Re.Source.

Alleyne, Mike. "White reggae: Cultural dilution in the record industry" Popular Music and Society 24.1 (2000): 15-30. Web. 25 Oct. 2010 http://www.informaworld.com/10.1080/03007760008591758 >


In his article, “White Reggae: Cultural Dilution in the Record Industry,” author Mike Alleyne argues that the spread and commercialization of reggae music coupled with its global adoption by various artists and audiences has essentially contributed to its ideological and creative dilution. Alleyne notes that while there is no absolute formula for reggae, there does exit several defining characteristics of general significance such as the emphasis on minor keys in compositions, the traditional African influences of spiritual vitality and emotionalism, as well as lyrical themes dealing with poverty and corrupt colonial government systems. Assuming the authenticity of reggae under these terms, this article stands to assert that when mainstream artists, especially Euro-American musicians, adopt reggae music into their style, the roots and essence of this music is lost or undermined because the music becomes merely a fragmented reproduction utilizing random elements of the genre suited to appeal to a more mainstream audience.


Alleyne provides a fairly strong argument, supporting his claims with specific examples of popular Euro-American artists that have incorporated a surface-level reggae sound into their music while simultaneously ignoring its deeper social, religious origins. Such examples include The Police, The Eagles, UB40, Paul McCartney, and Ace of Base. His argument, however, is somewhat undermined by his strained ability to define and characterize an “authentic” reggae by which he compares these Euro-American pop examples. His description of authentic reggae is very vague and he also makes note of the fact that there is no one clear definition of reggae music. Because the article’s purpose is meant to function as an examination and assessment of the cross-cultural transformation of the broader reggae soundscape, it would be useful as a future resource when researching the ways in which global consumerism and popular culture affects the nature of cultural artifacts, particularly reggae music.

Spreading Thoughts

Recently I've come across two blog posts I wanted to comment on and give a shout-out to.  The first one comes from Achie's Reggae Blog in a post about an artist I had been wondering about for a while, entitled "The Vault Reviews: One Attonement by Yahadanai."  I had this to say about the post...

I really loved your opening paragraph and the way it segued so nicely into the first few sentences of the second paragraph - which essentially encapsulates the subject matter of this blog post.  I’m a big reggae fan from Hawaii, and we have our own unique reggae scene there so a lot of the names coming out of the Caribbean aren’t very well known in the islands, unless of course they’re really big and/or old school names (i.e. Bob Marley, Bambu Station, Midnite, Niyorah, etc).  However, about five or six years ago my friends and I came across Yahadanai’s music and instantly fell in love, especially since his lyrics were so potent with relevant substance, expressed through powerful vocals.  Every now and then I’d find myself scouring the web to see if I could find more music from this artist, and unfortunately found nothing more than the One Atonement album.  I’d always wondered what had happened to this artist and if he’d ever come out with a new cd but obviously couldn’t find any answers.  It’s nice to know though that I’m not the only one curious to know if there was more out there from Yahadanai, and I had hoped that from reading this blog post I was going to finally find out what happened to this artist.  But I guess we’ll just have to live with the mystery of it for now and enjoy what has been given.  

The second blog post comes from a site entitled "Reggae Music" and the post is "Old School Reggae."

Nice little post on old school reggae.  I, too am of fan of this type of roots reggae music, especially because the messages in the lyrics are thought-provoking and address the struggles associated with the political and economic landscape of the time, and actually (in my opinion) even transcends time by the way that one can still find solace in these lyrics as it relates to the struggles of today.  The smooth melody and unique rhythms characteristic of this style of reggae also make it easy to love and groove to, like the mellow rocksteady beats of Gregory Isaacs or the unique sound of artists like The Gladiators, Black Uhuru, and Israel Vibration.  I do agree that the tempo then was much slower because it seems that the Caribbean reggae music today is heavily populated with dancehall riddims and dancehall artists.  However, the old school reggae is definitely being perpetuated in other parts of the world.  For example, I come from Hawaii where the reggae scene is quite vast and is popular amongst the people there, but the style of the music is more like the old school vibe, steady skank rhythm with a little more dub, while the high-tempo dancehall style isn’t as popular.  Some artists I would point to are Rootikal Riddim, Humble Soul, Ooklah the Moc, and Inna Vision.  Though the sound is a little different from old school reggae, it still carries that roots vibe and quality substance-driven lyrics.  And I agree, we definitely have the Carribean reggae artists of the 60’s and 70’s to thank for the sounds we have today.

Aloha a Mālama Pono,

Messenjah

Back When It Used To Matter

Have you ever stopped to think about just how dependent on the computer and digital media our lives have become?  Think about it.  Your day.  Chances are that for nearly any time of any day it wouldn’t be a surprise to catch yourself staring into a computer screen, playing games or using apps on your smart phone, scrolling through music on your ipod, navigating the road with a GPS, or any number of these.  You’re probably wondering why I’m even bringing these things up or what this has to do with reggae music at all, right?  Well, in class this week, we’ve been discussing Nicholas Carr’s article “Is Google Making Us Stupid,” a well-written article cautioning and exploring the affects of becoming such a deeply submersed and dependent web-based culture.  It warns that perhaps our intelligence is becoming more scattered, our thinking more shallow and less profound.  That our minds are developing into a sort-of schizophrenic system of operating, mirroring our information and entertainment source - the internet.  Now, I’m not exactly sure this is something to be truly weary of or if it’s just the way the world goes, you know - everything changes.  But therein lies the debate, and it is definitely something worth considering; something thats been in the back of my mind for a while now.

What are we giving up in return for this instant access of knowledge and media?  A part of our own humanity perhaps?

The reggae band I profiled in my last post, SOJA, shares their perspective in a few of the songs on their newest album “Born in Babylon.”  You might be thinking, why would a reggae band be singing about computers and the digital age?  Don’t they usually just sing about chillin‘ out and getting high?  Well perhaps a little, but, nearly all of SOJA’s songs are highly conscious, sharing significant thoughts and meditated perspectives on the way we as a society (especially those of us born in babylon) are living, and questioning perhaps how we should be living.    

In their song, “Used To Matter,” lead singer/songwriter Jacob Hemphill shares his thoughts about living in such a digital age and implores his listeners to consider just how tangible (or intangible for that matter) these mediums are and to consider what things in this life truly do matter.

The second verse of the song starts, “See, my watch is worthless, so is my pen.  And it seems nothing is greater than something that takes me way back when, to back when it used to matter.”

It seems the songwriter is contemplating the way in which all of our tangible mediums have become digitally intangible, and now the things that truly bring joy in life are those things that are tangible and real.  Consider the way we use the internet nowadays; how much its become such an integral part of our everyday life.  Like SOJA’s lyrics, Nicholas Carr writes in his article, 

“The Internet, an immeasurably powerful computing system, is subsuming most of our other intellectual technologies. It’s becoming our map and our clock, our printing press and our typewriter, our calculator and our telephone, and our radio and TV.”

Not to say that this is necessarily a bad thing, but its essentially the concept of putting all your eggs into one basket.  A fragile basket at that, made up of one’s and zeros.  It leads one to question the sustainability of our knowledge and our culture, trusting our literature and written history to an ever-changing (not always accessible) digital mediums.

The verse continues, “All the words I write are on a screen, and the friends I have have ‘added’ me, and there’s no record of anything, and now we all cease to matter.”  These lyrics poeticize exactly the idea that as we continue to trust our lives to machines, to this digital medium, we may be sacrificing our culture and humanity when there is no real record of anything we write down.  Unlike a pen and paper, we need electricity and energy at the very least to recall anything written in a digital medium, so if these things aren’t accessible, can we truly say that what’s been “written” exists?  Also, consider the threat of a nuclear electromagnetic pulse (EMP) or a solar EMP, both of which aren’t farfetched events.  In a time where nearly every aspect of our life depends on computers, satellites, and digital technology, any major disruption to our electric power grid could mean devastation;  all of our technological developments as we now know it will surely “cease to matter.”   

“I just want us to be who we’re supposed to be, and who we are, doesn’t it seem like we’re kinda far from the original plan from the start, back when it used to matter,”  Jacob implores his listeners in the final chorus of the song.  With all these new technologies and conveniences that fill our lives today, have we lost something in the process - something real, something that truly matters.  A way of life, perhaps?  For me, this “original plan from the start” and idea of “back when it used to matter,” is best described by the Old Man from the Village of the Watermills in legendary filmmaker Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams(1990).

Yes, a way of life indeed.  Sacrificing things that are truly good for a convoluted life of convenience.  So wrapped up in the technological advancements of today, I often catch myself in thoughts much like Jacob probably had when he wrote the opening words, “See these days its different, its all new.  The old is gone and I am too.  Wishing I was closer to back when it used to matter.”

Aloha a Mālama Pono,

Messenjah

PS.  Here are the lyrics to “Used to Matter.”  Enjoy. 


See, these days its different, Its all new
The old is gone and I am too
Wishing I was closer to
Back when it used to matter
All my coins are gone, its plastic now
My ipod's got me asking 
"How could all my albums take me down
To back when it used to matter?"


Chorus
Now it seems that we
Are all wrapped up so tight,
light just can't get in
And I feel that we can't see
And I feel, its not "maybe"


See, my watch is worthless,
So is my pen
And it seems nothing is greater than
Something that takes me way back when,
To back when it used to matter
All the words I write are on a screen
And the friends I have 
Have "added" me
And there's no record of anything 
And now we all cease to matter


Chorus


So you die when you turn 22
But they gonna wait to bury you
'Cuz you got a 9 to 5 to do
And that's supposed to matter
So you replace your time in between
With other peoples' hope and dreams
And they live their lives on your TV
And now you don't even matter


Chorus


I just want us to be who we're supposed to be
And who we are, doesn't it seem like we're kinda far
From the original plan from the start
Back when it used to matter.

"To Whom It May Concern And For Those Who Are Listening...

...We’re fighting hard but its not with our fists and recruiting soldiers livicated to this mission, to dissect this bullshit system.”

Bassist Bobby-Lee

Rebellious and militant lyrics reverberate a call to all those hungry for a positive change from the self-destructive direction our world seems to be heading.  A call to arms, of sorts, by a band from Arlington, Virginia by the name SOJA - short for Soldiers Of Jah Army - in their song “To Whom It May Concern.”  A reggae band that released their first full length album in 2002, SOJA has grown to become one of the most original and influential reggae bands in the world today.  Their music has a diverse sound, with rhythms inspired by each band member’s own taste, yet always carries a rootsy melodic vibe.  Most impressive (to me at least) are the lyrics and the messages in each and every one of their songs.  Each song contains heart-felt, well thought-out, conscious lyrics intended to tell a story, giving the listener multiple sides of the coin; allowing the listener to consider his own interpretations.  The most important aspect of every song is its message, which is one of positivity, yet critical of the vain materialistic society that we live in - this modern Babylon (see definitions 1 and 4).

It wasn’t until a friend in high school introduced me to SOJA and I listened to this band’s music that I truly became a lover of reggae music.  Only after hearing their songs did I realize and understand that there exists a significant, heavy sustenance behind the easy-going hypnotic melodies encapsulated in reggae music.  “True Love” was the very first song I’d heard from this band and I became an instant fan.  The song comes off SOJA’s debut full-length album “Peace in a Time of War,” released in 2002.  Unlike the many pop songs that litter the cluttered radio waves glamorizing vanity and selling sex, here was a real love song.  A song that poetically captures and questions the idea of a true, unconditional love is felt in the emotionally poignant vocals and lyrics of lead singer and guitarist Jacob Hemphill.  “What is love really if it only affects one aspect of life? That’s like a musician who only accepts his own musical type.  That’s like a preacher who only respects Sunday morning and not Saturday night.  That’s how this soldier can come to reflect that love is more than a man and a wife.”  This song became one of SOJA’s instant classics, especially in Hawaii.    

Another really big song on this album that still remains one of my favorites is “Rasta Courage.”  It carries such a strong theme of self-identity and being true to oneself; striving for a sense of morality even in the face of opposition.  In this case, standing true to values that may contradict the mainstream American values and ideals of capitalistic imperialism.  With lyrics like, “I never give up on good vibes and I never give up on truth. Never trade my sanity for living in Babylon crew. Vanity will never drive this man insane. This man will walk alongside Jah again. We see all the pressures to conform today, and I may sometimes bend but only as not to break. ‘Cause a life of iniquity for laziness‘ sake is a deal with the devil Rasta just can’t make.”  Or the heeding last cries of the final verse, “Looking back now upon all of the evidence.  400 years and what them years have really done. We talk of peace but at the first sign of war, bredren ain’t bredren and sistren ain’t sistren no more. Without forgiveness how will any wars cease? While the heathen rage, Rastaman sitting at ease.  No one will move a muscle for some moral justice, and with no justice there’ll be no peace.”  The final lines of the song pierce hauntingly as a warning to all of humanity.  

These are just two great songs from a list of many.  Other favorites from this album include “Peace in a Time of War,” “Reality,” “Mother Earth,” and “Non-Partial, Non-Political.”   

Their second full-length album, released in 2005, was entitled “Get Wiser,”  and continued the band’s legacy of conscious lyrics and ever-evolving musicianship.  Some of my favorites from this album include “Open My Eyes,” “Faith Works,” “Be Aware,” “You Don’t Know Me,” “Sorry,” “Bring Back the Truth,” and “Devils.” 

In 2009 the band released their most recent full-length album, entitled “Born In Babylon.”  Of any of the albums, I feel this is one that most directly deals with the issues facing the world today, contemplating our place as American citizens in the whole scheme of things.  Its an interesting view of the philosophies of Rastafarian culture identifiable in many reggae songs, but from the perspective of kids (the band members) who grew up not in poverty, but in the government saturated community of Washington DC - the heart of Babylon.  The music on this album is hard roots drum and bass, wide-ranged guitar and vocal melodies, and multi-faceted lyrics with multi-faceted messages.  Some of my favorites on this album include “Used to Matter,” “You and Me,” “I Don’t Wanna Wait,” “Summer Breeze,” “Waking Up,” “Thunderstorms,” and “Here I Am.”

Besides their full length albums, the band has two EP’s, “Soldiers of Jah Army,” released in 2000, and “Stars and Stripes,” released in 2008.  Both of which have amazing songs like “Watch Them,” “Zion Livity,” “Stars and Stripes,” and “Bleed Through.”  In 2008 they also released a DVD entitled “SOJA Live in Hawaii,” in which the band toured four of the main islands and documented their trip, providing live footage mixed with interviews and adventures.  This is a DVD I truly treasure, especially since living in California for school, because it definitely brings back great memories of home.   

As good as SOJA’s music is on their albums, the band is even more amazing live in concert.  I’ve had the great privilege of experiencing quite of few of their concerts both in California and Hawaii.  Their shows overflow with infectious energy.  This is a band that continues to grow and evolve, yet always remains true to the roots essence of what its all about - delivering positive, thought-provoking messages to enlighten and inspire.  

The band is currently working on their fourth full-length album, which I am anxiously awaiting the release of.  I also have reason to believe that this album will be even closer (than albums prior) to what SOJA and its music is all about.  What’s my reasoning? In the last concert of theirs I saw, they performed a track off this upcoming album called “Changes.”  One of the lines in the song perfectly encapsulates what I believe to be SOJA’s ultimate mission, which is to help people “look at this world less like a square and more like a circle.”    

But I hope you don’t take my word for it when I say this band is the real deal.  Take a listen and decide for yourself.  Like the lyrics in their song Bring Back the Truth, “Think for yourself or be thought for, and fight for yourself or be fought for, but find for yourself or be lost forever...”   

Aloha a Mālama Pono,

Messenjah

TRIO

Hello World

(a.k.a. This May Be the First Trumpet)

Two guys sit at a bar on a cruise ship having a conversation about Jamaica, the place their cruise is headed for, and this country’s fame for its marijuana...

 “Well, they’re not only famous for that, they’re famous for some of their  musicians”

 “Well yeah, Bob of course, but what was he famous for..”

 “He was famous for writing a good tune.”

 “Ah yeah, you know, but if you said to somebody, ‘Bob Marley’ they’d say ‘smoking  a joint.’  They wouldn’t say ‘Bob Marley and uh uh..’ they wouldn’t go straight into his songs, man, they wouldn’t.  Every picture you’ve ever seen of Bob Marley isn’t him recording a song or, or playing a guitar. Its him with a fat doobie.”  

The man shrugs his shoulders matter-of-factly, taking another sip of his beer.

This dialogue comes from a scene out of the recently released indie film “Wah Do Dem,” written and directed by Ben Chace and Sam Fleischner.  This scene struck me by the way it illuminates the notion that there are many around the world that commonly and instinctually associate reggae music, such as that of the late Robert Nesta Marley (more  affectionately known as Bob), purely with the smoking of cannabis and the propagandist image of the stoner culture. Though marijuana is a religious part of the reggae culture, with my blog I hope to share a perspective that the real root and essence of reggae music lies in its highly spiritual philosophies and countercultural values that communicate messages of unity, righteous living, equality, hope, and love in its truest sense - unconditional and all-encompassing.

Born and raised on the island of Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi I’m currently going to school in southern California for a degree in film production, hoping to one day return to Hawaiʻi to make feature films.  Growing up in the islands, reggae and hawaiian music was always around me.  However, it wasn’t until high school that I really started paying attention to reggae music or even getting into it.  I knew the popular Bob Marley songs and a bunch of Jawaiian music (a mix of reggae and contemporary hawaiian music) that the radio stations played.  But all this changed in high school when a friend introduced me to a band from Arlington, Virginia by the name S.O.J.A. (or Soldiers Of Jah Army), who at this time was still very underground and not yet widely known.  Their sound was new and fresh yet carried a heavy roots vibe with potent and highly conscious lyrics relevant to the current issues facing our world today.  This was music that encouraged me to broaden my mind, as it introduced new perspectives - something I could truly relate to and feel.  I was hooked.  I couldn’t let go.  My love for this roots reggae only grew.

So, it is my ambition with this blog to introduce contemporary reggae artists, mainly those from America, to discuss the issues these artists bring to light with relevance to current as well as historical events.  Also, to see how these artists are using the vessel of reggae music - a genre born in the revolutionary times of Jamaica’s history - and making it their own to address the issues most relevant to them.  And, of course, for us to hopefully share some great music with each other!  Blessed be the journey.

Aloha a Mālama Pono,

Messenjah


Profile
(a.k.a. Reggae Stories)

Scouring the web for blogs similar to the theme that I’m trying to pursue with my blog - interpretations of contemporary reggae music - proved to be a little difficult. Nearly all the blogs I came across that dealt with reggae music were either reviews of various albums or blogs that contained only embedded Youtube videos of songs.  There were so few blogs that had a unique voice which shared their opinions in regards to reggae music as opposed to simply introducing songs and bands (not to say discovering new bands and songs isn’t tight, of course). However, I was looking for something a little different, and to my delight (finally) I found what I’d been seeking in Reggae Stories, a blog that fused the writer’s life experiences with her love of reggae music and the humble Rasta culture. 

Jeanie is the writer of Reggae Stories, a blog dedicated to the thoughts and experiences of the writer and her readers. In her “Greetings” post, Jeanie introduces herself as a stateside white girl whose roots are Noblesville, Indiana - surprising to most that she’d have a reggae blog page. It turns out that it wasn’t until she dropped out of college in 1980 and started dating a singer of a small local band that she started getting into reggae music. She fell in love with the song “Rivers of Babylon” by the Melodians, and would always plead her boyfriend to sing it. The relationship with this boyfriend ended, but her fondness for reggae music continued. For the next 28 years she saturated herself in reggae music and culture and even opened a Reggae shop on St. John in the Virgin Islands. Living in a shack on the island for a number of years with her partner, she raised their children and lived a humble life off the land, sea, and her small shop. Though she is not a Rasta, and does not claim to be, she states her purpose for the blog is to tell her stories and share her love for reggae music.

Reggae Stories doesn’t seem to be a very popular blog, though it is somewhat personal and intimate in nature, boasting few followers. Many of her posts don’t have any comments, and the posts that do usually only have one to three (if any). Most of her posts are quite bare, including just an embedded video of a song or artist with a little bit of text that relates to it. For example, her post “Spragga Benz - ‘Livication,’” includes an embedded video of the song “Livication” by artist Spragga Benz followed by a short interpretation of the song. Her longer posts tend not to deal so much with reggae music but instead shares a bit of her memories and life story. “Blame Will Not Move You Toward Love” is a post in which Jeanie shares a heartfelt letter she wrote to someone close to her that was in jail, hoping that the letter might inspire anyone that may be going through rough times. She also includes a video in the post by artist Buju Banton entitled “Destiny” as a song that relates to the tone of her letter.

My blog will be similar to Jeanie’s in the sense that I will hopefully be able to introduce readers to some good reggae music that they haven’t heard before and inspire people to look at the real messages and values being communicated through this music. I also like that her blog shares personal insight to some of the artists and songs she shares, which is what I’d definitely like to do in my blog. The memoir-like anecdotes that occupy Jeanie’s blog is another element I’d like to strive for with my blog, giving readers some background and personal stories to go along with the music. My blog would also be different in ways, of course.  Hoping to include a little more insight into the meanings and intentions of certain songs and artists, especially with reference to their backgrounds and world views (or at least the world views as I interpret it from their music).

Aloha a Mālama Pono,

Messenjah

Voice Critique
(a.k.a. Searching For A Voice)

Believe it or not, there are little to no reggae blogs that - with a unique and opinionated voice - share their subjective views on particular reggae songs and bands. Most reggae blogs I’ve come across merely share embedded videos of artists or songs that the writer likes, with very little to no commentary. The days passed. My search continued. Frustration grew. 

Finally, I came across Rasta Ron Givens, an interesting and insightful blog by a true lover of reggae music. The writer of this blog, Rasta Ron, is a reggae drummer from the San Diego area. Throughout the years he’s backed many well-known reggae bands, like Big Mountain, Sister Nancy, Ishmael and the Peacemakers; the list goes on. This means a life of tours and traveling, new experiences and interesting people, which of course, means a ton of enjoyable stories  (surprisingly enough, this is what Rasta Ron shares with his blog). His posts kept me interested and wanting to read more because not only were the stories from a perspective of a touring and talented reggae musician, but because this musician (as a writer) shared a distinct voice, unlike many of the other reggae music blogs I’ve come across.

His writing has a very informal touch to it that makes each piece seem personable and intimate - as if he were a good, long-time friend and we were just hanging out, talking story, recounting memories, and sharing interests.

His blogs tend to include a lot of sentences, words, and phrases that are bolded. This seems to either emphasize a point, illicit humor, or highlight an important name or term. For example, the opening paragraph of his blog post, “Does The World Love Reggae?,” goes:

“My girlfriend, Lisa, used to say to me, “Oh, reggae isn’t that popular… Nobody listens to reggae”. She definitely had no idea what the frig she was talking about.”

The use of this bolded sentence expresses a sense of humor while also emphasizing a point. The blog continues on, speaking of how reggae music has spread throughout the world and how, today, there are popular reggae bands from many different countries.

From smiley faces to irie rasta faces, another unique aspect about Rasta Ron’s writing is his use of emoticons in a bunch of his posts. These serve to promote the intimacy and informality of his posts, adding a sense of personality that makes it feel as if you know each other and are simply having a conversation.

I enjoy his use of hyperlinks throughout his posts. He links often, and many of his links direct the reader to more information on a band or to more information on a term or idea, which is great. However, his most enjoyable links lead readers to a hilarious picture or video, which emphasizes the point he’s making yet in a truly humorous and satirical way. For example, in his post “Victor, the Butcher,” Rasta Ron writes about a guy named Victor Essiet, whom he was on a tour with in Texas, and shares a story of why this guy is one of the biggest asshole’s he’s met. Early in the post he includes a bolded statement and a great hyperlink:

"But as with any situation, there is always going to be an asshole. 

If you are reading this and are a dude…don’t ever be THAT guy."

I thought this was really funny, and a great way to employ hyperlinks. I’m definitely going to consider this type of linking for my own blog. Just for kicks, here’s another great link from Rasta Ron’s post, “Death By Tiger Bone,” where he shares a funny experience with a crazy drink called Tiger Bone, in which he was offered a sip and told it would allow him to drum up a storm on stage. Surprisingly, Rasta Ron said it ended up being one of the best gigs he ever played, and...

“I don’t know if it was the placebo effect, but man, I was charged up and played like an animal… I was hooked on tiger bone.”

What a great way to embed humor into the writing. Rasta Ron’s informal and personable voice comes through in every one of his posts making them interesting and engaging pieces to read, which is exactly what I hope to achieve with Catch A Fire.

Aloha a Mālama Pono,

Messenjah

Searching for A Voice

Believe it or not, there are little to no reggae blogs that - with a unique and opinionated voice - share their subjective views on particular reggae songs and bands. Most reggae blogs I’ve come across merely share embedded videos of artists or songs that the writer likes, with very little to no commentary. The days passed. My search continued. Frustration grew.

Finally, I came across Rasta Ron Givens, an interesting and insightful blog by a true lover of reggae music. The writer of this blog, Rasta Ron, is a reggae drummer from the San Diego area. Throughout the years he’s backed many well-known reggae bands, like Big Mountain, Sister Nancy, Ishmael and the Peacemakers; the list goes on. This means a life of tours and traveling, new experiences and interesting people, which, of course, means a ton of enjoyable stories - which is exactly what Rasta Ron shares with his blog. His posts kept me interested and wanting to read more because not only were the stories from a perspective of a touring and talented reggae musician, but because this musician (as a writer) shared a distinct voice, unlike many of the other reggae music blogs I’ve come across.

His writing has a very informal touch to it that makes each piece seem very personable and intimate - as if he were a good, long-time friend and we were just hanging out, talking story, recounting memories, and sharing interests.

His blogs tend to include a lot of sentences, words, and phrases that are bolded. This seems to either emphasize a point, illicit humor, or highlight an important name or term. For example, the opening paragraph of his blog post, “Does The World Love Reggae?,” goes:

“My girlfriend, Lisa, used to say to me, “Oh, reggae isn’t that popular… Nobody listens to reggae”. She definitely had no idea what the frig she was talking about.”

The use of this bolded sentence expresses a sense of humor while also emphasizing a point. The blog continues on to talk of how reggae music has spread throughout the world and how, today, there are popular reggae bands from many different countries.

From smiley faces to irie rasta faces, another unique aspect about Rasta Ron’s writing is his use of emoticons in a bunch of his posts. These serve to promote the intimacy and informality of his posts, adding a sense of personality that makes it feel as if you know each other and are simply having a conversation.

I really enjoy how he uses hyperlinks throughout his posts. He links often, and many of his links direct the reader to more information on a band or to more information on a term or idea, which is great. However, his most enjoyable links lead readers to a hilarious picture or video, which emphasizes the point he’s making yet in a truly humorous and satirical way. For example, in his post “Victor, the Butcher,” Rasta Ron writes about a guy named Victor Essiet, whom he was on a tour with in Texas, and shares a story of why this guy is one of the biggest asshole’s he’s met. Early in the post he includes a bolded statement and a great hyperlink:

"But as with any situation, there is always going to be an asshole. 

If you are reading this and are a dude…don’t ever be THAT guy."

I thought this was really funny, and a great way to employ hyperlinks. I’m definitely going to consider this type of linking for my own blog. Just for kicks, here’s another great link from Rasta Ron’s post, “Death By Tiger Bone,” where he shares a funny experience with a crazy drink called Tiger Bone, in which he was told to try a sip and he’ll be drumming up a storm on stage. Rasta Ron said it was one of the best gigs he ever played, and...

“I don’t know if it was the placebo effect, but man, I was charged up and played like an animal… I was hooked on tiger bone.”

What a great way to embed humor into the writing. Rasta Ron’s informal and personable voice comes through in every one of his posts making them interesting and engaging pieces to read, which is exactly what I hope to achieve with Catch A Fire.

Reggae Stories: A Blog Profile

Scouring the web for blogs similar to the theme that I’m trying to pursue with my blog - interpretations of contemporary reggae music - proved to be a little difficult. Nearly all the blogs I came across that dealt with reggae music were either reviews of various albums or blogs that contained only embedded Youtube videos of songs. There were few blogs that had a unique voice, sharing his opinions with regards to reggae music as opposed to simply introducing songs and bands. However, one blog that caught my attention fused the writer’s life experiences with her love of reggae music and the humble Rasta culture.


Jeanie is the writer of Reggae Stories, a blog dedicated to the thoughts and experiences of the writer and her readers. In her “Greetings” post, Jeanie introduces herself as a stateside white girl whose roots are Noblesville, Indiana - surprising to most that she’d have a reggae blog page. It turns out that it wasn’t until she dropped out of college in 1980 and started dating a singer of a small local band that she started getting into reggae music. She fell in love with the song “Rivers of Babylon” by the Melodians, and would always plead her boyfriend to sing it. The relationship with this boyfriend ended, but her fondness for reggae music continued. For the next 28 years she saturated herself in reggae music and culture and even opened a Reggae shop on St. John in the Virgin Islands. Living in a shack on the island for a number of years with her partner, she raised their children and lived a humble life off the land, sea, and her small shop. Though she is not a Rasta, and does not claim to be, she states her purpose for the blog is to tell her stories and share her love for reggae music.


Reggae Stories doesn’t seem to be a very popular blog, though it is somewhat personal and intimate in nature, boasting a few followers. Many of her posts don’t have any comments, and the posts that do will only have one to three comments. Most of her posts are quite bare, including just an embedded video of a song or artist with a little bit of text that relates to it. For example, her post “Spragga Benz - ‘Livication,’” includes an embedded video of the song “Livication” by artist Spragga Benz followed by a short interpretation of the song. Her longer posts tend not to deal so much with reggae music but instead shares a bit of her memories and life story. “Blame Will Not Move You Toward Love” is a post in which Jeanie shares a heartfelt letter she wrote to someone close to her that was in jail, hoping that the letter might inspire anyone that may be going through rough times. She also includes a video in the post by artist Buju Banton entitled “Destiny” as a song that relates to the tone of her letter.


My blog will be similar to Jeanie’s in the sense that I will hopefully be able to introduce readers to some good reggae music that they haven’t heard before and inspire people to look at the real messages and values being communicated through this music. I also like that her blog shares personal insight to some of the artists and songs she shares, which what I’d definitely like to do in my blog. The memoir-like anecdotes that occupy Jeanie’s blog is another element I’d like to strive for with my blog, giving readers some background and personal stories to go along with the music. I’d like to differ my blog, though, by including a little more insight into the meanings and intentions of certain songs and artists, particularly with reference to their backgrounds and world views.

"This May Be The First Trumpet..."

Two guys sit at a bar on a cruise ship having a conversation about Jamaica, the place they’re cruise is headed for, and this country’s fame for its marijuana...

“Well, they’re not only famous for that, they’re famous for some of their musicians”

“Well yeah, Bob of course, but what was he famous for..”

“He was famous for writing a good tune.”

“Ah yeah, you know, but if you said to somebody, ‘Bob Marley’ they’d say ‘smoking  a joint.’  They wouldn’t say ‘Bob Marley and uh uh..’ they wouldn’t go straight into his songs, man, they wouldn’t.  Every picture you’ve ever seen of Bob Marley isn’t him recording a song or, or playing a guitar. Its him with a fat doobie.”  

The man shrugs his shoulders matter-of-factly, taking another sip of his beer.

This dialogue comes from a scene out of the recently released indie film “Wah Do Dem,” written and directed by Ben Chace and Sam Fleischner.  This scene struck me by the way it illuminates the notion that there are many around the world that commonly and instinctually associate reggae music, such as that of the late Robert Nesta Marley (more  affectionately known as Bob), purely with the smoking of cannabis and the propagandist image of the stoner culture. Though marijuana is a religious part of the reggae culture, with my blog, I hope to share a perspective that the real root and essence of reggae music lies in its highly spiritual philosophies and countercultural values communicating messages of unity, righteous living, equality, hope, and love in its truest sense - unconditional and all-encompassing.

I was born and raised on the island of Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi and am currently going to school in southern California for a degree in film production, hoping to one day return to Hawaiʻi to make feature films.  Growing up in the islands, reggae and hawaiian music was always around me.  However, it wasn’t until high school that I really started paying attention to reggae music or even getting into it.  I knew the popular Bob Marley songs and a bunch of Jawaiian music (a mix of reggae and contemporary hawaiian music) that the radio stations played.  But this all changed in high school when a friend introduced me to a band from Arlington, Virginia by the name S.O.J.A. (or Soldiers Of Jah Army), who at this time was still very underground and not yet widely known.  Their sound was new and fresh yet carried a heavy roots vibe with potent and highly conscious lyrics relevant to the current issues facing our world today.  It was music that encouraged me to broaden my mind, introducing new perspectives. It was something I could truly relate to and feel.  I was hooked and couldn’t let go.  My love for this roots reggae only grew.

Iʻd like to introduce on this blog contemporary reggae artists, mainly from America, to discuss the issues these artists bring to light with relevance to current as well as historical events.  Also, to see how these artists are using the vessel of reggae music to address the issues most relevant to them.  And, of course, for us to hopefully share with each other some great music!

Aloha a Mālama Pono,

Messenjah