Groovin’ Kingston 12 Box Set

Reasoning With Danny Sims
By Justine Ketola

Bob Marley and The Wailers, just the name alone conjures up images of boundless inspiration, rebellion and tragedy. The Marley catalog outsells more than any other artist in
the world. Countless bootleg versions of this prolific fruit have flooded the global marketplace during the twenty-three years since Marley’s untimely death.

Danny Sims, a pop music producer and impresario made a publishing deal with the late Marley that covered the publisher’s royalty share for each record or song sold.

As a an African American producer and business impresario during the turbulent ‘60’s, Sims came under scrutiny for music that was determined powerful to foment the energy
behind the uprisings of the Civil Rights Movement. Sims moved to Jamaica, met Bob Marley and began recording some 211 songs with The Wailers. 

In an effort to combat the intense bootlegging worldwide of some of the most sought-after music from the past 25 years, Sims has inked a 10-year licensing deal to assemble and re-
issue tracks to be released in box sets that will enjoy the international distribution muscle of the Universal Music Group, the world’s largest distributor.

The new box set GROOVIN’ KINGSTON 12 features dub versions, guest appearances, and new tracks of music with The Wailers Band. Some of these tracks including "Music Gonna Teach," "One Love True Love" and the Peter Tosh version of "Little Green Apples" are released on CD for the first time. Other classics like "Redder Than Red" and versions of "Trenchtown Rock", with a refrain that gives the box set its title are
timeless gems. Below is an excerpt from an interview with Danny Sims.

Justine Ketola: How did the GROOVIN’KINGSTON 12 project come about?

Danny Sims: The album was put together by Universal with Jeremy Collingwood who has worked with Universal internationally (from London) for the past five years. When this deal came up between JAD Records and Universal, they asked me if Jeremy could interview me for the liner notes. That was two years ago, the deal took two years to get signed.

Justine Ketola: How did you get your start in the music business?

Danny Sims: Johnny Nash was an American artist, he actually brought me into the business. I was in the restaurant business in New York. I had a restaurant in Times Square, Sapphire’s on West 47th Street in the Theatre District. I had all the big show people coming in my restaurant. And that was the first Black restaurant in Times Square. I sold soul food.
We were open 24 hours and Johnny Nash, Sidney Poitier, (Harry) Belafonte and Ossie Davis, all of the entertainers, it was an entertainer hangout and Johnny Nash used to be one of my customers, he was about 15 years old. He was on the ‘Arthur Godfrey Show’. He was a huge artists at ABC/Paramount. He came to me for management, we went partners and we started doing concerts in the Caribbean. 

Justine Ketola: Why did you move to Jamaica?

Danny Sims: Johnny Nash was a pop singer. But the first R&B record that I ever got him to do was called "Move and Groove". That record became #1 in the R&B market and a guy named  Magnificent Donahue a DJ from New York moved to LA and we  are going to do a commercial with the track and we are going  to put it on every station in the country. And do you know what they put on the commercial? They put ‘burn baby burn’ and
this record was #1 in Chicago and Watts and so the FBI called me and said ‘Danny we finally got you, you are out of your mind, they are burning down Watts, they are burning down the
cities.’ We got on a plane and went to Jamaica, we moved to Jamaica. I didn’t even know Bob Marley then, we had a distributor at Federal Records. 

Justine Ketola: It has been reported that you went down there
for cheaper production costs. 

Danny Sims: We went down there because we thought we were going to get killed by the CIA and the FBI. For ‘inciting a riot’ they called it. Detroit went down, Chicago went
down, L.A. went down, the country just went up in flamesand we were right in the midst of that. Jamaica was a place to get away from the shooting.

Buju Banton-Rasta Got Soul

Rasta Got Soul, the new set from Buju Banton is a return to the roots of reggae, to a time when artists built messages, stating their case song by song. And rhythms helped to reveal the artist’s revolutionary broadcast, the baring of a soul in the album form, an effort to bring the purity back to the music.
Recorded at his Kingston, Jamaica Gargamel studio, the artist takes a hands on approach, releasing an album which reveals itself as a concept versus a bunch of songs put together by different studios as singles.The interview centered in the meaning of the wealth of the thoughtful lyrics on this release, a set of songs that coax the listener to question our world and to better ourselves. Check out the rich texture of music that floats under these lyrics released on Gargamel, Buju’s own independent label. Find your own source of soul searching and in-spirieation!

Justine Ketola: You have gone back to the roots to form a concept album.
Buju Banton:It is my endeavor, I am trying.
Justine Ketola: You have recorded this album at your studio allowing for the time and space to bring in the session players.
Buju Banton: Its a multiplicity of musicians, not one set of guys, the best of what Jamaica has to offer.
Justine Ketola:It feels like there is so much more life to it, not the recycled riddim format. This is a concept album, and it is really refreshing to hear.
As the conversation turns to the songs on the album, the single from 2005, Magic City is brought up as an example of the inspirational feel of this return to roots music and as Buju notes, “This is the first time I have ever done a completely roots album.”
Justine Ketola: Where is the Magic City, is it Kingston?
Buju Banton: Magic City is written so you can listen to the music and visualize, it stimulates the person to think. Kingston is quite magical but, I would say wherever you are, you should make that your magical point. It’s very important, you cant be running from here to there to find your magic city, there must be something around your surroundings that makes it special.

Justine Ketola: Giving thanks for the gifts that you have, wherever you are….and your newest single on the album A Little Bit of Sorry which is really a ska tune, what was it like growing up with ska, was it considered older people’s music?
Buju Banton: I wouldn’t say that ska was an older people thing but reggae and ska were born around the same time period. What I find is how diverse and rich my musical culture is, here in Jamaica, ya naw mean? We see other countries that are gravitating towards it and you would think that they originated the sound. I just want people to know that this sound came from Jamaica and we can still make it and produce it. Even in this time, because it is our culture we are bringing forward and introducing to the peoples of the world. And it promotes dance it gives one a good riddim to move to.
Justine Ketola: The song I Rise, how did the concept for the lyrics come about? With lyrics that reflect the feelings of rising from the concrete, reaching higher heights is it about someone in particular?
Buju Banton: This is not a fictitious character, it is from the very foundation, the ground thereof, the song can allow you to understand from this person and the struggles that I have gone through in life.
Justine Ketola: And moving into more upliftment, the song Optimistic Soul addresses the issues of the world with lyrics that find a soul who “mends the torn fragments”, singing, “I wish I could sew them back together, but I am an optimist, can they be sewn, can they be mend?” What is this saying?
Buju Banton: It is not up to one man’s dreams or his vision, it is up to the global population because we each have to play a part.
Justine Ketola: The song also says this soul feels trapped. Do you feel trapped, what makes you feel trapped?
Buju Banton: Are you free? Cause when you look at the word free, I don’t see the meaning behind it, If you are free then you would be able to speak your mind and express yourself. What is freedom? I want to break free but I feel trapped.
Justine Ketola: Bedtime Stories is a song with Wyclef and it sounds like a tribute to fathers, and those that are off fighting battles, what is its message?
Buju Banton: Well initially the song started talking about Kandahar and Mosul and these places, that is where the whole idea came from – some little boys in a state of fright but then the music transformed…. to what became later on, but the initial piece of writing of this song was based upon a child in that scenario in that part of the world that would be able to enjoy the fast food and things that people enjoy here.
Justine Ketola: Do you consider yourself a mentor to fathers?
Buju Banton: I have not time to consider myself, it is for the world to consider I, as it concerns me being a mentor, I live my life without a rule book someone hears what I am doing and I can inspire them, I am greatly honored. That is what we want to do, because we didn’t have a rule book to tell us how to operate, we want to live life in the old fashioned way before there was any great great faculty of learning there was a way with which to communicate which was innate and that is what we are still carrying forward to this day.
Justine Ketola: Rastafari is such a communal song, a nyabinghi, a great tribute to the family of Rasta, not that many songs like it in reggae.
Buju Banton: I and I have been a Rastafari because Rastafari open my eye to many things and directly change I and I life, and I way of living, dread I a dread mon.
Justine Ketola: Lend A Hand, presents the allure of ‘ Til Shiloh and the the qualities of righteousness as you ask “I wonder will tings ever change” and remind us to be conscious of our brothers and sisters at home and abroad. Is this song about Africa, or a message to Obama?
Buju Banton: Africa, Obama, Jamaica, the Caribbean, Europe, the World, China, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, no doubt that people are suffering in all these places and all they want, all they earnestly want is security, peace, and a chance to live.
Justine Ketola: Which parts of Africa have you visited? Where have you performed?
Buju Banton: We have performed in the South, we have performed in Gambia, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Ghana.
Justine Ketola: This song Mary, who is it about?
Buju Banton: This song is about a nice little lady I know, Mary who is always so concerned about the world, and want to do everything she can but that person can be anyone that considers themself a mother because all mothers are Mary, all mothers have a Mary spirit, relax your mind, one day at a time, your gonna need it when you’re older or die from a heart attack.
Justine Ketola: Is the song Hurt Us No More showing strength, progress, telling us we can’t be afraid any longer?
Buju Banton: No you can’t, of nothing, the only thing to be afraid of is fear itself.
Justine Ketola: You have a love song on this record, Make You Mine, which so often when you put out such songs, feels very reality-based.
Buju Banton: “I must get you and make you mine, go tell your friends and make them know that I told you I would,” I like to make my love songs real, I can’t sing the ‘baby baby I love you’ and you are not really saying anything. Its like when you are driving you see a woman look real sexy, beautiful…..
Justine Ketola: Are you teaching people to be mindful of their actions on the song Be On Your Way, teaching them how to talk to God?
Buju Banton: Teaching people to talk to god, also talking to my people, those who cannot listen, they got to go, those who chose not to listen, they have chose, we cannot choose for them, they have already chose the things that they want to follow but they are going to learn the lesson the hard way, if they drop into a deep hole, it is no fault of mine.
Justine Ketola: The set closes with this cool cover and combination with Third World of Sense of Purpose which seems to breathe new life into the song and will help to turn on a new set of people to this super group in reggae.
Buju Banton: From helping my brothers, I shall be given a hand also.
Justine Ketola: What is your greatest wish for reggae music?
Buju Banton: I want the people to know that this reggae music is not dead, we are just emerging, this is actually my first authentic roots, real roots reggae album, ya understand and I want them to gravitate towards it, learn the songs so that when we come together we can sing them like a family should be singing and let us build back reggae music to its former majesty and glory.

Johnny Clarke: Original Rockers

All photos by Jan Salzman for Reggaville.com 

Johnny Clarke was the new life-blood of the Rockers era, becoming one of Jamaica's biggest artists, inspiring his contemporaries and promoting the message of Rasta to the mainstream Jamaican through music with universal appeal. Both with its rootsy, cultural messages and its lovers refrains, the music fortified what is possibly the most crucial era of reggae, bringing  "Move out of Babylon,"  "Roots Natty Congo," "Left With a Broken Heart," "Rock With Me Baby,"  "Get Up And Fight For Your Rights" to the massive.  Johnny became known as the "Hit Machine" in his day, and sometimes as a "Studio Idler" as he spent so much time in the studios, where he often helped season and accent many other artists' hit songs both with vocal and instrumental ideas.

 

As the vibes began building in the Echoplex, in the Echo Park district of Los Angeles,  the legendary Scientist came in the house that he literally built, to mix the show.  Scientist fashioned the remodel of sound in this subterranean mecca for the weekly Dub Club event promoted to provide irie accommodations for vintage artists and music and even some modern artists, with Sean Paul and Damian Marley making recent passes through to touch the mic to try out new material on the nights when many local artists are given the same opportunity.

 

Scientist  recently built some speakers specifically for the promoters just has he has been doing since his early teens in Jamaica.  It was then when he mixed several Johnny Clarke albums as he told Reggaeville, "I did around five albums with him for Bunny Lee."

 

Clarke was named "Artist of the Year" in Jamaica in both 1974 and 1975, the result of his huge popularity as a singer.  He helped launch the "Flying Cymbals" style that ushered in the "Rockers" era and truly was the first Rasta superstar in Jamaica.    The "flying cymbals" sound is featured on his 1974  hit "None Shall Escape the Judgement"  that encapsulated the anguish from the political turmoil which no one was immune from on the island.  Johnny first traveled to the US in December, '74 performing  the song on New York local television while in for a show at Columbia University.  Clarke was one of the first reggae artists to perform on US television.

 

The "Flying Cymbals" style was presented by Carlton "Santa"  Davis whom Johnny collaborated with to produce his rebel-fused, psychedia- tinged music, fertilized by  the era's freedom to grow, and spreading like wildflowers.  At that time Santa was part of The Aggrovators who were known as Bunny "Striker" Lee's house band.     As Santa Davis explains it, Bunny Lee would rent the studio and the musicians would put the music together and he would come back and listen to what they came up with and give his literal stamp of approval.

 

Also part of this evolution was  the "Flyers" rhythm guitar sound originated by band mate Tony Chin, and punctuated by the maestro lead guitarist Earl "Chinna" Smith.  Tony Chin didn't play on "None Shall Escape the Judgement"  but he did play on "Move Out of Babylon" which implored the Rastas to rise above the political violence of the time. Johnny Clarke's songwriting style was a crucial part of the evolution of this messaging to the greater community of music lovers.  In an interview with with Peter I he explains the collaborative nature of the Rockers era, "Because we build up a strength and a unification with each other, a togetherness, both with artists and musicians. So when you 'ave them strength, them vibes deh, it's like all you going to get (is) more hits, more hits gonna come out, y'know. Yeah, through the unification and the togetherness of all musicians and artists."

 

Johnny Clarke is the definition of  "Original Rockers" and with him were some of the new generation of Rockers, the San Diego, California-based,  Roots Covenant, who clearly study and cherish this music style.  They delivered some of the purest rhythms and lush, complex horn fills for Johnny to work with;  he was very comfortable with the band,  flowing seamlessly from hit to hit.  And the mix was working to their advantage as the musicians were as comfortable as could be, nailing the set from start to finish. If you don't have them in your collection, here is a reminder to include: "Move out of Babylon," "Roots Natty Congo," " Left With a Broken Heart," "Rock With Me Baby,"  "Get Up And Fight For Your Rights,"  and  "Every Knee Shall Bow."

 

The accuracy, the timing of the horn lines, the tempo of the Roots Covenant rhythm section would make The Aggrovators well-proud. Roots Covenant presented some of their own material to open the show which was quite impressive in its So Cal surfer music type of way but  with respect due as it was delivered on higher level.  They have put in the time necessary to present this music in a very respectable manner.

 

And as the show continued past the one hour mark, Johnny soothed the audience, who sensed the end of the evening was near.  Assured that he still had more from his catalog to offer he acknowledged both the band's effectiveness and the Dub Club crowd's appreciation for the original Rockers sound saying, "This is a serious thing, no joke thing, cause you are intelligent people."  Then he fired up the Black Star Liner and took us into "African Roots" another must.

 

Where did Johnny Clarke's career take him back in the early '80's? As he told Steven Milne in an interview:  "What really happen is that, through the politics again, there was a lot of people going east, west, north and south through politics. They run away from Jamaica. War, y'know. A lot of entertainers they haffe leave. Some come to America, some go to England. Because the entertainers don't want to get involved inna the war. Because like, you're going into some area where it's pure gunmen and all that, so man kind of get fearful beca' we deal with music, a we no deal with gun business. So if me see de youth doing too much of dem thing then me try to stay far from you. So me find myself in England where we cool out for a while. After dat, when I came back to Jamaica, the dancehall scene now came prominent whereas you find man start sing on sound system."

 

As the memorable Dub Club evening came to an end, the most highly-anticipated vintage show of Los Angeles, 2009 came full circle with the cheetah print-clad freedom fighter  taking a majestic bow and giving thanks to the large audience.  The only regret we had was that his enormous head of locks never tumbled from his gracefully positioned crown.

Alborosie - Escape from Babylon to the Kingdom of Zion

Alborosie Set to Conquer California

by Justine Ketola

 

As the liner notes of Alborosie's (Alberto D'Ascola) new supreme set of tracks state:"The greatest Journey of your life starts inside of you. If you do not take that trip, you ain't going nowhere.  Escaping from Babylon...Zion will be there..."  As an American with Italian immigrant grandparents,it was indeed a great day when the discovery of Alborosie's music happened. I listened with glee to track after track of fire blazing from the 7 inches on the Forward label and his first album,  the limited-edition Soul Pirate.  Take a look and give listen to the East. Look through eyes that remind us of the sculpture and paintings of the ancients, an old soul, a real revolutionary.

 

Alborosie's roots come from the tiny Calabrese seaside village of Palizzi and they stretched to the city of Messina in Sicily where his grandmother was from. Where they have now spread happens to be on the other side of the earth.   Transplanted to Kingston, a rude boy town he immigrated to ten years back,  to push the envelope in reggae  and in pursuit of excellence, he linked with the legendary producer/engineer the Specialist and Gee Jam, learning the intricacies of engineering just as he had taught himself to be amulti-instrumentalist.  As Pupa Albo explains, "I was crazy enough to choose to come to Jamaica actually because when I do something I do it to the max.  So if I am gonna do reggae music, I need to come to Jamaica where reggae music come from."  The lead track on the album"Kingston Town" pays homage to the rudies that have trod for half acentury there.  In terms of clans and gangsters, it is rather similar to the climate of the mafiosi in Italy and its strong national identity with its cuisine, the land and its rich art form, reggae musicalso share a striking resemblance.

 

The move to Jamaica was not such a stretch, he comes from the south ofItaly which is historically been the less affluent, poorer part of thecountry.  He explains the links to Africa saying "I lived in Sicily so I have actually maybe like 150 miles from Tunisia in North Africa.That is why Africa is my thing.  In Jamaica you know,  Jamaican people are Caribbean people, they are Jamaicans but they are Caribbean people too.  My living in just a little small place just 150 miles from Africa, I must be a North African too.   The fact that I come from the South of Italy I really come from the African culture, so it was actually very easy for me to learn the ting, and to get the real vibe. So I said to myself , 'yo if I am doing this reggae music, I have to do it properly, I have to go to Jamaica and study, I have toget the full.' I decided to leave everthing I had, my band, my family to come to Jamaica and do the ting."

 

Going by the name Stena he formed Reggae National Ticket at age 15 with the self- knowledge that reggae and its spirit were the path his artistic expression would follow. Now Alborosie is set to conquer America, making his first trip ever to these shores, with a debut on two of North America's biggest indoor stage shows, California's Tribute to the Reggae Legends in San Diego and its sister show, the multi-day Ragga Muffins Festival in Long Beach.  When asked what we can expect as we meet his Jamaica-based band Shengen Clan for the first time, he says with pride, "My musicians are great musicians coming from Kingston Jamaica, I am sorry for California, because we are gonna burn it down. (laughs) I am ready to burn up the place!  As for the make-up of this nine piece crew the personnel is  a one man horn section "with a trumpet and trombone, one guy plays both instruments, two keyboards, drum, bass, guitar and two female singers."

 

As for the Shengen name, he says, "Shengen is my company, its my new label.  And Shengen band is my band, so the studio is the Shengenstudio. I am still unsure as to the word Shengen's meaning,  so Alboexplains " You need a Shengen visa to go to Europe," (as a performer)stating with a dose of reality, "basically I am the Shengen guy, I canfly the ghetto youth them to Europe."  To further explain, the Shengen Agreement is a treaty that was signed in 1985 that removed systematic border controls between participating countries, now made up as theEuropean Union, which means that performers have 90 days within a period of six months to work and travel.

 

As for the studio recordings, Alborosie's move to Jamaica didn't mean he worked in with a multitude of recording studios or musicians. "When I came to Jamaica, I didn't have money in my pocket. So I had to do everything by myself because I couldn't pay a musician to play my keyboards, couldn't pay the bass player you know. So I learned everything, including how to engineer. I was a musician already.  I write my own songs, then I learned how to speak Caribbean English.That is why when I do my thing, i go into the studio and do it myself, I dont need nobody."

 

He set up his own base and like a true artist, his environment provides inspiration and comfort to help reach the source.  "I have my house and the studio at my house, so in the morning when I drink a cup of coffee, I always go to my studio, and I do my thing. So is there no pressure, nobody telling me what to do.  I just go and do my music like an artist is supposed to do. When I go in my studio, I have my underwear, my slippers, drinking my coffee, sitting down in my chair and I start to do what I like."

 

The songs on his new set, out on VP Records,  ESCAPE FROM BABYLON TOTHE KINGDOM OF ZION were actually released in Europe last summer.  The record is just getting into the hands of the American market which prior to now, only had his limited edition import  SOUL PIRATE to satisfy cravings for his gravelly chant, studious observance of vintage reggae technique, political stance, genuine street sense, and spiritual vibes.  Gemstones that showed up on many specialty reggaeshows, mixtapes and in the dancehall for the past few years, now can show up I-Tunes (or I-Chunes) as the world gets to hear them dazzle.

 

"I am very blessed, because what I like, is what people like right now so that is the power. And I am trying to keep myself true and keep myself REAL (he emphasizes this), and humble because in reggae there is no superstars .  Cause it is like I am a gospel artist,  or I say I am a Jahspel artist and I am not a Rasta anymore I am a Jahsta so thatis my thing right now.  My philosophy is like, I have my own church,and I am the pastor of my church, so my door is open, anybody who wants to step in, step in, but my music is not competition I am not in a competition with nobody."

 

It would appear that Albo has received a lot of  inspiration from his surroundings. "I have music at my house like yo, like thousands ofs ongs and whatever so, when I feel like put them out then I put them out." With a nod to foundation engineer Scientist, the cover art reflects the series of illustrations that the veteran has to his credit as a superhero of dub.

 

The American version of the ESCAPE FROM BABYLON album has several combinations including one with David Hinds of Steel Pulse on the classic "Steppin' Out"  and a slack  and very slick dancehall song,"Blue Movie Boo" sung over Shabba's "Bedroom Bully," a retouched riddim with a chorus that uses the patois term for porn flicks. Like his mighty European counterpart Gentleman, who learned patois from life amongst Jamaicans and with whom he has a combination ("Celebration") from the past, reggae music taught him English. But he clarifies this to say,  "Actually females, they teach me English,when you come to Jamaica, with the girls, you have to learn it quick so you know how to defend yourself."

 

The most gracious of all the combos is the Dennis Brown "Can't Stand It" duet.  Its intro is chanted in one of the moody vintage vocal styles of Albo singing,"Joe Gibbs, Respect for Life."  Alborosie explains how the record was created, "Well you know Dennis Brown is the King. Joe Gibbs is  a friend of mine and I got a tape from him, so I say 'Oh let me do the remixes and whatever.'   My music is very similar to hip hop music, that is the formula I use.  Because in hip hop we do samples. I don't really sample music, cause I play over my music. I am a musician so I play over everything. I used Dennis Brown vocals and I combined them with mine and I create this music."

 

With some of the hardest songs coming out of Jamaica, a banned video in "Herbalist," the question arises, does Albo get positive attention,big respect on the streets? As he is asked this, a car alarm sounds very nearby... like a dancehall horn, setting the tone for his response. "Ya well you know one thing about me is that I am a revolutionary.  When I do a song, my song have to say something, and in reggae you have a tradition that they sing about the politicians. I am not scared to do a song and call people names, I have a song whereI am talking about the Italian Prime Minister, I am talking about the brutality of the European police, especially in Uppsala in Sweden,where they have power and they actually abuse it.  One day they are gonna lock me up, they don't care.  I am a soldier so I want to die on the battlefield."

 

As one of the albums tunes, "Dung A Babylon" a sing say:  "We're moving out of Babylon and we no fear no one, no pope, no cop no politician."

 

The imagery he evokes in the music takes you from Sicily with a straight, sure shot to Africa and Ethiopia.  We are reminded of theo ccupation of Ethiopia and the fact that Emperor Haile Selassie  stood up to the Italian army with fighters that were bearing spears and shields. As Albo plainly puts it, just as he must have reasoned many times over to the idren in the reggae and Rasta scene, "So basically Italians went to Ethiopia and tried to war against the Emperor,Italians they crucified Jesus Christ, so it must be an Italian to comeback and burn the fire."

 

Alborosie  carries the torch of the revolutionary as a "Jah activistand true spiritualist" as he sings in "Humbleness" - making his wayoutside of Europe to shine his light, spreading the message further."Reggae is very big in Europe and in Italy. Cause we always use reggae in a good way to fight against the system from day one in Italy. We used to do it in our language, reggae was the music that we were using to fight the system.  We have a big political scene where actually there are fascists.  That is the only way we can fight, through reggae music and conscious lyrics, and political music.   Many of us they just lock up in jail  because of that, but I am still fighting and I still do what I am supposed to do."

 

On the roots and culture song "America," his vision is clear. "America come to fire the big gun, stars and stripes is not my salvation, them wan fi globalize the world with the Americanization." With the the chorus, "America, call back your soldiers, move way from Africa." And with echoes of a hook once sung by Peter Tosh, in "Get Up, Stand Up," Albo chants, "sick and tired of political games, America fire guns ina Jesus name." And using a great simile he addresses more reality,"you have to wash your dirty clothes in your own water and stop abusing the resources inna Africa."

 

The anticipation is building in the social network world where Alborosie is popular and prolific.  As shows are announced, peoplere mark with joyful status updates and multiple languages around the globe. When asked what his feelings are in anticipation of his debut in California, his response reflects the mystique that the Golden State holds for many worldwide.  "Well my plan is to just enjoy myself, you know when I was young I  watched TV shows talking about California and so to me I am like 'Yo I am going to the spot, I am going there.'  But I am not going there for vacation, I am going there to conquer so just be patient, I will be there and I will do my thin gand mash up the place! I am  gonna blaze up the fire, gonna be like 100% love and unity, and its all good."

 

According to the lyrics in the track "Rub A Dub Style" California must have already come to him.  He gives quite a healthy big up to Mendocino, the name of a Nor Cal county that is known for its fine wines and "growing" climate. "Rub A Dub Style" pumps a mean bass linewith the refrain, "Big Ganga Lee him a dance Rub-A-Dub, the Specialist him a dance Rub A Dub, Shengen Clan them a dance rubba dub, New York posse them a dance rub a dub,  Mendocino massive them a dance rub a dub, Miami inna rub a dub style, California man a dance straight rub a dub, long time Pupa him a push rub a dub, Pupa eat, papa sleep rub a dub."

 

And so it go, the man who looks to conquer California has plans to

spread his music throughout  the world as a non-Jamaican reggae singer

with similarities to his French speaking cohort Alpha Blondy from

Ivory Coast.  Albo is clearly influenced by this freedom fighter

singing a spiritual tune on ESCAPE FROM BABYLON TO THE KINGDOM OF ZION

called "Irusalem" that interpolates the chorus to  the song

"Jerusalem"  by Alpha.  And as he takes the world by firestorm, he

leaves clues as to the path he will blaze. "What we are doing is the

worldwide tour, I just came back from Mexico, after California for

five dates we are going to Europe for seven weeks.  Then we come back

to Jamaica, then we go to Costa Rica.  Then we are going to New York,

Baltimore, on that side.  Then we go back to Israel, then we are going

to Brazil, Australia, going to Chile, we are going all over the world

this year."

And so it go, the man who looks to conquer California has plans to spread his music throughout  the world as a non-Jamaican reggae singer with similarities to his French speaking cohort Alpha Blondy from Ivory Coast.

 

Albo is clearly influenced by this freedom fighter singing a spiritual tune on ESCAPE FROM BABYLON TO THE KINGDOM OF ZION called "Irusalem" that interpolates the chorus to  the song "Jerusalem" by Alpha.  And as he takes the world by fire storm, he leaves clues as to the path he will blaze. "What we are doing is the worldwide tour, I just came back from Mexico, after California for five dates we are going to Europe for seven weeks.  Then we come back to Jamaica, then we go to Costa Rica.  Then we are going to New York, Baltimore, on that side.  Then we go back to Israel, then we are going to Brazil, Australia, going to Chile, we are going all over the world this year."

Rootz Undeground - Live and Direct

by Justine Ketola

 

At no other time in the history of reggae has it been so widely accepted as the present.  People from cultures all over the world look to the music and message  for their sustenance and a common understanding of what it means to be a human.  Artists tour continents filling stadiums and selling out festivals dedicated to this revolutionary art form.

 Many of the finest musicians in reggae are found on these stages as "backing bands" for touring artists. What this has meant is a dearth of live music in the homeland of Jamaica or "Jamrock" as it is known.

 

Musicians assemble  in order to record music or back other artists, or perform recording session work for popular rhythms that multiple artists record over.  The vacuum created by this tendency set the stage for the rise of Rootz Underground a band whose originals present a fresh sound for the future of Jamaican music and popular music as a whole.

 Like the founders of reggae who fused elements of traditional African, Latin and Ska with the sounds from R&B, Jazz, Latin, Rock and who helped spawn the Punk movement, Rootz Underground use elements of revolutionary Rasta-influenced Reggae,  Trance, Hip Hop, and Dub to forge a modern Reggae rock sound.

 

Reggae afficianados, critics, promoters and DJ's  agree that Rootz Underground is a group that can make an impact as large as their predecessors, inviting comparisons to bands such as Steel Pulse, Black Uhuru, Third World, The Wailers and Chalice.   With engaging  messages and and compelling stage shows, Rootz Underground goes beyond a niche definition - reaching across reggae boundaries into Pop music realms.

 

The band comes equipped with business sense, marketing knowledge and practical experience. They have actually had careers in  marketing and design, and now devote their time to band runnings, releasing music on their Riverstone label.  They operate as an in house production team with each member taking on roles of website and social media maintanance, merchandise development, production and negotiations.

Rootz Underground two studio albums MOVEMENT and GRAVITY, the latter of which was released in 2010.

 

They also released ALIVE a free download [get it here]  of a live show from a U.S. tour date. After a few grueling U.S. tours under their belts, the band is now taking on the coveted European market touring with France's Danakil reggae band. I caught up with Charles Lazarus lead guitarist from Rootz Underground while the band had a day off during their tour.  What he offered was an inside glimpse of the gleeful energy surrounding the band's first lengthy tour in Europe.

 

Justine Ketola:

What's it like touring France?

 

Charles Lazarus: They really take care of musicians over here, there is actually a tax that promoters are exposed to for each musician onstage, the funds from which support various performance theaters around the entire country.  Most of the clubs are very well equipped especially with sound and lighting beyond what you would find in privately owned clubs in America. They are extremely well-staffed and thorough in their layout including showers, kitchens, beds - everything to ease the stress of life on the road for the musician. This program to support French musicians and music industry personnel must fall under “Culture” I would imagine, it is all like really top notch vibrations.  I would imagine that if French artists can make a living by singing in their own language and avoid the Pop trap of English then it naturally would preserve culture. It is the most impressive system I’ve seen and I wish Jamaica had something like it. Hats off.

 

Then there’s the whole issue of food. I almost always lose weight on tour because food takes up too much time when you’re rushing from soundcheck to the hotel to shower to head back for the show or just too pumped up after the show to sit still and eat. It’s been completely different here, there’s always food provided, its always delicious and everyone is conscious about the variety offered. This is the best I’ve ever been fed on tour, I’m almost a month in and I still feel healthy, I could keep going if it wasn’t for missing home.

Everything is provided for the artists. I will go this far, I spent money today, I think I spent money in Amsterdam as well when we had some off days and I paid for the gym in Paris.But in the whole time I have been here, I have spent less then three days of my per diem. Everything is taken care of, and that is not the (booking) agency that is the government, it is impressive, they really think about the musicians.

 

And how does this tax affect Danakil as a French band?

Promoters have to pay on their behalf as well, it is not just an external thing.   My understanding of it, is that this month, Danakil wont get money from the program as they are working heavily. Funds would more be directed to supporting other musicians and music industry personnel that are not gigging heavily. Perhaps at another time if the band had a lull in gigs they would once again benefit directly even though everyone benefits indirectly through the venues and opportunities it creates to perform.

A lot of your fans have downloaded ALIVE for free and that has made a huge difference hasn't it?

It is probably one the biggest things we’ve done promotionally.  We did the "Victims"  video  in Jamaica, and that transformed the perception of the band at the time. Long after we released ALIVE and that significantly affected the way we have been received in places we have never played before. We are now professionally recording all the shows on this tour of France and plan to produce and release another live album to document this tour. 

How many people have downloaded ALIVE now? Upwards of about 50-60,0000.

And how long do you plan to keep going with it?

We are going to leave it freely available.  As for the upcoming performance album of this tour, well, we may initially make it only available to the people of France through physical copies that will be included with the tickets for our next intense club tour here in April 2010. Selecting different songs from the extended set for most of the cities along the tour; for instance “Herb Fields” in Lille or “Unknown Soldier” in Paris and so forth. It will have a really nice mix between MOVEMENT and GRAVITY also as we’ve been playing songs from both. We’re hoping that the album will be released before the tour, perhaps as soon as February. After the tour the live album will be made available to everybody through our website and social networks via download, but patrons of the shows will have an actual physical CD to commemorate their experience with the band. We are still playing with the idea and working out the kinks.

 

What has it been like touring with another band?

It has been an extremely positive experience sharing this tour with Danakil, our respect for them as musicians is very high and after this short time we are happy to call them friends. They are a special group and at a great point in their journey along the path every bands sets out on so it’s a privilege to be here experiencing their breakthrough first hand. They play from the heart with passion. The songs are in French and regrettably I don’t speak that language but when translated its touching the power of the their lyrics and message, regardless of what language you speak though their melodies will stay with you. I’ve been dreaming lately with Danakil as the soundtrack.

The agency, Music Action, placed us together thinking we would be a good fit and I’m happy to report it was just one of their many wise decisions. We have been sharing the headlining spot depending on what zone we are in, for instance if we’re in Paris its obvious Danakil rules there among their fans but then in cities such as Amsterdam we will have the honour and so forth. We’re at the point now where by the end of the show no matter who is closing we feature both bands in an explosive jam. I imagine by the end Stephen will be singing in French, perhaps SonSon (Leon) is drumming and Boris (Danakil’s bass player) is keeping the groove. It’s a great treat for the fans of both bands to see the solidarity and get that little extra something that makes coming out worthwhile.

 

We’re hoping to have some spontaneous collaboration on stage develop between Rootz and Danakil for the live performance CD, maybe catch something magical for the release but who knows, you can’t plan these things just hope for them.

 

Danakil will also be in Jamaica in January, they are there doing some recordings there as well as just enjoying a vibes retreat. Its going to be great to be able to show them our Jamaica while they are there and repay the cultural depth they have given to us with France. Hills, beach, chillin, herb smoke, Red Stripe, etcetera.   Its safe to say that though we have toured with many other bands its undeniable that there is a strong connection here, we are direct bredrens now.

 

Do you think that's partially because of the tour bus, being on the bus together?

I think it is partially because of them, mostly their attitude, on the tour bus everybody is really thinking about everybody else. They  are some real roots people.  There are also a lot of rules, everybody is following the rules.

 

Your band is good about doing that, having a system for everything...

System yes, victims no! 

Justine Ketola: So how many people are on the bus?

Charles Lazarus: According to Scubi (keyboard player for RU) it’s bigger than the US bus, this one is double decker.  It sleeps 18 comfortably, just the bunks alone and then there are hotels every day as well.  Only when we are driving through the night are we really sleeping on the tour bus.   It’s the best we have been taken care of ever, all I do is play guitar, I don't even load in my effects, its amazing.

 

Do you just use one drum kit, the same back line?

It is the same back line which goes in the trailer so we know exactly what we are using all the time and the settings of everything. It takes away the stress of promoters who don’t bother to even look at the rider and you know you will be able to deliver the show the way you worked so hard to prepare it.

 

How many people are on the tour?

There are nine people in Danakil  and six people in Rootz Underground plus management which makes us seven. There is a tour manager, Arnaud who is amazing, Luic the driver, Max the lighting technician and Damien sound engineer; oh and I almost forgot to mention Max’s dog ‘Jungo. Then there is a next, Jean-Pierre that handles merchandise but he drives in a car separate,  also works as a runner, it is great, there are no roadies with us but every venue has an amazing support staff.

 

The driver of the tour bus is a rock and roll fan... that's genius. Why that is genius is because when the reggae show after party is going on, him can't bother with that rass, him wanna get some sleep! They thought of everything!

 

 

Are you getting everyone's email address, as far as the fans go?

Music Action passes that on to us, they get that in the merchandise booth, they control that area.  We just hang around the booth after the show and continue that connection with fans and friends.

The way Music Action handles their business is so impressive that I can’t help but wonder what it would have been like to have that support when we started touring in America. I’m guessing that the support from the State through the music culture program makes it more feasible to operate a company like this. I spoke to one of the guys and I was saying to him that he's got a really cool job, and he said, only in France can I have this  job, the only country on earth that I can have this job.   When I asked why he said, 'I wouldn't be able to make enough money to make it all work if it was elsewhere.'

 

 

Musically lets talk about the new album GRAVITY.

We are all feeling like proud fathers about  GRAVITY.The album has been completed and we’re at the stage now where we are just doing little touch ups and developing ideas for segues, intro’s and outro’s, mix variations, etc. We are planning to release it early next year as there needs to be a fair amount of press work to make sure everyone knows its coming. So far we have already released one single along with a video to support, “Power to The People.”  ..  We will be releasing other material from the album soon and as I said before we have been performing material from it for some time now as some songs were even developed as we toured America last year.

 

 

What do you characterize the album to be for the band at this time?

You should never compare one album to another really because an album is a snapshot of where an artist or a band is at that time in there progression. For a fan to say I prefer one body of work to another is fine but I can't do that, because this is where I am right now. The difference is that as a group we have been all sharing so many experiences, challenges and life scenarios together over the recording and development of this album so its very focused. This is a gritty album in my opinion and when I listen to it I feel the massive changes that have made us who we are at present.

 

 

Are there versions of the songs, like alternatives to reggae versions?

There are radio versions of some of the songs, for everything there is an album mix and of course the 45 might be the radio version. There are remixes that will be coming out on a house music record label called Worship Records that is based in Philadelphia.  A lot of them will come out mainly in the electronic world, reggae fans will probably have to search for that. And as we are all fans of dub it would be unheard of to not have a translation of the whole album in dub, that would be fun.

 

So Rory from Stone Love has produced the whole album?

Yes, which has been a great experience. Rory has been key in unlocking this sound from Rootz, he sees a lot of potential in the band and he has given us a lot of creative support in a way that wehaven’t really experienced since working with Wayne Armond in particular.

 

Rory has been coming to Rootz shows since we used to play at little spots in Kingston so he can relate to the progression which is crucial to us. It’s a unique relationship between a band and a producer, you can easily get all hype on what you’ve written and arranged and having another perspective that you can trust with fresh ears and who is not afraid to tell you that the music isn’t “poppin” is paramount. Rory doesn’t mind hurting your ego so long as its in a funny joke and he’s smiling while he does it, I like that about him.

 

And we are going to go back into the studio very soon, in fact almost immediately to record other material. We would like to work with Wayne Armond again,  I want to re-explore guitar because GRAVITY is not a heavy guitar album.   Its not like, guitar is everywhere, but whereas MOVEMENT had layers and layers of guitar, we wanted to have the tunes be easily represented  live.   So when there are like three layers of guitar performed, we have Jeff and I going back and forth in the live setting to create melodies.

When I listen to this album it gives me the same feeling I would have had from a classic rock album when I was 15, that’s a feeling though and not a sound.

 

 

What would you compare it to?

Its like Zeppelin, it doesn't sound like (Led)  Zeppelin, it has thatlarger than life, big sound.  And there is one tune on it, that is straight up classic rock, it don't have much to do with reggae other than Stevie's articulation of words.

 

That is sort of what is happening in Jamaica anyway, because reggae artists are making songs that sound like R&B songs or rap songs.

This is where the college kids can burn up the highest.  If I wasn't in Rootz Underground and I heard Rootz Underground, I would like Rootz Underground.  Their music would reach me, and that is how I know that I would not be telling a lie.

 

 

How is the French language going there?

It is going really well for the rest of the band. Jeff accused me yesterday of not even trying, he was like 'you don't even try do you?' And I said 'but I do, I don't know what you are talking about.' We were at a laundry mat and instead of saying thank you I said something like, 'ya man, respect, bless.' and walked out the door.  I didn't realize what had happened and I wasn't thinking. Also, I speak very poor Spanish so whenever I am in a country where the language is different my brain switches and a lot of the times the Spanish phrase comes to mind. I can however kiss in French fluently and eloquently.

Justine Ketola: How have you enjoyed seeing other parts of France that you have never seen?

Charles Lazarus: Its been lovely. I traveled here for the first time when Jamaica was in the World Cup in 1998 and then several other times chasing parties but obviously never in this depth where I’m seeing the youth and how they love to dance, smoke, eat and drink. A priceless opportunity. Its sad that I only kiss in French when you think how long I’ve been coming here.

 

 

So how do you see this experience as broadening your fanbase, don't you think its going to mean that Rootz Underground will come back and tour further?

We’re delivering the music in a profound manner night after night because its so easy when you’re greeted with such power energy that these audiences bring. Just going off the response online I would say for sure we have made a massive impact. It’s a different segment to what we’ve had before in respect to fans.

Today we were walking on the road in Marseille and there was a kid wearing a Rootz Underground shirt skateboarding through the place. We go on the train and  a girl comes over and she is taking autographs. and they are all between 14 and 21, at the rebel age where in other places our fans our older, but over here they are young and pumped up, such loving vibes.

 

What do you think has turned them on to Rootz Underground?

 

The promotion has been thorough. You see there is another trick to how this tour is going and that is that the band we are on tour with, Danakil of course is a very popular French band. Being with them allows us to play in venues that are not normally on the reggae tour route or for international acts and as a result we are really getting that crossover audience.

 

Now that you have brought it to my attention, its all crossover. It is not just because you have a strong presence in Jamaica, it doesn't mean that this audience is curious who you are. They love reggae, but it doesn't necessarily mean that there are like reggae historians, which is a type of person that is into collecting '45's and remembers the good old days of Tosh.

 

Its not those, it some young kids and they skateboard and they love graffiti, and they love fun clothes and they are discovering music and it is the age when they are discovering their own identity and they are rebelling against their parents. Those are the type of age I findout that we are appealing to.

 

A more universal appeal you have....as opposed to those that are hardcore reggae people.

Its making me feel more comfortable about our decisions.

 

 

Your experience is making you more comfortable with your decisions. That has always been a part of your band's appeal and songwriting is that you have that Steel Pulse, Marley, Spear, universal quality that can bring you to a wider range of people. So that you are in venues that normally reggae artists wouldn't play at, you are going to get more airplay and exposure to people who would not think when they hear your music that it is what a typical reggae song sounds like.

I am extremely glad that decided to tour America extensively first, I am very glad because I can remember coming home to Jamaica and lots of reggae artists would say: 'You just coming from tour? Where you play?'  and I would say in America and they would say: 'Ok, why you go there?'  'How come unnu no go Europe?'  And we say that we are going go to Europe soon and they say, 'OK.' And I realize now that they went to Europe and they never ever had to leave, the reception is really strong, the respect is high, and there are so many places that they are playing.

 

I am glad Rootz Underground never necessarily came to just one market, serviced it and got popular there and just never managed to make the time for other zones.  We have already done that rough stuff, in that likkle van driving up and down.  Playing shows and then starving on shows and coming out with no money or worse owing money, which we have done many times. We have done that and we have earned our rights to play shows in the markets that we invested energy building.

 

I love playing for example on the West Coast of America, definitely even when compared to anywhere else we have played.  I love the vibes over there, and I love that we have there to play, that there are people there that want to hear us. I’ve been able to experience the mountains and the trees and the vibration of the people.

 

I mean, I think that the West Coast of America is a very special place, so much so that, I would love it to influence in some magical way my two children. There are very few places on earth that I can say that about, other than Jamaica. So that is to put it in perspective how important I am glad that we have it still.

 

And what is also very great now, is the demand that has grown on the West Coast in particular, and you know being able to plan with Europe because the thing is firing hot like nuclear in Europe right now. I got an email today about a show in April 2010 on the West Coast and I had to tell the person that we cant do it because we will be touring in France and what that really translates to is, if you need to book the band, you need to book the band well in advance right now.

 

It also a great pleasure to watch the changes and growth I see from the analytics of our website, to see what countries visit and how its spilling from France to Africa or from Poland to Russia, etc. Its so hard in this modern time to make music work that its obvious you have to grow the thing larger than life to be able to live from it in the way that other people could from a regular office job somewhere.

Taj Weekes - Reggae Artist, Author, Humanitarian

Interview with Taj Weekes: Reggae Artist, Author & Humanitarian

by Justine Ketola

Taj Weekes is  reggae artist raised on the island of St. Lucia in the West Indies.  His music seeps with progressive lyrics, those that explore the failings of the system and those that paint pictures of  a universal love that promotes compassion.  He and his band Adowa are in the process of completing what will be his third album entitled "A Waterlogged Soul Kitchen."

Weekes founded They Often Cry Outreach  (TOCO) in 2008 to help underprivileged, at-risk and orphaned children in the Caribbean through sport, education and wellness programs.  The foundation has provided hundreds of soccer balls as well as numerous team uniforms for children in St. Lucia.  Now the campaign has added the significant problem of diabetes to its list of concerns.  In 2009, the organization provided 2700 diabetes blood test kits to an island that has more diabetes per capita than any place in the Western hemisphere.

 

Justine Ketola: How did TOCO go from soccer balls to diabetic kits in St. Lucia?
Taj Weekes: It all revolves around health concerns.  If you really check it out, if you bring soccer balls to children, you get them moving anyway. Why we are suffering from it is because of diet more than anything else, but it also has to do with a lack of excercise.

 

Was it something specific that changed in St. Lucia, are  there or changes culturally where people were once more active?

What I think has happened is that St. Lucia is that it is actually doing the best, or it is one of the islands that has been doing the best in the Caribbean, for the last 25 years.  Dollar-wise we havent changed we have just been $2.75 to the US dollar and in that sense we are kind of choking on fortune's fuel.

People have become more prosperous in their heads than in actuality, so we all drive and we all eat out and plus the American culture has been really well exported to the islands so we have our Kentucky and our McDonald's and our Chuck E Cheese, so people have been eating more of that kind of food. And not moving around as  much as they used to.  You know when  I went to school I walked home for lunch but now we are packing lunches and bringing fast food to school. So that has affected it in a way.

 

What type of system do you have in place to work on the ground in St. Lucia?

We have an  informal TOCO base in St. Lucia and quite a bit of volunteers who are willing. We brought down the diabetes testers and we gave them out to the Diabectic and Hypertensive Association as well as some hospitals.  They were distributed to some of the community centers around the island.

 

And how is this all funded?
Some of the testers we paid for out of pocket, most of them were donated.  We have some doctors in St. Lucia who are on the board of TOCO, Jacqueline Bird who is the leading pediatrician on the island, and Dr. Stephen King who is a prominent doctor there.

 

And you have a team working to put together a documentary on this subject?

We put the word that we were going to take people down for free, give them housing and travel and treat them to the time they were there in exchange for making the documentary.  The St Lucia Hotel & Tourism Association was very instrumental in the entire project and helped out by providing room and board, meals. We are in the process of editing right now and hopefully it should be out in the next couple of months.

 

Does the piece have a name yet?
No we started with the whole diabetes campaign that was called "Sneakers Not Wheelchairs" but as for the actual name for the documentary, we are  still figuring that out.

 

FRANCE VIBRATIONS

All of this ballooned into getting quite a bit of exposure in other parts including France where you were featured on Radio France and the program "Boulibai Vibrations" back in September of last year.

They had  a woman come and meet me here in New York.  And a lot came out of it, I ended up reading  poetry from my  book that is actually featured on the special.  I also played some songs on my acoustic guitar for her.

 

This exposure resulted in some interest from a French record label?
Yes it is actually coming to fruition now.  They are waiting for the new album. They love the past two albums and we are ten songs down on the new album now so it won't be much longer before it comes out
POETRY BOOK: BROWN LAWNS

 

What are the plans for the poetry book?
The poetry book is called "Brown Lawns" and the name came about from a song I had written about the financial crisis, I was reading some place about the houses falling apart and towns dying. And I had seen a picture of one these houses and the lawn was actually brown because there was nobody there to water it. So I called the song "Brown Lawns" and the book "Brown Lawns" too.
Basically it goes, "Brown Lawns, boarded up houses and tumble weeds, for sale shingles, lockboxes of padlocked greed, from starter box houses to gated estates, have all fallen victim to a sub-prime lending rate."

RECORDING PROCESS

How are these tracks coming together for the new album, are they being recorded in New York?

We are using the studio we used in New York to record the Diedem  album (his last release), we are using Sax and  Sound because we love the vibe in that studio .

 

And why do you love the vibe in that studio?
It makes you feel comfortable as a musician and as a songwriter when you're in there, no pressure. It's just the sound of the room, there is something nice, an organic feel about the room, sometimes you walk into a studio and it is so put together that you know you are going to get that manufactured kind of sound.   There is a feeling, a vibe that you get from that studio. And it always helps when the engineers are musicians, they can give you an idea or make a difference to what you are doing, and they are intersted in the kind of music you are playing. When it is not always about the dollar, when you do something and you don't have to  rush, the kind of studio where we work, the guys are cool, the dollar is not the  bottom line, but the music is, so it always helps, especially when you are functioning on an independent budget, its always helpful when you are not rushed and you can actually make the music you want to make.

 

How do you prepare your musicians and what types of musicians are you using, are they different from the past?
I like to rehearse before the sessions, because then you are not figuring it out in the studio, so we record every rehearsal and we sit as a collective and we listen to the tapes and we pick out from the tapes what we think is best for what we are doing.   Becase a lot of times, you come to the studio and their might be something magical and its always good to capture that.
Basically we are using the same musicians as Deidem but  we plan to have a couple of new people on this project.   Everything is already done as far as the solos and everything, most of the solos are from the main band, we are adding some percussion and guitar sounds.  I like the collective vibe of bringing all these musicians together, everybody brings their own little flavor, mix up in the pot and everything turns out nice.

 

How does this city, New York and its  energy play out in the way that the music is formed?
The collective of different nationalities that you can find here and the ability to bring them in, on one project, if I was recording the album in St. Lucia, I would have to fly a man from Trinidad, a man from Jamaica, but in New York everybody there.  So you can get the flavor of a Trinidadian guitar player, bass from a Dominican, the drums from a Jamaica, and everybody comes together with their little flavor, The guy who grew up in Trinidad listened to calypso for the most part, Dominican man will have  a little zouk or some kind of kreol music vibe in his thing and the collective vibe works, out that is the beauty of New York, it truly is a melting pot.

 

HAITI REFELECTIONS
What are your feelings about the disaster in Haiti?
We could say a lot of things, but I think at a time like this all we can do is support. My intention is to get down there in the near future with some goods, I am taking down a staff photographer and a documentarian with me so we can capture what it is that we are going there to do,  I got invited to go down soon after it happened but from a realistic standpoint, there was nothing that I could have done, what I think is going to be most crucial is after the hype has died down, people have gone home, people will have to go home, - the doctors cant stay there forever, they will have to go home, the humanitarians will have to go home.  We will do what we can do to make a couple of children smile and soothe somebody's pain.

TOCO will be there to help pick up the pieces, and given that your non-profit focuses on children's health, the goods that you might take down there would be to aid children.  How can people assist your efforts in Haiti?
People can keep checking www.theyoftencryoutreach.org and they can see what it is that we are doing.

 

TAJ WEEKES: TOWN CRIER

Your are such an introspective person, and as an artist  amongst  many reggae singers that is actually taking action, what motivates you to keep going as a musician?  I know you said at one point that you may return to a regular 9-5 in the future.  How do you keep going, what makes you stay focused on this mission?

I know people have said this a million times, but I think I am a songwriter 24/7 even when I think I am going to go back to a 9 to 5 and do something I find myself writing a song about me going back to a 9-5. The calling is greater than I realize.

 

In actuality you are also a record label co-president with Shirley Menard who also works on your non-profit.  How is your busines doing, and how do you see yourself in the marketplace at the present time?
I think the reason why we are here is because business hasn't been terribly bad. It could always be better, becase when you function as a record label and as an artist and as a humanitarian, as an author, as a documentarian, you wear so many hats and there are so many things you have to do, so many things out there.  I think for one that is what keeps it interesting.
We would always like things to be a little better but like Joseph Hill says, 'I sing for my brother, not for the dollar.'  So if I take that perspective, even if business is slow and if I believe enough in what it is that I am doing, then the people willl come, and they have been coming, slowly but surely, I almost feel like 'The Little Engine That Could.'

 

You are truly a griot in that sense, a troubador, singing  these songs of freedom not to sell some sort of agenda, but to teach things to people. Things that I dont think a lot of people have actually have ever been taught in song, they may have scratched the surface in progressive radio or read a little bit in Mother Jones or thought about these things by watching Rachel Maddow.   But you can give it to people on a higher level, an artistic level that is unique in its reggae form and certain unique in mainstream pop.   Its Bob Dylan, its that time in music when people were taking risks.
I always tell people that I consider myself a town crier, because  the music that I listened to, including Dylan was the music that taught me something.  I remember hearing apartheid in the '70's and not knowing what it was, and then it was Peter Tosh, hearing "We are going to fight against apartheid." I have taken on the tradition of oral storytelling through song, so that is what I do.
The funny thing is that I say to people, when I sit down to write a song, I don't try to write a socially-conscious song, a socially conscious song comes through me, I think only socially-conscious people can only write socially-conscious songs, you know this it the fruit that you bear cause this is the tree that you are.

 

The word social means being involved in society, it doesn't mean going into this Talibanesque diatribe about ways of life. There are so many choices and ways of life and if you don't understand that, you are not living in society. What do you say to those in the reggae community from the place that you are sitting?
What I have a problem with and I don't mean to point fingers at anybody, but I find that the silence is deafening and when something happens, that requires the reggae community and nobody shows up, you know, nobody showed up for Katrina in the reggae community. And we are not seeing, have we been blinded by the blinging things.  I hope somebody shows up on Haiti.

 

CHILDREN'S BOOK
Let's talk about your children's book. Is it going to be out soon?
The children's book, its almost there, its a way of teaching children about what is happening in the world, but in a children's way.  The publication of the book is being worked on now.  I am not done with it completely.  There are a lot of things that I needed to say, so I am spending time with my little boy just asking him some questions.

 

BACKSTORY
Your background is very unique in this world of the Diaspora, can you tell a bit about your Ethiopian heritage?
My great grandfather is Ethiopian, he was a merchant marine, its a story that my father never really talked about until he was dying.  He was really look like a starving Ethiopian, and I was telling him this and he was cracking up.  My Mother is a very light skinned, her mother is completly white.  I am the last of ten children with six brothers including myself and four sisters.

How did you end up coming to New York?
I stopped in Canada along the way. We did music in St. Lucia, my brothers and I. We had a band and we sang in every little stage show.  I really got heavily into the music and writing because I had my own radio program when I was thirteen.  I would be in the studio and I would be there among all these records, and would got up to the studio even when it wasn't the day of my program just to pull the lyric sheets out, and read them.  I played and sang for my school band. When I graduated from high school I went to Canada to do some more schooling, living in Toronto for five years and then I came across to New York.

 

CLOTHESLINE PROJECT
We are doing the clothes line project in St. Lucia in March which is International Women's Month and this project is about domestic abuse, Caribbean domestic abuse.  We try not talking about it and pretending that it doesn't happen. So we are doing this, for the most part for women who we know are abused, and we are giving them tee shirts so they can write what form of abuse they are going through.  Cause we live in a closed society, and everyone is afraid to say what ails them domestically so we are trying to get them to say 'well my man is beating me'   and then we plan to hang those tee shirts in a public square.

It is not an original idea, it has been done before, I just picked up on it cause I went to play at a college and  saw these tee-shirts on the wall.  And there were things like "Love Does Not Hurt" written on them I thought I would love to get to have St. Lucian women do this. I came with what I thought was an original idea that it wasn't.  I was going to call it Dirty Laundry, as in 'airing your dirty laundry.'

It really is the Clothesline project, I thought it best to tap into something that was already happening. We are taking down a couple boxes with us and I am taking down a makeup artist for the woman who are abused we are going to make them up and give them a boost and make them feel good.