Naturally 7 is not your typical a cappella group. Comprised of (you guessed it) seven members, hey have developed a distinct sound that they call “vocal play.” I spoke with band member Roger Thomas fresh off a flight to New York City.

Times Square (TS): Naturally 7—What you do seems so innovative, can you tell me how you came about?

Roger Thomas (RT): We started in New York City back in ’98 or ’99, and it started in church. We were singing traditional a cappella, and at some point, we wanted to be different and find our sound, a distinct sound. In that soul searching, my brother, who is in the band, I remembered he was able to imitate drums and guitar a little bit, and we started there. At first, he couldn’t do it for a whole song, and then he was able to do it for numerous songs, and now we have two-hour shows. We found little by little that every guy in the group was able to showcase a particular instrument that the rest of us could not, that’s how we knew it was good. In about 2003, we had become a band, and in 2007, we coined the phrase vocal play. 

TS: Can you elaborate on vocal play? 

RT: Vocal play is an offshoot of a cappella where you become the instrument. You try to imitate the sound of a known instrument. A lot of times people do a cappella and they’ll make instrumental sounds, but it doesn’t remind people of any particular instrument. In our case, it is to remind you of the trumpet, harmonica, bass, string sounds, you name it.

TS: How does your songwriting process work, especially with seven distinct voices? 

RT: A lot of times one individual is writing a song, and sometimes you have two or three people collaborating, but that’s usually done away from the group. When brought to the group, the different guys around it will interpret what that songwriter is looking for, and then we’ll put the pieces together and jam with it. If someone brings the song to the band and everyone adds his own touch to it, then it becomes Naturally 7.

TS: You and your brother have been working on this project from the beginning, how do you two get along?

RT: We’ve been working together since we were kids, and we actually like that we get to travel together. I have someone that’s family on the road with me all the time. But like any other brothers, there’s times where we agree, and times where we disagree, but for the most part, there’s a lot of love. We have a very supportive family outside of the group. 

TS: Do you guys have wives and kids now?

RT: We’re both married with children, He has three and I have two, and they are all big fans of Naturally 7, especially my four-year-old.

TS: What type of music do you like to listen to?

RT: We’re really blessed with an entire group that has a diverse taste in music. I like nearly everything from classical to hip hop and everything in between, including R & B, funk rock, even country. I like music from the past and present, and I think you find that in our own music. Jazz too, you’ll find all of these different pieces in there. It’s an amalgamation, and I think that’s what makes our sound really cool.

TS: Who are your biggest influences?

RT: My father was in a gospel group called The Kings Proclaimers, and they molded me in a way so that I loved groups. When I came across the Jackson 5, I thought, wow! This is a group! People were harmonizing and singing together. Then, there was an old record that my dad had around, it was Simon and Garfunkel, and it had a big effect on my song writing. We even have some Simon and Garfunkel in our repertoire. From a harmonic standpoint, Take 6, they were the first group I saw singing complex harmonies. They showed me you could be successful singing a cappella.

TS: You grew up in New York, what are your favorite things and places here? 

RT: I lived in Rosedale, Queens for a long time. Going to school, I had to get off at the last stop of the E Train, and a lot of my songwriting took place having to bus home from there. Anytime I see it, it reminds me of songwriting. Other key things, well, New York is like no other place. Now that I travel so much, I know it. It really keeps ticking and stays alive. Grand Central Station is a favorite place because I’ve seen so much music and art. Times Square also. All of Central Park, you can even hear music there. The fact that the park stretches for as many blocks as it does is so significant because it’s a huge city with a park sitting in the middle of it! 

TS: What does 2012 look like for Naturally 7? 

RT: We have had a lot of success overseas, and we want to bring more success here. It looks very promising, we have a new release coming (at the end of the summer), and we will get more attention. Our goal is to make Naturally 7 a household name. We also want to carry the flag to bring more groups and harmony singing back to the forefront in the industry. We’re also singing in London for the Summer Olympics—once in a lifetime!

TS: What does music mean to you? 

RT: Music is interesting because it’s a language. It’s a language that is understood worldwide. I would say that it is the international language; it’s what most people will respond to before any other type of words or language. It’s a way to communicate with or without words, and it leaves lasting impressions and memories behind. People remember songs more than even actions or events in their lives. It’s not until they hear a song that they remember certain events in their lives, so that means the some is important to communicating and bringing that memory back. That is a powerful tool.