the North West Regional College tomorrow, and MAI will be hosting their very first headlining gig at the Nerve Centre in honour of their debut single, Hologram Halo, which will be released very soon!! We are very excited to announce that Humanitas, Klyda and Black Rose will be supporting us for this gig, and it will be free entry, so be sure to get a ticket and come down for the evening! 

 

To purchase a ticket visit: https://nervecentre.org/whats-on/mai-single-launch

Make sure you follow them and keep up to date with all their songs, events and gigs: 

Instagram: soulsticeband

Odhran: oddball602

Fallon: fallonraiynemusic

MAI: mai.musicofficial