Rebelution first united in Santa Barbara, California, built from a wide array of musical backgrounds. With Reggae as the focus, the group set out to create a fresh and vibrant sound which they dub California Reggae. The band released their highly anticipated full-length album in June of 2007 and just weeks after its release, “Courage to Grow” became one of the most downloaded Reggae albums on iTunes. By the end of the year, it had been awarded the iTunes Editors Choice: Best Reggae Album 2007.
Within the last year, Rebelution has made a name for themselves with their iTunes success and performances with notable artists like Barrington Levy, Israel Vibration, Junior Reid, Don Carlos, Pepper, Eek-A-Mouse, Pato Banton, Tanya Stephens, Half Pint, SOJA, Yellowman, Talib Kweli, E-40, and The Pharcyde. Rebelution will be releasing the next album entitled Bright Side Of Life on August 4th, 2009, their album has already hit the #2 spot for top reggae sales on iTunes: I was lucky enough to connect with Rebelution for an interview about the band, their upcoming album and their growth as musicians.
MicControl: How did you all meet?
Rebelution: We met in college through music classes. One day we met outside of school and played together for the first time. We were all very motivated to start playing in a band.
MC: Who writes the music? Is it a group effort or is there a principle songwriter?
RB: I (Eric) write majority of the songs. I usually come up with most of the parts although that's not always the case. The band really helps arrange the sections within the songs.
MC: When did you decide that you wanted to create reggae music?
RB: I think after seeing a few reggae shows in high school did it for me. I was hooked. When I got to college however, I wrote mostly acoustic songs but listened to reggae on the side. Once Rebelution started to form I started writing things in more of a reggae format.
MC: Who are the main influences of the band?
RB: We all like different artists and genres of music. It's hard to point out one person or group we take our influence from.
MC: Would you say the band is more of an album oriented or a live performance band?
RB: Live performance band
MC: How many album have you previously released?
RB: We only had one full length album before "Bright Side of Life" and it was called "Courage to Grow"
MC: What is the inspiration for your new album entitled Bright Side Of Life?
RB: We wanted to cover the theme of encouragement. It's a rough world but if people look on the bright side of things, maybe we can all make improvements within ourselves and our surroundings.
MC: Did you feel that you pushed your abilities further on this album than on previous works? If so, how?
RB: Yes definitely. The songwriting and melodies are more complex. We tried to mix it up from song to song. I think "Bright Side of Life will go down as our best album yet.
MC: When is Bright Side Of Life expected to be released? How/ Where can people buy your music?
RB: Bright Side of Life will officially be released on August 4th! You can buy it on iTunes, most all online stores, Targets, Best Buys, etc.
I hope you enjoyed the interview and make sure to check out Rebelution's upcoming album Bright Side Of Life on Aug 4th! Below are some links to the album for purchase:
AMAZON
iTUNES
No comments:
Post a Comment