The founding members of Durand Jones & The Indications are getting their second wind. After completing their Cruisin’ in the Park tour earlier this year in support of 2021’s Private Space, the soul revivalists, known for their silkened falsettos and retro-’70s flair, embarked on one of their busiest touring schedules to date. They performed in Tokyo for the first time, hit the road with Jack Johnson over the summer, and joined Greta Van Fleet on tour.

Now Durand Jones (vocals), Aaron Frazer (vocals/drums) and Blake Rhein (guitar) are ready for what’s next, including a New Year’s Eve show at Brooklyn Bowl in Las Vegas. It’s nearly all they think about.

“We’ve been hitting the road really, really hard,” Jones says, “but even though we have this time off and it’s going to be awesome to spend some time with family, I think we’re all having the mindset of these shows at the end of the year.”

Jones, Frazer and Rhein chatted with the Weekly about the emotional fuel behind Private Space and why it’s important to loosen up and go solo from time to time.

You threw down a great set here earlier this year for Memorial Day Weekend. How do you intend to top that for New Year’s Eve? Durand Jones: I remember it was 2010 on New Year’s Eve, and I was playing with this band out in the middle of nowhere in North Louisiana. We were about to do the “Auld Lang Syne” thing, and one of the musicians pulled me aside and he was like, ‘From here on out, you’re always going to be the moment maker. You’re not going to be with your girl, the kisser on midnight. You’re gonna be the guy singing the song. You’re gonna be that guy that’s a part of making those moments special.’

It still gives me chills to this day to know that you have a duty—you’re responsible for making some magical moment happen. I think about that every New Year’s that I’ve done since then, especially with this band. … I really want to make it magical for people.

Your style has such a retro feel, so I’m curious, who were some pivotal musicians for you growing up who helped inform what you do now? Blake Rhein: When I was young, I wasn’t really exposed to a lot of soul music, but I can remember songs that really stuck with me. … “Dancing Queen” by Abba. I loved that song when I was in second grade. And then “The Whole World” by Outkast. That was a big song for me around fourth or fifth grade.

Aaron Frazer: Hip-hop, growing up, I think shaped me as a solo musician today. A lot of how I learned how to drum was being in my basement and putting on a record like [Nas’] Illmatic or [Jay-Z’s] Reasonable Doubt. I would drum every track as it came on. Those not only shaped my understanding of what a pocket feels like, but also shaped my love for simple, repetitive drumming. It’s not fancy. I think that to play soul music, or at least a kind of soul music we do, everyone has to understand that while their part individually may be simple, they’re contributing to something bigger and more beautiful than what they’re doing alone.

DJ: Growing up in Hillaryville, [Louisiana], I used to take it for granted so much—my grandmother bringing me and my brother and my sister to church every Sunday and hearing all of these amazing singers who didn’t necessarily aspire to do what I’m doing now. The Sunday service was good enough. I think about those folks all the time and … they really played a huge influence on my path as an artist and in the way that I do music. And, of course, the greats stick out to me, like Gladys Knight, Dionne Warwick, Marvin Gaye, Donny Hathaway, Luther Vandross, but also those folks down in rural Louisiana.

Soul music has been enjoying a mass revival recently. We’ve now got artists like Black Pumas, Leon Bridges, Curtis Harding and your band leading the charge. Why do you think people so hungry for this sound? BR: A lot of people can access soul music. Either it’s nostalgia or it’s new. Like Aaron was saying, there’s appeal there for hip-hop heads. We accessed this big low-rider community when we were in college and started this band that we didn’t know existed, and that’s a huge part of our fanbase. Then there’s record dorks and all these people. It’s connected people’s passion for music in so many different ways. There’s a little bit for everybody, and we definitely see that in our crowds. We get a really diverse group of people who come to the shows, both in racial makeup and in age range. There’s young people coming to our shows, and people bringing their grandparents.

Private Space, your 2021 album, feels fueled by romance and sensuality. Where were you emotionally when you worked on this record? AF: There’s definitely love and sensuality on the brain, but it’s also a lot of being in a very difficult time. When the pandemic started, we all took a little while away from songwriting. It wasn’t like watching the news and immediately opening up our notepads and scribbling insightful lyrics. It was hard for a while and depressing. At the end of the day, I come back to an idea that Durand talks about a lot, of The Love Song, The Protest Song, and The Party Song as the pillars of soul music. In a way, that road map, that blueprint, that permission structure that soul music gives you to feel all of your emotions together—the loving stuff, the mourning, the anger, hope, frustration, whatever —soul music lets you feel all of that and bring that all together. … Private Space reflects all of that.

Durand, you’ve said that when people listen to this album, you want them to close their eyes and forget where they are. Where do you go mentally when you perform material from Private Space live? DJ: Whenever I sing this music on Private Space, I feel a lot more grown. I feel a lot sexier. I feel a lot smoother in my approach. I … I’m feeling my inner sexiness, whatever that word is. I’m trying to embrace that and also on the dancier stuff, I’m in a state of joy. It’s so cliche, but I dance like nobody’s watching. I don’t consider myself to be a dancer at all, but I be getting down on that stage. How could I not when the band’s groovin’ so hard?

AF: When we play the songs live, I’ve been focused more on finding our collective joy onstage together. I think about our live show like a sword almost, where we spent so many years sharpening it. But actually, the thing about blade edges is, if it’s too sharp, it actually will get blunted over time, because it’s too razor thin. By not focusing quite as much on the exact tightness, I think we’ve been able to access this evolution of the band and evolution of how we play songs from this record, and even our old [music] as well.

BR: People come up to us and say, “You guys are so tight!” But I think you can only be tight to a certain extent. You’ve got figure out a way to let it loosen up a little bit.

Are you working on any new music right now as a band? Or are you doing more of your solo projects at the moment? DJ: The latter. This year, Mike Montgomery, our bass player, is dropping a Christmas record. Steve Okonski, our keyboard player, is dropping a jazz record next year. I’m gonna be dropping a solo record next year. I’m sure Aaron’s going to be doing something. And Blake is always cookin’ up something. We’re in the middle of signing a record deal right now, so we’re definitely gonna have some music coming out in the future. I think it’s really healthy for us to collectively come together and say our stories but also do our things individually.

I heard Questlove say this really beautiful thing, talking about The Roots, how they built this house and the house is always going to be there. But in order for you to learn, and in order for you to become more worldly and build your vocabulary and learn different ways to speak in different languages, you have to get out of the house. You have to get out into the world and collect things and bring it back to the house.

Durand Jones & The Indications With Thee Sinseers, December 31, 8:30 p.m. $45-$95. Brooklyn Bowl, ticketweb.com.

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