Interview: MusicHeals with HUMAN NATURE

I once read "Music is the closest form of magic." It was something that struck a cord with me. Music truly transcends every barrier. Whether you sing to it, dance to it, cry to it, laugh to it, the music reaches into your soul and opens your heart.

Music is the first thing I hear when I wake up in the morning and the last thing I hear before I go to sleep. It sets the foundation for my day, and through this ritual I realized just how healing music is.

#Musicheals is a project that I hold very close to my heart, it will be a series of interviews with musicians who are not only singers, they are storytellers. Their music has either withstood the test of time, left a mark on a generation or is putting a stamp on authenticity.

I was so excited to kick off my music #Musicheals series with a group of guys who have made a place for themselves in the music industry.

Now, There are a few things that happen when you hear the voices of Phil Burton, Toby Allen and brothers Andrew and Michael Tierney of the Australian harmony group Human Nature. Your eyes close, your head begins to sway, your foot taps and you are transported into a place of pure bliss.

Their soulful sound and classic style has led them to working with artists such as Celine Dion, Smokey Robinson and the late Michael Jackson... to name a few.

I was first introduced to the Human Nature when I saw their PBS special in 2011 "Human Nature sings Motown with special guest, Smokey Robinson." Needless to say I was completely taken aback when they began the first few notes of "Ooo baby baby." Andrew beautifully captured Smokeys falsetto while Michael, Phil and Toby harmonized like the pros that they are. Covering Smokey Robinson is not an easy task, but the guys nailed it. Hop on over to YouTube and see for yourself. Trust me.

I was a bundle of nerves going to meet with the guys. Yet, within my first few seconds of meeting them, I was put at ease and taken by their warmth and their incredible bond as not only a group but as friends.

I sat down with the band at one of Manhattans coolest spots, The Out NYC hotel, as they prepare for their show "Christmas, Motown and More!" at The Venetian, Las Vegas.

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R: I have a confession. Every morning when I wake up I have to dance. I have to find a song and literally dance my way out of the door. It sort of sets my foundation for the day. What is your morning ritual?

Phil: During the day I change the station but in the morning I go to a classical music station. Just for the first half hour or so. For some reason it's not as... pop music can be a bit harsh sometimes first thing in the morning, I like to ease into it a little bit so... just a little bit of classical music to start the day is always good.

Toby: I used to always have my alarm set to play The Big Blue soundtrack. I don't know if you know that movie, but it's a great movie about deep sea diving. The soundtrack sort of eases in and is sort of quite calm because I find that if I wake up too abruptly that feeling seems to stay with me all day. So when I am using my phone to try and set an alarm I try to pick the gentlest alarm because I feel sort of better waking up slowly, rather than being jolted into the day. Now most of the time at home its just my kids screaming out from their bedrooms. I'm jolted into the world most days.

Mike: It's interesting that you mentioned that about music because I've got a little girl, she's 5, when there's been mornings when she's woken up a bit grumpy I put music on and it really just changes her mood, like straight away. It's a great way to get you ready for the day and make you feel happy.

Ryan: How did you come up the name Human Nature?

P: We were actually called something different when we first started, we were called the 4 Trax... with the number four and the letter x just because it was so cool. (laughs) So we were called that for a few years but when we got our record deal with Sony Music, we thought the name 4 Trax didn't really suit us, it was a bit old. We wanted something new. We were writing down names from anywhere. We would see something written on a wall and write it down... and Mike actually wrote down Human Nature, just at the time it was just a name but then we realized it actually really did suit what we do. For us... I hate to be cliché, but singing for us really is just Human Nature... but now that we are doing Motown... maybe the 4 Trax might have worked.

R: When you think of Human Nature sometimes the first thing that comes to mind is Michael Jackson, who you opened for so I know it was planned (laughing)

P: (laughing) It was all part of the plan.

R: When did you know you wanted to be a musician?

P: I remember one of the big things for me. I was watching Live Aid back in 1985 Queen came on.. Freddie Mercury came in and in 20 minutes he had the crowd just ... absolute rapture and in the palm of his hand, and I remember watching that and thinking wow... that would be really cool to do one day... get out there and dance round and have the whole crowd going "Yeah we want more!" That was a big moment for me.

T: I started singing and playing the piano very young. Piano mainly because my mother wanted me to do it. It was classical piano. After a while I grew a bit bored of it. But it was when I joined the school band, and I started playing the trumpet and having these trumpet lessons and playing in the school band actually sort of really opened my eyes to the idea of performing with a group of people who are creating music together. That was something that really attracted me. Being able to enjoy it with other people was really important.

M: In Australia schools get together and they do these big shows all together, and I just remember from that getting that adrenaline rush of getting on stage and all that preparation that goes into it. Growing up it was something you looked forward to every year and looked forward to being a part of. I looked forward to getting better at it. Music is really, really important, kids growing up and going to school it's a great thing for them to migrate towards, so many great things come out of it.

R: What was your draw to Motown music and this Doo Wop style of music?

M: I think with Motown, I think in particular being in Australia... we grew up... we didn't grow up in the era of Motown but we knew all those songs, and probably didn't know they were all from Motown, all those groups and all the songs, growing up I don't think we pieced together that they were all from the same label. And then when we started together as a group, people would tell us to go and listen to groups like The Temptations and The Four Tops so I think, that's what introduced us to that music to begin with and then when we got more into it we were just amazed at the depth of songs and great music that came out of that time. We had had this idea for quite a while to do an album of Motown songs more than just the album we thought going out and doing a show would be really fun. We often performed one or two Motown songs live in our shows for years... and then the album was such a huge success in Australia.... we got to sing with Smokey and met with him and he became such a great supporter so it really opened up this whole new world for us.

T: I guess when we first approached doing the Motown record we probably subconsciously had not done it earlier because we were still developing our chops and working together as a group. We at the time we had been together about 15 years as a group and we certainly had had a lot of experience but; I think we finally felt really ready for approaching Motown. We found that a lot of it sounds simple but when you get in the studio and try to record your own version of them and they're not. There is a real subtlety to them and a real art to be able to do a decent version. We certainly wanted to make them versions we were proud of. We didn't really know the sort of job we had done until we started dealing with Smokey. And for him to say he just loved what we were doing with their music all these years later. We were just sort of thrilled that we got the okay from the guy that was there day one.

R: I OD'd on your PBS special last night and when I heard you cover Smokeys "Ooo Baby Baby" I was mind blown. I had goosebumps everywhere. The harmony is just beautiful.

Guys: Thank you so much.

P: Actually the first time we met Smokey we sang that for him. It was kind of crazy. The third Motown record we did, we wanted to do duets with some of the original artists. So, Smokey was the first person we asked. He heard of us and really enjoyed what we had done up until that point so he said yes. So when he went into the studio in LA, he thought he was just going to do his part and send it to us, but we showed up to surprise him and walked in. And only the day before we arranged Ooo Baby Baby, the only person we had sung it for was our manager. He was like "That sounds pretty good I guess." We thought it would be a good way to break the ice. We might have blown his mind a little bit too because I remember him going (excited) "Alright, Alright!"

A: Looking back on it, it was a pretty bold decision I guess. We didn't know what it meant for us. We were pretty much paying homage to the music that we loved. The one decision that I am glad that we made was to be respectful to it... a lot of people change the arrangements just for the sake of changing them. Rather than kind of respecting what is great about the songs. We wanted to use our voices to bring the color to it rather than doing like a slow jam to "Stop in the name of love" or something like that. We kind of just took the energy and bought our energy to the songs. It's been an amazing journey for us to even play a small part in the Motown legacy, we even had Berry Gordy come and see our show and say "I love that you guys aren't copying the songs, you're doing it your way."

R: Now you are having your Christmas show at the Venetian in Las Vegas! What is that like?

P: It's great, yeah. Christmas music is something that has been part of our career since the very start. One of the first gigs we eve did was go out into a shopping center and put a hat down and sing Christmas songs. So we've always... recorded Christmas songs before for charity albums in Australia. So after 24 years we've finally recorded our own Christmas album. We just felt like it was time to do one, and it was really great fun to record. There is just something about Christmas Music when you are singing it or recording it even when you are trying to work it out, it just puts you in a good mood, those songs.

R: What is your favorite Christmas song, to listen to or to sing?

M: One of my favorites, I never grow tired of it... particularly Nat King Coles version of The Christmas Song. The arrangement and that whole recording is just timeless.

A: One of my favorites has always been Let it Snow, we had never done a version of that song until we recorded four songs for the album to release in Australia this year and we did a version of Let it Snow and it was really cool, we kind of did a Doo Wop take on it... but we also did it as a duet with an Australian singer called Delta Goodrem.

P: For me, we put together two songs for our album Silent Night and Oh Holy Night.

R: Mash Up!.

P: Exactly Mash up, and they are both two very beautiful songs, particularly, Oh Holy Night. Just the mood of that song it's just really moving. It kind of gets you in the heart you know?

T: To listen to, for me I really enjoy listening to... there is a group called Take 6, they are a jazz gospel acapella group. Amazing group. Incredible harmonies. They did a Christmas album called He is Christmas and I still love every year, putting that on. Their voices are so insane and great and their versions of the songs I find really fun to listen to.

R: What do you hope the audience gets from seeing your show?

A: The greatest reaction for me is when people say they feel so much more joyful leaving the show than when they came in. Actually, last night there was a lady who said "I had a really rough year" she was almost moved to tears, she said "This was exactly what I needed, to let the music take me away." That's what I was thinking about that is the power of music. It can transport you from whatever you are feeling. That's what we try and do.

Human Nature: Christmas, Motown and More! With special guest Ruby Lewis Performs at The Venetian Las Vegas December 13-16, 18-22, 2015; all shows are at 7:00 p.m. except December 22 which is at 1:00 p.m., in the Sands Showroom at The Venetian Las Vegas. Tickets range from $49.00 to $125.00 + taxes and fees, with a special VIP ticket at $140.00 and can be purchased at any box office at The Venetian or The Palazzo or by calling 702-414-9000 or 866-641-7469. Tickets are also available atHumanNatureLive.com or Venetian.com

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