The Wailers
Reggae Royalty's Continued Quest for Love
2008-04-30
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Few musical entities have ever touched people around the world to the extent of Bob Marley & The Wailers. For decades now, Marley’s mantras of strength, love and rebellion have served as revolutionary catalysts for downtrodden peoples around the globe, and emotionally uplifting antidotes for those who are just feeling a little down. To the amazement of many, The Wailers have never really stopped touring since Marley’s death in 1981. Led by original Wailer, bandleader and arranger Aston “Family Man” Barrett, the legendary instrumentalists have continued to circumvent the globe with their uncompromising positive vibe. The current lineup — which includes Barrett on bass, Al Anderson on guitar, lead vocalist Elan, Anthony Watson on drums, trombonist Everald Gayle and Chico Chin on trumpet — has recently completed the Southern Hemispheric leg of their world tour (also with UB40, Maxi Priest and Arrested Development), which included shows in Australia, New Zealand, Reunion Island and Mauritius. Synthesis had the opportunity to speak with Elan, as he and The Wailers prepare to embark on their US tour, which will land these reggae immortals at Chico’s Senator Theatre on Wednesday, April 30th.
Having been back with the band for some time after pursuing a solo career for the better part of the last decade, Elan first started singing with the ensemble back in the late ‘90s after establishing a close friendship with longtime Wailer Al Anderson. Elan was the first person that Barrett had ever appointed to the lead vocalist position since Marley’s passing.
“I think Fams [Barrett] heard my voice back in ‘96 when Al played him a demo we recorded. I think he just felt the vibe,” Elan explained. “I wouldn’t be doing this if I wasn’t inspired, or you know, if I didn’t feel the lyrics myself, if I didn’t feel like I could have wrote those.”
It’s clearly plausible that a dedicated fan of Bob Marley & The Wailers would be skeptical of a new vocalist. I mean, someone replacing Bob? Especially someone who’s not even of Jamaican or African descent? That could easily seem strange or un-authentic to a slightly closed minded listener. But Elan points out a very important distinction, “I’m not trying to be Bob Marley, I am myself.” He continues, “It’s another message given to the people, you know — not to judge a book by its cover; not to judge a person by the color of their skin.” The music has indeed always spoken, and will continue to speak for itself.
If everything goes as planned, 2008 will be a very significant year in the history of The Wailers. Mainly because a new record comprised entirely of unreleased material is targeted for a late-summer release. An astonishing seven original Wailers will appear on the album (“original” meaning those who actually recorded and performed with Marley), including Barrett and Anderson (of course), guitarists Earl “Chinna” Smith and Junior Marvin, keyboardist Tyrone Downie, percussionist Alvin “Seeco” Patterson, and, miraculously, the late Carlton Barrett on drums. Packed away in storage back in Jamaica, Family Man has been saving a collection of unreleased drum tracks laid down by his brother back in the ‘70s. A dozen of these two-inch-tape recordings have been converted into digital wave files, and are the backbone of the new album. The rest of the music is, literally, being built around them.
Elan conveyed that the recording experience has been very powerful thus far, and a sort of re-bonding within the band has naturally occurred. “Seeco” Patterson, for example, hadn’t even used his old percussion rig since Marley’s final shows. With a little chuckle, the lively vocalist relayed the story of Patterson’s studio arrival: “It was unbelievable, him pulling out his percussion stuff. All of his timbales and congas and everything from back...in ‘81. They were full of rust and dust. It was hilarious ‘cause we come into this brand new, beautiful studio lugging in boxes of percussion stuff. They hadn’t been used, we were dusting them off, using WD-40 to clean off all the rust.”
As far as the vocal element on the album is concerned, Elan is not the only one contributing microphone skills. Employing the same technique that Santana started with 1999’s Supernatural, The Wailers are going to have a different guest vocalist on every track. To fill the 12 slots, the band sent inquiries of interest to 22 different contemporary artists from across the stylistic board, knowing that not all would be able to commit to the project due to scheduling issues. Although four tracks have already been completed, specific names cannot be released until everything is finalized contractually. In reference to who’s going to be on the album, Elan encourages everyone to “use your imagination,” an idea that makes this fan think it must be good. He did concede however that, “All of us, even myself, growing up with the music, have all been inspired so much from Bob Marley & The Wailers. So they’re writing new songs, new melodies and new lyrics on top of these new tracks from The Wailers. They’re also adding their own vibe to it, but not taking away from the foundation sound and the integrity.”
Integrity is something that has always been one of the Wailers’ strengths. Definitely not ones to buckle under pressure, or to shy away from the serious side of being musicians, The Wailers’ music is medicine to those in need. When asked about the role of the revolutionary music that he and the others perform today versus the role it played in Marley’s time, Elan’s voice took on a slightly more passionate character.
“You know what, I think it’s so much bigger now. What we’re fighting for is not just against a war. I mean, there was some crazy shit back then, but now, I mean...wouldn’t you agree? I think things are heightened on all aspects of what was back then. Plus music with the technology of today, and how kids are able, at the press of a button, to have access to music from all around the world... To me it’s a renaissance period for us musicians because of the way that the business is. But in society, with social issues, and poverty and hunger, and our ecosystem, and our world — it’s all under threat right now.”
It’s nice to occasionally hear sincere and uplifting news, especially coming from people who can directly do something about it. The Wailers, with the world as their stage, are such people, and will undoubtedly continue to inspire listeners as long as music exists. Our world will probably be a lot better place for it, too.
Having been back with the band for some time after pursuing a solo career for the better part of the last decade, Elan first started singing with the ensemble back in the late ‘90s after establishing a close friendship with longtime Wailer Al Anderson. Elan was the first person that Barrett had ever appointed to the lead vocalist position since Marley’s passing.
“I think Fams [Barrett] heard my voice back in ‘96 when Al played him a demo we recorded. I think he just felt the vibe,” Elan explained. “I wouldn’t be doing this if I wasn’t inspired, or you know, if I didn’t feel the lyrics myself, if I didn’t feel like I could have wrote those.”
It’s clearly plausible that a dedicated fan of Bob Marley & The Wailers would be skeptical of a new vocalist. I mean, someone replacing Bob? Especially someone who’s not even of Jamaican or African descent? That could easily seem strange or un-authentic to a slightly closed minded listener. But Elan points out a very important distinction, “I’m not trying to be Bob Marley, I am myself.” He continues, “It’s another message given to the people, you know — not to judge a book by its cover; not to judge a person by the color of their skin.” The music has indeed always spoken, and will continue to speak for itself.
If everything goes as planned, 2008 will be a very significant year in the history of The Wailers. Mainly because a new record comprised entirely of unreleased material is targeted for a late-summer release. An astonishing seven original Wailers will appear on the album (“original” meaning those who actually recorded and performed with Marley), including Barrett and Anderson (of course), guitarists Earl “Chinna” Smith and Junior Marvin, keyboardist Tyrone Downie, percussionist Alvin “Seeco” Patterson, and, miraculously, the late Carlton Barrett on drums. Packed away in storage back in Jamaica, Family Man has been saving a collection of unreleased drum tracks laid down by his brother back in the ‘70s. A dozen of these two-inch-tape recordings have been converted into digital wave files, and are the backbone of the new album. The rest of the music is, literally, being built around them.
Elan conveyed that the recording experience has been very powerful thus far, and a sort of re-bonding within the band has naturally occurred. “Seeco” Patterson, for example, hadn’t even used his old percussion rig since Marley’s final shows. With a little chuckle, the lively vocalist relayed the story of Patterson’s studio arrival: “It was unbelievable, him pulling out his percussion stuff. All of his timbales and congas and everything from back...in ‘81. They were full of rust and dust. It was hilarious ‘cause we come into this brand new, beautiful studio lugging in boxes of percussion stuff. They hadn’t been used, we were dusting them off, using WD-40 to clean off all the rust.”
As far as the vocal element on the album is concerned, Elan is not the only one contributing microphone skills. Employing the same technique that Santana started with 1999’s Supernatural, The Wailers are going to have a different guest vocalist on every track. To fill the 12 slots, the band sent inquiries of interest to 22 different contemporary artists from across the stylistic board, knowing that not all would be able to commit to the project due to scheduling issues. Although four tracks have already been completed, specific names cannot be released until everything is finalized contractually. In reference to who’s going to be on the album, Elan encourages everyone to “use your imagination,” an idea that makes this fan think it must be good. He did concede however that, “All of us, even myself, growing up with the music, have all been inspired so much from Bob Marley & The Wailers. So they’re writing new songs, new melodies and new lyrics on top of these new tracks from The Wailers. They’re also adding their own vibe to it, but not taking away from the foundation sound and the integrity.”
Integrity is something that has always been one of the Wailers’ strengths. Definitely not ones to buckle under pressure, or to shy away from the serious side of being musicians, The Wailers’ music is medicine to those in need. When asked about the role of the revolutionary music that he and the others perform today versus the role it played in Marley’s time, Elan’s voice took on a slightly more passionate character.
“You know what, I think it’s so much bigger now. What we’re fighting for is not just against a war. I mean, there was some crazy shit back then, but now, I mean...wouldn’t you agree? I think things are heightened on all aspects of what was back then. Plus music with the technology of today, and how kids are able, at the press of a button, to have access to music from all around the world... To me it’s a renaissance period for us musicians because of the way that the business is. But in society, with social issues, and poverty and hunger, and our ecosystem, and our world — it’s all under threat right now.”
It’s nice to occasionally hear sincere and uplifting news, especially coming from people who can directly do something about it. The Wailers, with the world as their stage, are such people, and will undoubtedly continue to inspire listeners as long as music exists. Our world will probably be a lot better place for it, too.
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