There’s no reason for dread when this natty reggae band plays Casa Friday
By Stephanie Laird
June 26, 2008
Natty Nation, a consciousness-raising reggae band with rocking beats and positive vibes propelling their original musical style, play their first Athens show at Casa Cantina this Friday night.
Hailing from Madison, Wisc., this forward-thinking, politically active group produces an Americanized version of reggae beats infused with rock, funk, dub and hip-hop influences.
Singer/songwriter and bassist Demetrius “JAH Boogie” Wainwright said he wanted to create a band with a “universal message, one that’s not just Rastafarian, but a message of peace, love and unity amongst all people. That’s what music does – it unifies all people.”
Wainwright, Natty Nation’s founder and only original member, launched this project 13 years ago.
Over the years, he has maintained his quest to spread inspiring music to audiences nationwide, while offering a reggae experience that beckons listeners to get up and groove. The message remains universal, though it has become more pronounced with time through different ways of approaching this ambition, said Wainwright.
Around age 5, Wainwright began his life-long musical career playing the drums. He went on to master more melodic instruments and expand his musical horizons.
When he transplanted his reggae roots from Minneapolis to Madison, he began the Natty Nation project with members from his first Madison outfit.
Originating as a guitar- and percussion-based band in 1995, Natty Nation gained a new dimension with the addition of keyboardist and vocalist Aaron J. “Eyes of Moses” Konkol and his dub vibe in 2002.
According to Wainwright, he and Konkol enjoyed listening to many of the same artists and styles of music, which enabled them to “relate musically-wise really easily.”
The inclusion of the “dub” element in Natty Nation provided by Konkol allowed the band to explore new musical avenues while maintaining their reggae identity, said Wainwright. More recently, the band has incorporated more hip-hop elements in their beats.
They are continuing to expand as much as possible with their own form of reggae, which is flexible and allows for a bit of a rock element and the inclusion of other musical genres.
Natty Nation in currently touring as a four-piece band comprised of key members Wainwright and Konkol, in addition to Frank Martinez, a drummer with a background in Latin music, and electric guitarist Louka Patenaude.
The band’s catalog contains more than 50 songs that typically address the world in general, according to Wainwright. “They look at the lack of unity, love and consciousness in the world.” In aiming to fill the void of consciousness, Wainwright said he strives to wake people up to what’s going on in their environment. “We try to think globally and act locally by improving our own neighborhoods and community through what we do,” he said.
In writing about universal love, Wainwright explained that he’s referring to brotherly and sisterly love and looking out for one another. True to the tenets of Eastern philosophy, Wainwright said he believes in finding one’s true purpose, then using whatever it is to help others.
“Once you find that out, success comes easily,” said Wainwright, whose band has played many benefit shows over the past year and addressed political and social issues such as the Katrina catastrophe in their award-winning song “Hurricane.”
Last month Natty Nation received four distinguished Madison Area Music Awards including: world song of the year – “Hurricane”; world album of the year – “Seth’s Picks: Best of 2003-2006 LIVE”; world artist of the year; and entertainers of the year.
Since Natty Nation’s inception, they have released four studio albums and nine live albums. This fall, they will release “Reincarnation.”
The show this Friday will include some tracks from the unreleased album and old favorites, since they like to mix things up a bit, Wainwright said.
Originally, the band was planning on stopping in Athens to partake in Casa Nueva’s vegan and vegetarian cuisine, but when they heard their dining destination was also one of Athens’ premier live-music venues, they decided to book a show. Wainwright said the band now plans to make Athens a regular touring stop.
For more information on Natty Nation visit: www.nattynation.com.
Comments
Please log in to post a comment.
