TheRSVPReport: What are the names of the members of the Fertile Ground and their role in the group (singer, instrument, etc)?

FertileGround:  James Collins - Keys/Bass, Navasha Daya – Vocals, Craig Alston - Tenor Sax, Freddie Dunn -Trumpet, Ekendra Das – Percussion, Mark Prince - Drums

TheRSVPReport: Who formed or created the group Fertile Ground? 

FertileGround: I (James Collins) started the band back in 1997

TheRSVPReport: What type of genre would you say best describes your music and sound?

FertileGround:  Good Music.  There are only two types of Music and I like to think we are the former.

 TheRSVPReport: I often feel as talented people that there is not just one category to put us in, but if you had to choose one for your style, what would it be?

FertileGround: New World Soul Jazz... Is that a category?

TheRSVPReport: Who do you consider your targeted audience and main fan base?

FertileGround: Fans of amazing music.  People who enjoy Live music and hear their voice inside the albums of Stevie, Coltrane, Fela, Mos Def, De La Soul and Nina Simone.

TheRSVPReport: What were their influences in Baltimore for the different styles in the group?

FertileGround: Baltimore is the home of strong back beats, Club Music, and Jazz.  So most of the band tends to be students of these traditions

TheRSVPReport: Is the group trying to become more mainstream or popular or do you prefer being underground and just having the large following that you have?

FertileGround: People like to Romanticize the underground music scene.  We represent the people who love our music. We are interested in reaching as many people as we can however we are not interested in changing our art in an effort to do so.

TheRSVPReport: Does being successful independently and selling underground create the same type of record label bidding wars for your group and genre like it does in hip-hop?

FertileGround: Nobody is in a bidding war for our albums.  My goal is to change the record industry.  I don't really have a strategy for becoming part of the system that exist.

TheRSVPReport: What future shows or plans do you have for the group?

FertileGround:  We are currently in the middle of our 5th album.  We hope to have it out by early 2010.  Beyond that, we will be documenting the shows in an effort to release a DVD/CD Live combo late 2010.  We have been making music together for over a decade and my goal is to continue making music.  We haven't recorded our best CD yet and I pray we don't for many years. 

http://www.blackoutstudios.com/

http://www.myspace.com/fertilegroundmusic