In anticipation of their upcoming New Year’s Eve show at Boom Boom Boom, Joe McGuire of Afrolicious took a moment to share insights into his latest hit, “Love Brings” and his creative process. As a longtime supporter of live music, Joe also reflects on his relationship with the BISS List and its founder, Pamela Gerstein, whose tireless work has been integral to the local music scene.

Miss BISS: What inspired you to write “Love Brings,” and how does it reflect your personal or artistic vision?

JM: “Taste life sweet dreamer, make mind true believer, soon life will be all that you can see.” I feel called to continuously hold up a mirror to our collective greatness and wonder. “Love Brings” is the longing of a narrator speaking to his lover or the one he longs for. Yet it is also me speaking more broadly about the love and need for community, family and friends as well as a lover. This seems to be a baseline theme for most of my works. I do not want to be overly repetitive, yet I feel a strong pull to keep coming back to this idea, that we can dream a more beautiful and soulful world!

Miss BISS: Can you share any memorable experiences or stories from the process of creating or recording the song?

JM: Imagine jamming, having some fun, and these ideas start building on each other. They start basically writing themselves. You get in a kind of trance, you surrender to the moment and process, and before you know it, a song has completely formed. I know many have had similar experiences, so this is not unique to me or super specific, but you basically are having a blast, yet you almost do not even know what is going on. When you come out of this trance-like state, there is a complete and finished song ready to go.

Miss BISS: What message or feeling do you hope listeners take away from “Love Brings”?

JM: Despite that stroll in the city when everything you see ain’t always pretty, the love you need can be found. In order to taste the life you dream, you must be able to see it. So continue to try and see the beautiful world you want to see and live in. The first step to making something happen is being able to see it. I hope the listener gets some joy, and some inspiration from this. If nothing else, I hope there is joy in the listening and/or dancing to this joint.

Miss BISS: How has your experience been with the BISS List over the years?

JM: The BISS List is one of the few remaining music promoters really helping live music thrive. There is a genuine love and connection with the artists and fans of live music as well as venues. Afrolicious and Pleasuremaker have benefited from the tireless work and deep enthusiasm Pamela and her crew have been bringing to the scene for the last 20-ish years we have been working together!!!

You can catch Afrolicious on NYE at the Boom Boom Room. And you can win tickets from the BISS List!!