Locals Only: : Who Will Save Your Soul?

Dale M. Johnson Derrick Sanderson's Soul Expression

As most know, Cincinnati has a rich history of Rhythm & Blues and Soul music. There's King Records and James Brown's session there in the label's heyday. Every summer, for 40 years (until 2002), Cincinnati was Jazz, R&B and Soul central when it hosted a huge Jazz and Soul festival (variously known as the Ohio Valley Jazz Festival, Kool Jazz Festival and Coors Light Jazz Festival through the years) at Riverfront Stadium.

But King Records is long gone. James Brown has been sent to jail repeatedly. The Jazz and Soul festival moved to Detroit due to sponsorship problems stemming from the boycott of Cincinnati over racial issues. And, while Cincinnati has a thriving music scene, the Soul scene is largely nonexistent or so far underground that you really have to work to find it. Derrick Sanderson's Soul Expression is here to put the soul back into the city. And not a moment too soon.

"People that are doing original R&B really don't have venues to play R&B in right now," says lead vocalist and the band's namesake Derrick Sanderson.

"I can't imagine that we're the only people doing it. There must be hundreds of people out there doing it. You just don't hear about them."

Initially forming in October of 2002 and solidifying into its present form in June 2003, the band comes from a diverse pool of bands, acquaintances and relations. Sanderson (vocals) used to be the singer for Super Ghetto Porshe. Chris Verbanic (drums) is also in Hyde Park Outrage, among other bands. Chris Comer (keys) worked with Sanderson in the past in Comer's former band, The Fabulous Marvel B's. Recent addition Forrest Berry (backing vocals) married into Sanderson's family. And Chris Walker (bass) is nearly a Cincinnati legend for his sideman work with too many bands to list and for his leadership roles in the now defunct Heavy Weather and the very active Walker Project (both with sister Carole).

Derrick Sanderson's Soul Expression first began as a collaboration between Comer and Sanderson. "I'd always been in Rock bands and 'white boy' Funk bands or whatever you want to call them," says Comer. "But Derrick and I started writing some songs together on the piano and it got to the point where (we thought), 'It's time to have (a) band.' Then I called (Verbanic and Walker) up. At first, we thought we'd just flesh some songs out, but immediately it felt like a band."

Validating how immediately it "felt like a band," DSSE was selected to play last year's MidPoint Music Festival, the group's first "real" gig. Their selection probably owed a great deal to the musical expertise of musicianship as well as the presence and voice of Sanderson, who is a classic, sexy, charismatic Soul frontman in the tradition of Marvin Gaye and Sam Cooke. Sanderson numbers Michael Jackson (with the Jackson 5), Stevie Wonder, Donnie Hathaway and The Stylistics among his influences.

"I've seen just about every type of Soul singer," Sanderson says. "I went to the Coors Light Jazz Festival, went to concerts and I watch how the singers move, how they hold the microphone ... I just picked it up."

Given the previously mentioned perceived lack of venues for Soul music, what does DSSE see themselves doing down the road?

"We're not looking to do a lot of gigs locally," says Comer. "I think we're looking to finish or polish up some kind of recording project and then see where that takes us. So don't look for the Soul Expression to play a gig once a month. We will do some gigs. But I don't think that this band is the right band to do that within this market. Cincinnati claims to have this R&B tradition ... but there's no local scene (for Soul music)."

Dale M. Johnson Derrick Sanderson's Soul Expression

As most know, Cincinnati has a rich history of Rhythm & Blues and Soul music. There's King Records and James Brown's session there in the label's heyday. Every summer, for 40 years (until 2002), Cincinnati was Jazz, R&B and Soul central when it hosted a huge Jazz and Soul festival (variously known as the Ohio Valley Jazz Festival, Kool Jazz Festival and Coors Light Jazz Festival through the years) at Riverfront Stadium.

But King Records is long gone. James Brown has been sent to jail repeatedly. The Jazz and Soul festival moved to Detroit due to sponsorship problems stemming from the boycott of Cincinnati over racial issues. And, while Cincinnati has a thriving music scene, the Soul scene is largely nonexistent or so far underground that you really have to work to find it. Derrick Sanderson's Soul Expression is here to put the soul back into the city. And not a moment too soon.

"People that are doing original R&B really don't have venues to play R&B in right now," says lead vocalist and the band's namesake Derrick Sanderson.

"I can't imagine that we're the only people doing it. There must be hundreds of people out there doing it. You just don't hear about them."

Initially forming in October of 2002 and solidifying into its present form in June 2003, the band comes from a diverse pool of bands, acquaintances and relations. Sanderson (vocals) used to be the singer for Super Ghetto Porshe. Chris Verbanic (drums) is also in Hyde Park Outrage, among other bands. Chris Comer (keys) worked with Sanderson in the past in Comer's former band, The Fabulous Marvel B's. Recent addition Forrest Berry (backing vocals) married into Sanderson's family. And Chris Walker (bass) is nearly a Cincinnati legend for his sideman work with too many bands to list and for his leadership roles in the now defunct Heavy Weather and the very active Walker Project (both with sister Carole).

Derrick Sanderson's Soul Expression first began as a collaboration between Comer and Sanderson. "I'd always been in Rock bands and 'white boy' Funk bands or whatever you want to call them," says Comer. "But Derrick and I started writing some songs together on the piano and it got to the point where (we thought), 'It's time to have (a) band.' Then I called (Verbanic and Walker) up. At first, we thought we'd just flesh some songs out, but immediately it felt like a band."

Validating how immediately it "felt like a band," DSSE was selected to play last year's MidPoint Music Festival, the group's first "real" gig. Their selection probably owed a great deal to the musical expertise of musicianship as well as the presence and voice of Sanderson, who is a classic, sexy, charismatic Soul frontman in the tradition of Marvin Gaye and Sam Cooke. Sanderson numbers Michael Jackson (with the Jackson 5), Stevie Wonder, Donnie Hathaway and The Stylistics among his influences.

"I've seen just about every type of Soul singer," Sanderson says. "I went to the Coors Light Jazz Festival, went to concerts and I watch how the singers move, how they hold the microphone ... I just picked it up."

Given the previously mentioned perceived lack of venues for Soul music, what does DSSE see themselves doing down the road?

"We're not looking to do a lot of gigs locally," says Comer. "I think we're looking to finish or polish up some kind of recording project and then see where that takes us. So don't look for the Soul Expression to play a gig once a month. We will do some gigs. But I don't think that this band is the right band to do that within this market. Cincinnati claims to have this R&B tradition ... but there's no local scene (for Soul music)."