VIDEO: Stick Figure Talks Story at Maui Concert

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Stick Figure. Photo by Cassandra Hastu.

By Cassandra Hastu

California based reggae rock band Stick Figure has been coasting through our Maui airwaves for quite sometime. This past weekend Maui was finally lucky enough to experience Stick Figure live.

Showcasing their talent for the first time on Maui, Stick Figure opened the stage for the Island Vibez Music Festival at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center.

The smooth hypnotic vocals of lead singer Scott Woodruff entranced the crowd as the rest of the guys in the band, Kevin Bong (keyboards), Kevin Offitzer (drums), and Tommy Suliman (bass) kept the crowd dancing with an amazing live performance.

I was lucky enough to catch Scott backstage and ask him a few questions for Maui Now before the show began.

Q: How has your transition to tour life been treating you?

A: It has been a blast. Nothing like hitting the road and playing shows for people and getting to see the country. It has been fun, constantly on the move which none of us are really used to up until a couple of years ago, but it has been a fun transition.

Q: Do you have a preference over being a one man band to having a full band?

A: Yea, I prefer the full band for the overall sound and the energy on stage. I wouldn’t ever want to go on stage by myself. I love having other guys to jam with and other ideas and collaborations.  It just makes it more fun.

Stick Figure. Photo by Cassandra Hastu.

Q: Is this everyone’s first time to Maui?

A: First time playing, I have been here before a couple of years ago with my family.

Q: How has Hawaiʻi been treating you?

A: It has been the best. We just did two months touring the whole country and we found out about the tour about a month and a half ago and we have been looking forward to it every day since. It has been everything we thought it would be.

Q: What inspires you?

A: Just everything you know? Traveling, traveling is probably the biggest thing. Even before I toured I would take trips to Indonesia and Australia, and a couple of two month trips just traveling around the world. That is where I wrote a lot of the songs for the most recent album.

Stick Figure. Photo by Cassandra Hastu.

Q: Does it bother you that your dog, Cocoa, is more popular than you are?

A: Hahaha, no I’m all for it. She is a celebrity, I’m not. This is the first show we have done in years without her. At the airport I keep looking back thinking she will be there following me. We were swimming in the ocean the other day and there were these big swells and we were like, “where is Cocoa right now?” she would have loved it.

Q: So you have the new single out “Livin’ It.”  Can we expect a new album?

A: Oh for sure. Right after this tour in a couple of days I’ll be heading home and I’ll get right back into the recording mindset and spend the next three or four months just working every day, and try to get it cranked out for the spring or early summer release.

Stick Figure. Photo by Cassandra Hastu.

Q: You take your time when it comes to releasing singles and albums, is that because you are a perfectionist?

A: I would say so yea, for sure. I have so many songs or ideas and I don’t really show them to anyone until I’m proud of it you know? With the music and recording I’ll mix a song fifty times until I get it right and it has to be perfect sound and even lyrics. I spend days and weeks just writing lyrics. I could never just half ass anything.

Q: The Only way to go is up. How far do you want to go when it comes to music and your career?

A: You know as long as I’m having fun and I’m happy and if that means going up, I just want to keep going up so that’s what I’m doing.

Q: What message do you want to give to your fans here in Hawaiʻi?

A: Just keep the aloha spirit going.  We love sharing it with you guys. Keep the vibes positive and we enjoy being here in Hawaiʻi with you.