| Free to make their music, Refugee All Stars persevere | | Posted Saturday, November 04, 2006 11:11:10 PM by Blog57 Team | | Nowhere is the healing power of music more evident than in the remarkable story of Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars. Against all odds, this group of musicians, all refugees from the war-torn African country of Sierra Leone, came together under the worst of circumstances and managed to form a band that would find its way to venues in North America and Europe. It is a life-affirming story that begins in unthinkable horror and through resilience, hope and dogged determination is transformed into a salute to the endurance of the human spirit. Simply put, music saved their lives, says band leader Reuben Koroma. "We were all very traumatized," Koroma said. "Music was something we could do rather than just sit around and think about our problems. We could express our worries and pains in our songs.... | |
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| | | The man behind the music | | Posted Sunday, September 24, 2006 7:16:56 PM by Blog57 Team | | When bandleader Byron Lee wants to capture the heart of his audience, he pulls out the ska music that captivated dancers in the early 1960s and paved the way for reggae. When he wants to pump things up, he plays soca, an up-tempo fusion of calypso with American soul that delights the younger crowd. .... | |
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| | | The Dub Side Of The Moon | | Posted Friday, August 11, 2006 9:02:30 PM by Blog57 Team | | If you are still playing Bob Marley?s Catch A Fire album in belief that you are keeping up with the world of reggae music, you might be in for a rude awakening. Sure, Marley is the heart and soul of the reggae genre and his influence can be heard in every band that favors a backbeat. But the world of reggae is exploding right now with new bands experimenting with the genre?some with incredible results. .... | |
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| | | Love is message in Marley brothers' Roots, Rock, Reggae tour | | Posted Sunday, August 06, 2006 7:07:27 PM by Blog57 Team | | Before the launch of his Roots, Rock, Reggae tour, Ziggy Marley was reflecting on his last gig in war-torn Israel. Marley spoke by phone to Calendar from New York City, where he had just returned from Israel at the height of the bombings between that country and Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon. "People were saying, 'Don't go,' but it was like I was on a mission. Just like a soldier goes to war, I needed to go there on my mission. "I felt I had to go, to give my message, 'Love is my religion,' to the people there," Marley said. "We were in Tel Aviv, but did have to cancel up (in) North (Israel) because of the bombing up there. But people appreciated us coming and giving them positive energy. Now back in the Western Hemisphere, Marley launches the festival-like tour this week with Stephen Marley and Bunny Wailer.... | |
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| | | Bunny Wailer to tour with the Marley boys | | Posted Monday, July 03, 2006 1:34:52 AM by Blog57 Team | | NEW YORK -- Bunny Wailer, a reggae legend who was one of the original Wailers along with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, will tour for the first time with a new generation of Marleys. Wailer will play alongside Marley's sons, Stephen and Ziggy, on the Roots, Rock, Reggae Festival, a monthlong tour that opens Aug. 6 in Redway, Calif., after a year hiatus. Wailer, 59, whose real name is Neville O'Riley Livingston, says in a phone interview from Jamaica that he considers it his "responsibility and duty" to tour with the Marley family. "I'm the foundation of all of this stuff," he says. "And I remain; someway, somehow I've been sustained to be here. And there's a new generation that's now being established musically that's coming from the Wailers' family." Stephen Marley, 34, will headline the tour, which will make stops including Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Boston and Philadelphia.... | |
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