Introducing: Group 1 Crew
03-21-2007
by Brenten Gilbert

Group 1 Crew is a hot new act on the market with a unique sound that has quickly drawn attention from fans and critics alike as well as comparisons to the Black Eyed Peas. Their debut album released in February and is already doing pretty well for the trio.

CMCentral's brenten gilbert managed to catch group-member Blanca Reyes on the phone during a recent mini-break from promoting the album and touring. The conversation covered the new album, the group's history, and of course, American Idol.

Below is the transcript, for your reading pleasure.

CMCentral (brenten gilbert): How are you doing today?

Blanca Reyes: I'm doing good.

So what is going on today?

Nothing. Just running around trying to get ready. We have a show today, so I'm making sure I have everything ready.

I noticed that you guys have a lot of shows down in FL right now, staying close to home?

Yeah, we are kind of on a little break right now you could say. We kind of took advantage of that and set up some shows around the area, so we are not just at home doing nothing.

It looks like you guys did the Freedom Experience Tour last year with Brock Gill and you are going to be doing it again this fall?

Yeah. We saw Brock Gill yesterday at the Youth Pastors Summit at Hard Rock. Brock was there and he kind of introduced us and mentioned the Freedom Experience. I'm really excited, it's always fun.

Iis that a ministry that kind of hits home for you?

I think for our group, yes. It's our heart in the sense that we get to go into these inner city schools and really have these relationship-based one-on-one times with students. We don't really get to mention God, but through what we do and through music, lives are transformed. What is so great about it is that afterwards we do crusades at night. We invite all the kids from the school to come out and they usually show up - sometimes 5000 people end up coming - and by the hundreds, they get saved. We are allowed to bring the message [at the crusade], so it's really cool.

Yeah and you guys have all of the crazy BMX guys going on and the skateboarding and stuff.

Yeah, the skateboards and BMX and then Brock with his illusions. It's really cool.

Has Brock shown you any of his tricks?

No. He won't. (laughs) Every night, last year we did the tour in like five cities, and every single time he does his different things for the show. I'm always like, how does he do that? I watch every time and try to watch from different parts of the stage and you just don't know how he does it. It's pretty cool. I love it. I try to convince him to tell me his tricks, but he won't.

Well you know he's not supposed to, but it's always worth trying.

Yeah.

So are you or the guys into skateboarding?

Oh no. Manwell is the closest thing to a skateboarder and he's really not that good.

(laughs)

He tries.

Okay. The album has been out for a couple of weeks now. Are you happy with the overall reaction to it?

I'm really happy with everything about the album. We've been done since last summer and I think we really just wanted to get it out already and see how people react to it and get feedback instead of sitting on it. Everything turned out well. A lot of people bought the album. We got a lot of great feedback on our MySpace, from fans and stuff, so it's really exciting. It's our first album and it's just a wonderful experience.

That's good. Do you keep up with the reviews and that kind of stuff? Do you try to follow along or do you try to just ignore it?

A little bit. I think the guys and my mom are always looking up stuff and looking for reviews. I don't personally keep up with it, but I always have people around me that keep up with it and let me know what is going on.

Well, it seems to me that everybody seems to be putting you right in this category with Black Eyed Peas. Does that bother you at all?

I take it as a compliment in the sense that I think the Black Eyed Peas are amazing. Since I'm a fan of their music, I think it's a compliment to us for the fact that we are being compared to them. I just think that Group 1 in itself is just a unique sound, totally different. I see where they can get similarities of the Black Eyed Peas, but I really think that our sound has it's own thing going on. Hopefully, through the next record, people will be able to differentiate the two, know that there is a difference between us an the Black Eyed Peas.

It seemed to me that your album has a little bit more to offer than just a copy of BEP. There are a couple of songs that obviously have that vibe to it. Maybe it's just the singles that are hitting the radio that people are drawing those comparisons?

Yeah. And I think our music has substance. We have something to say. We've been through something. We all as individuals have something to say, so it has this substance to our music. It's not just a good song and good music, it's really overall a good message.

Now it's a self-titled album so I guess it's meant to be more of a personal introduction to the world. How would you describe the album?

I think if I had to put the album in one word I would say that it's eclectic. You could go from number 1 to number 13, just go straight through, because there are so many different sounds, so many different songs and we've touched on so many different situations. I know for me, I could go through the whole album, put it in and let it roll. There are just so many things going on.

What would you say is the main thrust of the album? Like a message that holds it all together?

I think our main message is just dreaming big. From where we came from and where we are at now, we noticed that God just really blessed us. Because of it, we were able to follow our dream and not give up on ourselves, even though we felt that at times we weren't good enough, that we weren't going to make it. God kept believing in us and it got us to where we are at. I think the main message to our music is just dreaming big and not giving up.

One of the songs that I was digging says that everybody's got a song to sing, a story to tell. So what is your story?

My story is that I grew up in a non-Christian home and a broken family. It was just me, my mom and my brother. My dad was never around during my whole childhood. He was a druggie and into gangs, alcohol - everything you can think of. So I dealt with a lot of insecurities from not having a father. I wasn't really a bad kid, but I didn't have self worth and always had bad relationships with men and boyfriends. I had a stepfather who was abusive. Just all of these things growing up as a girl that I had to go through. I actually found Christ my senior year of high school at a local church. My dad had come back into my life and went with me to see this play and he was a born again Christian. So, we went and God just really spoke to my heart. He told me that what was given to me had to be given back to Him, so I changed my life completely and never went back after that. That is pretty much me in a box.

Wow, that's pretty cool how your dad seems to have gone away and found Christ and he came back to get you after all of that.

Yeah, I thank him for that. My dad has a really good heart. And even though he's not as much a part of my life, he really planted a seed in me that got me to where I'm at. Even with music, my dad is a Christian folk singer now. So he always. . . In a way, I think I always find myself to be like my dad. We both have this passion for music and now we're both giving it back to God. So it's pretty cool.

So how does Group 1 Crew fit into that? When did you guys all get together?

Well, when I got saved. . . My best friend is Pablo's younger brother - his name is Josh - and I would always be at their house. I wasn't really cool with Pablo as a member of the group, but he had a little studio in his house and Manwell would always be over there, recording his solo album. One day they were like, "You know, we need a girl singer." And my brother says, "You sing, let's see what you've got." I sang on one of his songs and I stuck around. Then Manwell started a Bible study called Group 1 for musicians in the area that needed accountability and wanted to focus on their music and their beliefs. We got together like that and it's been like four years now.

And the rest is history.

Yep. The rest is history.

The future is yet to be seen. Alright, have you watched any of the American Idol yet this season?

I've watched a few.

Any predictions or favorites that you have?

I think one of my favorites is. . . I think Doolittle is her name. I think she is amazing. Her vocals are just so strong. She has so much control. I've seen her probably once or twice. I didn't get to see the 12 finalists, but I know she's up there.

Yeah, she's still around.

She's very good.

Are there any other TV shows that you watch regualarly?

Yeah, I do. I'm a big fan of The Hills, which I know is cheesy. I don't know how I got into it, but I watch it always. Also I'm a big fan of 24 but it's kind of one of those shows that I love, but I'm kind of behind. I wish I was on top of it.

Yeah, if you miss one, you are in trouble.

You can't watch the rest, because you just missed everything.

Well, that's cool. Is there anything else that you want to share with the readers about the album or anything?

That's pretty much it. The album is out already and you can come check us out on our MySpace page. Just check us out.

Sounds good. Thank you for your time. I hope you have a great show tonight and a restful time off.

Thank you so much.

Find out more about Group 1 Crew at Group1Crew.com or MySpace.com/GroupOne

Listen to a special preview of the album on the flash player below: