THE PARK RECORD

Park City, Utah

Interview by: Greg Marshall 

TAJ WEEKES IS TRYING TO TEACH THE WORLD TO SING 

Move over, Bono.

Taj Weekes does relief work on St. Lucia, where he was born, to reduce poverty and promote awareness of children's issues. In November, he was named a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador to the Caribbean. He recently helped bring an optometrist and a general practitioner to St. Lucia to provide medical care for the poor.

And, oh yes, he sings. Weekes combines classic roots reggae and grassroots politics in his second album, DEIDEM, which was released in May to favorable reviews. He performs tonight, Wednesday, 9 p.m. at the Star Bar.

Songs on the album discuss global and humanitarian issues such as global warming, the effects of Hurricane Katrina, and the crisis in Darfur. The topics are insightful and serious, fans say, but the grooves, melodies and rhythms are familiar to reggae.

Weekes wrote DEIDEM, which Weekes says means "all of us," after the death of both of his parents in 2006. "The record didn't start off how it is now," he explained in a telephone interview. "I went through a period of mourning."

Weekes decided to scratch the songs he had written about his own grief, songs with titles such as "From Clay To Dust," and work on 12 new tracks that drew from global politics for inspiration.

"It was always about giving something back," Weekes said. "Even though two people died for me, people are dying every day." The singer said that one of the goals of his music is to help society "take a holistic approach and not an individualistic approach to the world."

Weekes is the youngest of 10 children. He remembers lining up with his brothers and sisters to sing for his parents, and his dad singing back to them as if they were the Von Trapps in "The Sound of Music." Weekes started his song-writing career at the age of 10 writing down the lyrics from songs he heard on LPs. Sometimes he would tinker with the words in a song and make them his own creation. "From the time I started writing," he said, "I did my own thing."

Before leaving the Caribbean to pursue music, Weekes started a band with a few of his brothers and toured the Caribbean islands. That's when he met some of the musical influences that compelled him to sing political reggae. "These people I consider town criers," he said. 'Reggae is what you call the poor man's cry. It's music you can sit and listen to. It's listening music."

Weekes performs with two backup singers and six other musicians. The band is on a six-week tour across the country spreading the word about their music.

"There's such a void in the market for the kind of music Taj sings," Weekes' manager, Shirley Menard, offered. "Taj sticks to what's real and what's true."

Weekes released the album on his own independent label, Jatta Records.

"You have to do it on your own terms in your own way," Menard said. "He couldn't make this kind of music any other way."

Danny Hill, the manager of Star Bar, said he has been playing Weekes' albums all week in his car. "We're kind of becoming known for bringing this kind of music to town," he said. "I'm excited."

GLOBAL VILLAGE MONDAYS : KPFK 90.7 FM LOS ANGELES

Interview by:  Maggie LePique 

Maggie LePique, of Global Village Mondays on KPFK Los Angeles, interviews Taj Weekes today, May 26th, as part of a spotlight on performers at the upcoming Sierra Nevada World Music Festival on June 20-22 in Mendocino County, California. Global Village airs from 10:00 am until noon Monday through Friday featuring "music from around the world and around the block."

Listen now! 

REGGAE BLOODLINES : KGNU INDEPENDENT COMMUNITY RADIO

 
Interview with:  John Shaw

John Shaw of Reggae Bloodlines, the second oldest reggae radio show in the U.S., interviews Taj Weekes today, May 24th, in advance of the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival. Reggae Bloodlines is a weekly Saturday afternoon show on KGNU Boulder (Colorado) from 1:00 - 4:00 pm  MTZ (mountain time).

Click here to listen!

REGGAE-REVIEWS.COM

 
After releasing perhaps the best reggae album of 2005, Taj Weekes returns with an early candidate for the best of '08 in DEIDEM. Although his unique vocals are the most immediately striking aspect of his work, Weekes remains one of the best lyricists in reggae today, reaching beyond typical reggae discourse to delve into abstract concepts, inner emotions, and new ways of delivering the same messages we've heard dozens of times before. To describe the cycle of global violence, for example, he traces it back to biblical times in Since Cain. In Kink and Crinkle, he relates the oppression of Rastas to the processing of hair, while Angry Language is an introspective journey into the battle to suppress one's rage, Dark Clouds laments global warming, and Propaganda War is a searing indictment of the press, proclaiming, "With no printing press, the lies we can't address. They steal away our joy and steal our happiness." Weekes' delivery is as heartfelt as his words, and his strong melodic structure ensures that listeners will stick around to appreciate the lyrics. Of course, the music from his band Adowa is a powerful complement. Aside from the Katrina-themed piano ballad Louisiana, it's chock-full of traditional '70s-style roots reggae, with a touch of folksy blues and a slinky electric guitar that creeps in every now and then. Weekes' is the sort of music I imagine Bob Marley singing if he were still alive today. It's smart, inspirational, musically vibrant, and just plain gorgeous. No reggae fan can afford not to know Taj Weekes.

SIERRA NEVADA WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL

 
The Sierra Nevada World Music Festival is less than five weeks away. To date, they have confirmed over 35 artists in addition to Taj Weekes & Adowa to participate in the 15th Annual Summer Solstice and World Peace Celebration.

Check out the spotlight on Taj Weekes & Adowa