Shawn Hewitt's melding of sweet soul music and angular rock literally puts the shaking "ass" into "classy," which he certainly is. Making the scene and gaining praise for just over a couple of years now, Hewitt and his band The National Strike have been kicking the living shit out of a wide range of audiences all over North America, sharing the marquee with a range of artists such as K-OS, Saul Williams, The Dears and Peter Elkas. Wesley J Ramos briefly spoke with Hewitt to discuss the past two whirlwind years, soul, style and his new recording.

THIS IS THE MOST CLICHÉ QUESTION, BUT CONSIDERING THE COMPLEXITY OF YOUR WORK, WHAT DID YOU LISTEN TO AS A YOUNG PERSON AND WHO EXPOSED YOU TO YOUR MUSICAL ROOTS? Like many, my Mom and Dad played everything from Top 40 pop, classic R&B, Beatles, to Caribbean music and jazz. Things got interesting when I started finding out the influences of the artists/bands that I liked.

I FIRST HEARD OF YOU WAY BACK WHEN DWAYNE SLACK WAS STILL BOOKING SNEAKY DEE'S IN EARLY 2003 AND DWAYNE TOLD ME: "YOU MUST SEE THIS GUY..." SO I DID AND WAS BLOWN AWAY WITH YOUR MELDING OF STEVIE WONDER STYLE AND EASTERN EURO PROG-ROCK. DESCRIBE THAT TIME OF YOUR MUSICAL GROWTH AND WERE YOU SURE PEOPLE WOULD CATCH ON SO QUICKLY? Wow! Your words are humbling. Thank you. That time set an interesting stage. The number of people who set up microscopes to chart the harnessing of this sound swelled incredibly. I knew we had something special but also knew we were yet to hit our stride. I think we're dangerously close now.

SOUL HAS BEEN AN OVER USED TERM IN OUR MIDST. TO YOU, WHAT CONSTITUTES SOUL? It's a shame that many believe soul is the ability to allow vibrato convulsions that many do today in contemporary R&B and pop music. To me "soul" in music is when one can visualize lyrics in their most vivid form through the emotions of your voice.

HOW HAS THE INDIE ROCK COMMUNITY TREATED YOU IN TORONTO? The indie community has been very supportive. It's a fickle world out there and it always blows my mind when I sense excitement from what we do.

DOES ONE NEED SUBSTANCE TO HAVE STYLE? Hmmmmm (scratches head)... You need substance to earn the right to say the word "style".

WHEN CAN WE EXPECT YOUR NEW RECORD THE SOFT SOCIETY AND WHAT WILL IT SOUND LIKE? A hopeful spring release. It will sound like capturing the madness of the past couple of years complete with a preview of what's up these sleeves. Complete with mellotron, vibraphone, voodoo spirits and a climactic close. The future is bright!