Link - Island Stage Magazine
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Link - Island Stage Magazine
SPECIAL EDITION 4/20/2015 M A G A Z I N E SISTA IRIE’S EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW! CAPTURE LAND TOUR, JA CHRONIXX + KABAKA PYRAMID + MUSICALLY SPEAKING “Reggae in Austin, the Live Music Capital of the World” www.island-stage.com WWW.ISLAND-STAGE.COM Follow Island Stage Follow Reggae Reflection @IslandStage @1EmpressK Advertise With Us Today! ‘Where The Islands Come To Play’ www.island-stage.com islandstage.llc308@gmail.com Letter From the Editor Blessings, This special edition of Island Stage Magazine is brought to you with Love and includes exclusive interviews with Chronixx, Kabaka Pyramid, Baby Cham, Kamila McDonald and Rick Long. Island Stage is sponsoring three major festivals this year; Reggae on the River, Sierra Nevada World Music Festival and Rototom SunSplash. Which festival will you be attending? Lloyd Stanbury keeps us highly informed in this issue’s ‘Musically Speaking’ piece where he discusses “Reggae in Austin, the Live Music Capital of the World” Our writers, photographers and graphic artists work hard to bring you the best coverage of events, artists interviews and professional photography. Please give them a shout out and let them know how much you love and appreciate the work they do! They are, Empress K- Reggae Reflection, Sista Irie, Lee Abel, Maliika Walker, Shelah Moody, Lloyd Stanbury, Reggae Robin, Michael Kuelker, David Wendlinger, Hal Wendlinger and Kizzy Riske. I love this team of professionals!! Remember to download the magazine and save it to your desktop, so you can read at your leisure. All links are LIVE on the download. We hope you enjoy this special issue! Remember to support your favorite artists by purchasing the music and attending the LIVE shows whenever you can. One Love~ Cheers! .07 12. 23. 33. 39. 44. MUSICALLY SPEAKING By Lloyd Stanbury “Reggae in Austin, the Live Music Capital of the World” Island Stage Magazine I was introduced to the city of Austin some years ago in discussions with photojournalist and radio DJ Sista Irie who has been working in reggae and visiting Jamaica for over 30 years. One of the first things I learned was that Austin promotes itself as the Live Music Capital of the World. I also learned that this slogan became official in 1991 when it was discovered that Austin had more live music venues per capita than anywhere else in North America. It is said that on any given day one will find over 200 venues offering live music shows at almost any time in Austin. music genre and country I am most passionate about, i.e. Reggae and Jamaica. Revelations from recent discussions I had with some experienced Jamaican music industry operators and government representatives have surprised me. I discovered that many Jamaicans associated with music and creative industries development do not know what SXSW is, and although several Jamaican reggae artists have participated in SXSW over the years, a whole lot more could be achieved with better planning and organization. For example, the recent SXSW 2015 reggae showcase presentation that featured possibly the biggest line up of Jamaican reggae artists ever at SXSW, fell short in my opinion. Photo Left : Sista Irie on air at KAZI 88.7 FM, Austin The city of Austin hosts some of the largest music events and festivals in the world, including the South by Southwest (SXSW) Conferences & Festivals - http:// sxsw.com, the Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL) - http:// www.aclfestival.com and The Urban Music Festival - http://www. austinurbanmusicfestival. com . SXSW is by far the largest music and entertainment networking and showcasing event in the world, and is reported to attract as many as 50,000 participants to Austin every March. The event offers a unique convergence of original music, independent films, and emerging technologies presented through music showcases, film screenings, and conference panel discussions. Photo Left : “Scene from Austin Reggae Festival 2012” This showcase featured Kabaka Pyramid and the Bebble Rockers, Laza Morgan, Mr. Vegas, Gyptian, Nyla (formerly of Brick and Lace), and Machel Montano. Kabaka Pyramid was the only artist on the line up that performed with musicians. All other acts performed to pre-recorded tracks. The showcase also got off to an unusually late start by SXSW standards. In my opinion the members of the Austin Reggae business community of promoters, artists, media representatives and venues, could do more to collaborate and keep abreast of new developments in Reggae, especially Reggae from Jamaica. There seems to be a disconnect between persons from the My exposure to Austin and its treatment of the business of music has been enlightening and thought provoking, especially in relation to the Special Edition 4/20/2015 PAGE 8 www.island-stage.com Island Stage Magazine Photo below: Rocky Dawuni at Flamingo Cantina, SXSW 2015 Austin music scene, and persons in the Reggae music communities in Jamaica, which prevents the flow of information and promotional content from Jamaica to Austin. I think the inputs and expertise required to nurture and grow Reggae in Austin do exist in the form of concert and festival promoters, venues, and media representatives who consistently promote Reggae. KAZI 88.7 FM in Austin has six dedicated hours of Reggae music programming presented each week in two radio shows every Sunday and Tuesday. http://www.kazifm.org , Sista Irie’s Conscious Party hosted every other Sunday on KAZI has developed an international following, with many fans and listeners online from Jamaica. The threeday annual Austin Reggae Festival presented in April is one of the longest running reggae music festivals in the USA, and enjoys attendance numbers between 5,000 and 20,000 patrons per day. http:// austinreggaefest.com Flamingo Cantina has partnered with SXSW as an official venue off and on for the past 21 years. Angela thinks participation at SXSW by reggae artists from Jamaica and elsewhere can be very beneficial although it is an expensive investment, as participants have to cover all their costs for travel and accommodation in Austin, and there are no performance fees paid. On SXSW and reggae she had this to say - “SXSW has never been hugely interested in the genre of reggae, and I suspect that is due to the demand and sponsors that might be involved who are interested in other demographics. Reggae is and has been fairly overlooked within the festival, but over the years I have worked with SXSW to build our reggae showcases. I reach out to artists to try and get their interest in participating. SXSW has more rap and hip hop now than any other genre, and I believe they need to work harder to help garner more interest from reggae and world artists to keep the diversity of the festival intact.” Flamingo Cantina on 6th Street in the heart of Austin’s live music scene, has been a Reggae venue since 1991, playing host over the years to numerous artists including Burning Spear, Lee Scratch Perry, Beres Hammond, and more recently Protoje, Capleton, I-Wayne and Kabaka Pyramid. The views of Flamingo Cantina owner and show promoter Angela Tharp provide a noteworthy perspective. According to Angela, she faces challenges at different levels in her efforts to bring international Reggae talent to Flamingo Cantina. She explains - “One challenge is the simple fact that Texas is a big state, and not as well known for supporting live reggae as perhaps venues on either the east or west coasts. With Austin being smack dab in the middle of the state, it’s difficult at times for routing bands to get to us without the advantage of other supporting venues. I am constantly reaching out to other venues in the state to garner interest in promoting artists I work with, in hopes they’ll pick up shows.” Special Edition 4/20/2015 With initiatives such as SXSW, the city of Austin has demonstrated how government and private partnerships can generate revenues and provide employment in the creative industries. Through PAGE 9 www.island-stage.com Island Stage Magazine it’s dedication to the development of live music, Austin has facilitated the establishment of events, institutions, membership organizations and grant funding programs that provide much needed support to persons operating in the music and entertainment industries. Examples include: The Texas Music Office - a state funded business promotion office and information clearing house serving the Texas music industry. It is based in the city of Austin, and housed within the Office of the Governor’s Economic Development and Tourism Division:http://gov.texas. gov/music/ : The Austin Music Foundation a private non-profit organization established to strengthen and connect the local music community with innovative programs that empower musicians and fuel Austin’s creative economy: Below is a video clip with Ziggy and Stephen Marley jamming on the street in Austin http://austinmusicfoundation.org In my opinion there are definitely some valuable lessons to be learned from a greater level of awareness and interaction among persons in the Jamaican reggae industry and the Austin music community, at both the state and private levels. The Jamaican government recently announced a significant increase in financial allocations for music and entertainment industry development in budget presentations for the financial year 2015 - 2016. This is a good sign, and I would encourage the government to explore the possibility of establishing a close working relationship with the city of Austin. Both the Jamaican government and the local music industry can secure benefits from an appropriately structured Jamaica/City of Austin creative industries development relationship. Special Edition 4/20/2015 PAGE 10 www.island-stage.com Unlike the typical studio recording where the vocal can be masked in the mix by the instrumentation, ACOUSTICALEVY is an album that requires a nearly flawless vocal performance by Levy as each track is constructed solely around Levy’s vocal. Check for the new album Acousticalevy coming May 5th! Link to Soundcloud CHRONIXX © 2015 Sista Irie Photography Chronixx remains humble at a time when he has swiftly become Jamaica’s most favored artist. With the support of his team from Chronixx Music Group Limited he recently presented the very successful Capture Land Jamaica Tour. The tour featured five shows across the Island with stops in Negril, Santa Cruz, Kingston and Portland. All shows were well attended, with sold out shows in Negril and Kingston. The audiences represented all ages, from toddlers to grandmas all waiting in full anticipation of a show reminiscent of days gone by. Conscious reggae music has come full circle in Jamaica, with a new vibrant icon, a talented young man with the confidence and fortitude of a lion. The Chronixx “Capture Land USA Tour 2015” is scheduled for May 23 to June 19 with stops at major festivals such as Cali Roots in California and the Governors Ball in New York. Chronixx fans in midwestern states will also get their first taste of Chronixx and the Zinc Fence Redemption live during this tour. The following is taken from an interview I conducted at the end of the Capture Land tour. I met up with Chronixx in the beautiful area of Jacks Hill overlooking Kingston city. It was a cool, misty morning and Chronixx was resting from the hectic tour just completed two days before. My heartfelt thanks to Lloyd Stanbury, Chronixx, Daddi Barnz and the rest of the team for making it possible.” Interview by: Sista Irie © 2015 Sista Irie Photography Island Stage Magazine Sista Irie: Tell me about the origin of the Capture Land Tour, how it came about and why you decided to do it in Jamaica. What were your objectives for the tour? And yet, it didn’t feel like a risk because of the confidence level. We knew it was going to work regardless of the physical elements we were seeing. Chronixx: The Capture Land Tour started as a dream from when I was a little youth running up and down, singing in my house, singing in the bathroom. Even before I started to visualize myself singing across the world for different people, I always wanted to just go and sing some music for the people in Jamaica. Sista Irie: So on getting in touch with the people, how did you strategically decide where you were going to perform, and what were the differences you found amongst the people? Chronixx: We weren’t trying to do all parishes in Jamaica at once, because of the amount of time we had to do it. I don’t think there was much strategy to it, more than just to pick some parishes. We are not a very strategic set of people, or let me put it this way; We are not as strategic as we come off to be to the general public. There is a thing called perfect timing. We just always happen to be doing things at the right time, with the right people for the right reasons. We find that there are a lot of things we are not comfortable with as artists where the industry is concerned. I feel that the only way to fix anything is to act. In the beginning, in my mind, the Capture Land Tour was something we could either fail at or do very well. So we tried. It was not the easiest thing but it was a very good thing to try and I would do it again, and again. Sista Irie: What did you learn from it? Sista Irie: And you have an excellent crew. Seems like you have all the supporting pieces that you need. Chronixx: What I learned is there is no one way of doing things. That the difference between what you are doing and what the next man is doing is confidence. The difference between a man who experiences success and a man who experiences a level of stagnancy is just how brave you are and how confident you are in your dreams. I saw that with a little confidence, there is so much you can do. That is the main thing I learned from the Capture Land Jamaica Tour. The tour simply happened because myself, the whole team and family was confident it could happen. There was a time when logically it seemed impossible, or not the best thing to do based on what we could afford. Chronixx: I have to give the most thanks for the support and the family, because everything is about them…EVERYTHING. Yeah. Sista Irie: I noticed a lot of visual effects in your work which I personally love, because it reminds me of the seventies. The two shows I attended were in Kingston and Portland. Who was the designer of these effects, who creates the concept? Even your posters and your marketing has amazing artwork, which is as profound as everything else. Chronixx: Well, as I said, just being around the right people. It is not really a strategy. As a matter of fact, most of these people came about by ways that were different from my Sista Irie: And yet, you took the risk… Special Edition 4/20/2015 PAGE 14 www.island-stage.com Island Stage Magazine plan. The person who does the art or most of the art ever since Dread and Terrible is a youth named Andrew Cachia. I have never met him. I have only spoken to him on Skype and over the phone. We have been working together now for 18 months. He is from Malta, an island near Italy. The closest I have been to him is visiting Italy and Sardinia, But we work together. JoJo is from Paris, and he does most of the video aspects of the show. relatives. It may not be my Jamaican brothers and sisters. It is with that open mindedness and with great joy and hope that I will step out into the world just hoping to meet that right person. Sista Irie: So you have a lot of magic going on around you, in addition to yourself. Chronixx: Yeah- and that is a thing that I celebrate the most - the magic. Magic is underrated these days because planning is overrated. So what happens is, magic disappears whenever human control sets in. Human beings, as people, try to control everything. Planning is just for reference. But if you make a plan and things happen to go better than you planned, you should not be vex, and should not even think about your plan any more. Just live in that magic. Don’t spoil it by saying it’s going good but it is not what I planned. If it is going good, it is going good. You know what I mean? I try my best to live my life like that. I have a brain and I have an intelligence but I also acknowledge that there is an intelligence way more experienced, way more powerful, than myself. I have to be humble and trust that intelligence also. I am a very visual person. I think I am just as visual as I am audio. I love music but I think music is just one element in the great family of art which also consists of movement. Everything that has a sound, color, shape or vibration is art. I am very appreciative of art. It is what creates the life experience. Sista Irie: I think that definitely sets you apart from a lot of other artists, in addition to your message, as well as your sincerity and authenticity. I think the visuals speak to a larger audience too. Chronixx: It was my first experiment and now I am really into it. I think that is the main aspect of the show that has my interest right now. The visual production of it. It is a great thing that you have Jamaican people who can do it to a level. I am sure there are people around the world who we will eventually meet and get to work with and build a thing. I like to unite Jamaicans with people from all over the world. I have the knowledge from within myself that my music is not meant for any one race or any one group of people, so, I have to make even the business aspect and all other aspects of my music reflect that as well. I can’t get too caught up in Jamaica or any one country in the world. The earth is big and I believe that my closest family and friends may not be my blood Special Edition 4/20/2015 Sista Irie: That’s good. I saw so many things in the show, we could talk a long time. One thing that really impresses me is your commitment to support a positive change in the youth of Jamaica. When you talk about your music onstage, you say it is for the old and the young. What is the impact that you are trying to make on the youth? Do you think it is heading in that direction? Because right now you are a major influence on them. Chronixx: Let me establish that I am not trying to make an impact. What happen is now I am more conscious of what I was created to do. The fact that I was created to do this means PAGE 15 www.island-stage.com Island Stage Magazine it is not my personal mission, you know what I mean? So, this music we are making now is meant to create a bridge. Cuz what happen… the thing that destroys the world is the distance between people. And as human beings we tend to mend distance with telecommunications. We create better airports to make traveling much easier but people are still distant. It is much easier to travel from Jamaica to China than it was a few years ago, but you find that Chinese people are still being discriminated against. You find Jamaicans are still being discriminated against and misunderstood by the whole world, and that is caused by a level of distance. A distance that first stems from education and miseducation. Music can create a way to make up for that miseducation by re-educating people - meaning re-educating the young man about his traditions, re-educating the old person about the changes that are happening now, that it’s nothing bad, it’s not scary, it’s just things and times changing. You also have to tell the young person your grandmother experienced certain things which are very important to where you are going right now, so you need to know, and you need to respect it. So I think it is bridging that gap. And then to a wider extent, outside the family from a global perspective, let the Chinese man know more about the Jamaican culture, so when I go to China I have to bring some of the Chinese culture home and make the people say “yeah, this is how the Chinese people live.” The more we start feeling like difference is normal, the more we start feeling like our peculiar self and our original self is normal. re-introduce a love for diversity and also we have to put the truth about our culture as Jamaicans out there. Because we can’t leave it up to people to tell our story. What happens is the people who are bringing the Jamaican culture to the world are not people who really love the culture. It is media people. They are writers who write in the best interest of their career. You have to have somebody whose doing it in the best interest of the culture. If there is X happening in Jamaica, the person supposed to say there is X is happening in Jamaica. You are not supposed to go pretty it up for your article. Don’t mis-educate people and then give people a stereotype about Jamaicans that doesn’t exist. If you are going to write about Chronixx, write about Chronixx. You know what I mean? When people misuse the word Reggae Revival they make it look like every artist is doing the same thing I am doing, and that is not right. So, it is the same thing that happened with music in the seventies, it happened in the eighties and in the nineties again when dancehall became predominant and they made it seem as if it is the only thing happening in music and because of that, the whole world got a certain stereotype of Jamaican artists. You find that even within the booking aspects, promoters don’t want to book different artists differently. They feel like it is the same procedure, that every artist wants to stay in the same hotel, or eat the same food, yet every artist is different. So we have to make sure that when we bring culture to the world, we bring it with truth. And what we say and project is real about our culture. What we find in dancehall, is talk about some things that are not real about our culture. We give people a perception of things like we are some bling bling hype people, and that is not true about Jamaican people. That is not the Everybody has an original self which is unique to him and to her. We have to re-educate people that this is how the earth is. It is not like all Chinese people are the same. We have to Special Edition 4/20/2015 PAGE 16 www.island-stage.com Island Stage Magazine majority of people. The majority of Jamaicans cannot afford to wear a diamond chain. So we can’t make it seem like it is that Jamaicans live for. when I was unknown to the Jamaica masses. I remember with the song “Behind Curtain,” it just literally took off in Kenya. I was getting tweets every day that I was getting airplay in Africa when I wasn’t getting any airplay in Jamaica at all. Like none whatsoever. I took that as a sign and it resides in my consciousness that these were the first people to be moved by my music. That created in me a level of comfort because I know the genetic link and the spiritual link between Jamaican and African people. I am saying if these people accept my music, then I don’t have to worry about Jamaican people accepting my music, because we are the same people. The main difference between us and them at the time was how much we were being fed the music. So I knew once the music was being played and it reached outside to the streets, people would love it. It’s music that makes people feel better within themselves. It is like a medication kind of music. The thing that stands out the most to me about Jamaican people is the level of creativity that exists within them. We are a people who exist from a very unfortunate climate where economics and social stability and social structure is concerned. It is because of that, we have to be overly creative. Which means day to day life must include creativity. Right? You will see a man on the street driving a car but his car is not the one he wants, so he buys a car and makes it look like the one he wanted. So he buys a Camry and set it up like a Benz. Or a man can’t buy the house he wants so he builds one cheaper and try his best to make it look like the one in his mind. So it turn out to be art. Same with music. We want to create music but don’t have the big pretty studio. We challenge ourselves, so I think that is the thing most beautiful about Jamaican people. I have been all around the Caribbean and I feel that Jamaican people are the way we are as a reaction to oppression. Like I heard a song the other day when I was in Portland and it said…”Come mek we dance because it done gone bad already.” And that is the attitude of Jamaican people. Things done bad already so mek we try to mek something out of something. I think that is a very beautiful thing about Jamaican people. So, with Africa now, I find that these people have a special love for the music even before my Jamaican family. So what happen is that two years after that we were invited to Kenya as Peace Ambassadors during the last election by a youth political group. We were invited to perform in Nairobi, in the middle of the city in a huge square - it was their conference center, I think ICC. I was invited to perform on tracks because at the time they couldn’t afford to pay for the whole band. It was a free show with broadcast on national TV, so I said, alright, bring half of the band. That is how I met Stephen Coore because one of our guitarists was on tour with Romain Virgo and the other didn’t have a US Visa. We were going via JFK and we signed off on the tickets within 24 hours of the show. There was a lot of back and forth about live music vs tracks. So we didn’t have a guitarist Sista Irie: So let me ask you about Africa. Because after your performances, I saw people from Africa say “Chronixx, come home.” So when are you going home? Chronixx: Alright, well the thing is, Africa is the first place that really accepted my music even Special Edition 4/20/2015 PAGE 17 www.island-stage.com Island Stage Magazine and we had to get on a plane within the next couple of hours. where the music was bigger than the artist. That is an ideal situation for me. That is my dream, to see my music outlive my image. And that is one of the things I found out in Africa, they love the artists but it is the music they love the most. Definitely is my dream. What I did in Jamaica with Capture Land Tour is the same dream I have for Africa. We rehearsed in the plane and in the hotel. We did an acoustic performance with Kelissa. Kelissa was there because it was from those times that I realize we should never force ourselves to experience anything alone. When you do things by yourself it is almost like you don’t believe in the future. I believe that every tradesman should have somebody there doing what he is doing, learning what he is learning because somebody has to be there to have the full experience of what is happening. I believe that Dre Island, Kabaka Pyramid and Protoje all play an integral role in propelling each other forward, and we are like each other’s engines. It’s like you can’t go anywhere in a car and leave the engine. Sista Irie: That was Capture Land 1, what is Capture Land 2. When, what and where? Chronixx: We call it Part 1 because we believe in progression. We believe in forward movement. It’s also one of my philosophies that after every great achievement follows an even greater achievement and then even greater achievements. So you can’t do something and feel like that is it. So, I always leave room for progression. I don’t know when or how I will do what is next. When the universe points something out to you, you have to do something to show you are in agreement. I guess that is what they call fate. Fate is the evidence of the things you can’t see. The very first time I left Jamaica to play in Costa Rica, I played with Indiggnation Band. What happened is at the airport the drummer and the bass player from Indiggnation were denied entry into Costa Rica and the show was the next day. So literally the backbone of the band was not there. So we had to use the drummer and the bass player from Raging Fyah, and they had to do the same thing, learn the music on the way to the stage. It was myself, Indiggnation, Raging Fyah, Jah 9, Kabaka, Sara Lugo and Midnite at the Costa Rica event. That was my first experience performing internationally, and it was a great experience. From that time I decided to always make an effort where other people could get experience. So I went with Kelissa to Africa and it was great. At that time in Africa, nobody knew my face but the music was huge. When they introduced me on stage, nobody was clapping but as soon as I started singing…PANDEMONIUM..so it was like, a case Special Edition 4/20/2015 Sista Irie: Is it divine intervention? Chronixx: Yeah, but not as spooky. Because divine intervention happens every second of your life. Not like a ghost that comes and fixes things for you. We are all divine creatures. Everything in Creation has a divinity. When you accept that, you don’t have to see everything on paper to believe it. You don’t even have to see it in front of your eyes to believe or even to know that this something is possible. So when I say Part I, it is just to say that Part II is possible. PAGE 18 www.island-stage.com Chronixx and Kelissa ‘Capture Land’ Jamaica Tour © 2015 Sista Irie Photography Chronicle & Chronixx ‘Capture Land Jamaica’ Tour © 2015 Sista Irie Photography Click here for Chronixx Tour Schedule © 2015 Sista Irie Photography KABAKA PYRAMID © 2015 Sista Irie Photography Island Stage Magazine KABAKA PYRAMID and looking for new opportunities. I never really had any specific thing outlined about what I wanted to achieve but I knew I wanted to make an impact on the people who were watching. I wanted to make a good impression about the mission and the music. Interview and photos by: Sista Irie Austin, Texas March, 2015 Kabaka Pyramid was one of many Jamaican and reggae artists who participated in the SXSW music showcases this year. Kabaka appeared on four shows over the course of four days, making him a highly featured reggae artist for this year’s festival. I sat down with Kabaka Pyramid and his manager, Duane McDonald, to chat about his SXSW experience and other relevant issues related to current developments in reggae on the Jamaican and international scene. My hope as an Austinite is to rebuild the local demand and awareness for reggae music. Sista Irie: So when you say someone say someone was interested in having you, who was that? KP: Some representatives of the festival reached out but it was up to us to find sponsorship. Sista Irie: Well you know that is very special. They don’t normally reach out to artists. There are so many trying to get into the festival. KP: We sent an application and they reached out and invited us. Sista Irie: Kabaka, I just saw you in Jamaica last weekend, and at the Flamingo Cantina just a few months ago, and thankfully ,now for SXSW. It was great to have you come back to Austin. Sista Irie: Tell us about the experience and whether or not it met your expectations? What was the most valuable aspect of being here? Yeah man, I was glad to be back in the place. I love the energy and the whole vibration. KP: It blew my expectations because I didn’t really realize what it is all about when we came to Flamingo Cantina last year. I literally came into the venue through backstage, performed and went back out through backstage again. The rest of the band and management walked up Sixth Street, but I didn’t, so I didn’t realize what kind of vibe it was, and how many different venues and how live music was everywhere, just crazy! It was an experience seeing the people fill up the streets, the convention center, the expos and the seminars. We went to talk with some producers like Just Blaze, Guru and Mannie Fresh. As someone who grew up listening to a whole lot of hip hop artists and producers and mixing hip hop with reggae, it was crazy listening to them, especially about the machines Sista Irie: Yes, Austin loves you too and hope you make this a regular stop. Definitely Sista Irie: What made you consider coming and performing at SXSW and what did you hope to accomplish? KP: Well I always heard good things about SXSW. So when we heard they were interested in having us, it was exciting to come experience a conference around live music and the film industry. We are always interested in expanding our horizons, meeting people in the industry Special Edition 4/20/2015 PAGE 24 www.island-stage.com Island Stage Magazine and the programs they use. That was really enlightening for me. I initially thought this was a festival, you know like a big show of like 20,000 -30,000 people in one setting. But it was a different kind of vibe. It was maybe the same amount of people or more but stretched out over the whole of downtown. That was really nice to see how many venues were involved. We performed at three different venues, four different shows. When I tell people I came to SXSW and did four shows, they say “whaaat, fi real?” Like normally, you would just do one show. We always work as a team, so once we knew we reached out to the people, the ones we know in Austin, and we tell them to come to this show or the next show, we just try to maximize the whole thing. That is one of my personal goals. You know what I mean? Not only Black America but there is a hip hop community in Jamaica too. They are constantly being shunned because radio doesn’t want to play the music. They say why are you rapping and you are in Jamaica? And that happens a lot and yet there is a lot of talent from both the rappers and producers. So one of my long term goals is to bridge that gap fully and as you say in North America I want to be doing songs with Mos Def and Common and those guys so they can get our side of the culture. The African American is one side and the Caribbean side is another and they can even bridge with African artists and go to Africa and mix up in that scene. I say go to Africa and mix up a little Afro Beat with the music. At the end of the day, the message needs to get out and we know the power that Jamaican culture has and it is just something that take over. We have to use it for good. A lot of people use that special Jamaican influence and yet what they say in the music is derogatory. We have that style and flavor that everybody loves, but we must use it for the positive messages because so much things are happening in the world. What’s really happening? We need to stress the message at all times. Sista Irie: There were many people there from other parts of Texas and this was their first exposure to Kabaka Pyramid. That experience for them can open up the whole gateway to the midwestern portion of the US. KP: Definitely! That is one thing that we reach them and has become one of our goals to see how many people from the different areas are interested in the music. Yeah man, yeah! Sista Irie: You came from being a hip hop artist, correct? Sista Irie: The blending is really attractive. I have been on my radio station 25 years and it has been difficult to get African Americans interested in reggae. But people like yourself, Damian Marley and other people who have blended the music will help open this market. KP: I was doing both hip hop and reggae but for some reason hip hop just kinda came easier for me. The stuff I used to put out was mainly hip hop up to a point but then I became more confident about singing and dj’ing and things like that. Then, I began to focus on putting out my message with reggae but leaving hip hop elements in it. Special Edition 4/20/2015 KP: Yes, and Ini Kamoze. It’s an exciting time. When you see people like Chronixx doing songs with Joey Bada$$, you know the doors and the divides are being broken down. Looking forward to great things! PAGE 25 www.island-stage.com © 2015 Sista Irie Photography Island Stage Magazine Sista Irie: Did you attend the conference sessions during the day and what did you find valuable as an artist? Were there any you would have liked to attend that you were not able to get to? they put themselves in a mind frame to come to something like this. It is sowing seeds, investing in your product and your musical talent and performance. You come to learn, you come to network. A lot of Jamaicans, we are not social people, we tend to be anti-social. Artists kind of feel like “me is a star and tings so I am not going to mingle up with a whole heap of people and dem ting deh.” That attitude will have to go if they attend something like this. People are going to want to talk to you and have conversations and talk about you merchandise. It is a real experience and I hope some great things come out of it still. KP: I attended one with the producers including Mannie Fresh and the music expo, as well as the technology expo. We saw some of the latest developments. I remember seeing this digital board, maybe one and half foot by one foot and is like a full 16 track board that you, as an engineer can take to a show. We need like a 100 of them in Jamaica so every engineer can have one with personal settings for each band and everyone can have their own mix programmed and effects. So many shows you go to in Jamaica and there are no effects in the board. You are performing and it is dry and you sing out your vocals so I am glad to see these things. And the musicians in the band got to see so many things like new guitars and keyboards on display. Sista Irie: I want to talk about your music. I am a social activist and really love your songs especially “Well Done” and “We Don’t Want No Capitalists.” Some say artists talk too much about what is wrong with Jamaica and want to know what the artists are offering as solutions? Sista Irie: Are there any panels you missed that you wished you could have attended? KP: I think I saw the same thing as some comments on the articles. But it is a sad thing that we need artists to come up with solutions for our country. What is the government supposed to be doing? Are they just there to create problems and we are supposed to fix it as artists? There are so many things that can be done. If you are not basing your whole national system on self sufficiency, it’s a joke. If you don’t plan to exist on your own and strengthen yourself from within, is like an island of people working to pay off debt. And that is all it really what it comes down to. KP: I can’t say for sure, if I wasn’t performing and was only coming as a music lover, I would go to three or four every day. But with four shows in four days and walking up and down and seeing different things, I wasn’t in the frame of mind to attend all the seminars on this run. It’s a lot soaking up the whole experience. Sista Irie: So overall would you recommend SXSW. You all don’t get paid and it is expensive to come. Would you recommend this experience to other Jamaican artists? We don’t promote farming, we don’t promote production. In pointing out these problems, you are actually saying the solutions as well. Promote farming, subsidize farming until we reach a point where we can export. But the KP: Definitely. It takes a certain type of artist to feel at home in a situation like this. It’s not for every artist, but every artist would benefit if Special Edition 4/20/2015 PAGE 27 www.island-stage.com Island Stage Magazine people need food, good food. Look how much mental disease is going on in Jamaica. It has to do with food and the water, the quality of life and things like that. We go to school for how many years and we don’t know how to produce anything? We come out and the best thing you can get out of school is being trainable to go work for somebody. You don’t know how to create something, to make something where you develop your own little economic system. obviously could make a major difference. That, along with what could happen (and I don’t know how you feel about this because you don’t smoke ganja), with the decriminalization and legalization of ganja. Do you want to touch on any of that? KP: Yeah, I mean, basically my view is I have no reason to have any faith in the government of Jamaica. So anything they do, I don’t see the underlying reason behind it being to benefit the people of Jamaica. When they implement something, they are going to find a way for their pockets to get fat. You know what I mean? By whatever process it takes to get something done, they will create barriers. When people need something from a corporation, they tell them that you are not going to be able to get this permit unless you do what they ask you to do. It is a hustling system, it’s an extortion system, so we know they are going to extort the people with the ganja. We know that. That is the system how we are trained. You are not taught to think economically in terms of your community either. It is just individualistic. That is why we burn capitalism. I am all for sharing resources within communities. Basically, what we find is these multi billion dollar corporations, the whole system is set that you work for them, you can’t BE them. Within the system, the possibilities of that happening is very slim. Something has to be done about that. We don’t really see it. When we sing these things in the music, that is all we can really do. Artists can take their money and do certain things, and that is probably not being done a lot, but the onus is on the leaders of the nation to lead. If we can call it out, all Jamaicans should realize this and hold them accountable. If I sing it in a song, you gonna fight me because I sing it in a song? This is the level of brainwashing that we are under in these developing nations. Basically we have not gotten rid of the colonial system at all. We are still controlled by the Queen of England through the Governor General, the JDF (Jamaica Defense Force) is still their personal mercenary army to do whatever they want, not even the Prime Minister controls them. Jamaican citizens are literally the property of the Queen of England. These are facts. Until we completely cut off from that colonization link, then there is no reason to believe that anything is done for the benefit of the people. Because these are the same people who enslaved us. So we can’t expect them to free us. We have to free ourselves. Sista Irie: How do you think that change can happen in Jamaica? Even the Minister of Culture and Minister of Entertainment, they are not paying attention to all the recommendations that have been made that could not only create economic stability for the country but maybe even impact the crime rate. If they could use the resources in Jamaica, and I mean talent, for a more productive way of creating an economy, it Special Edition 4/20/2015 PAGE 28 www.island-stage.com We have to come up with our own systems of economy. It is going to take, on a national scale, billionaires to sacrifice their money and plunge it into the economy of the people who don’t have any. On a smaller scale everybody needs to do whatever they can to make themselves self sufficient. Even if you take a tire and put some dirt in it so you can plant some callaloo. Or you give a little to the people who live around you so them can cook food in the morning. It is from that straight to the top to create economies within each community. Each community should have something that they produce so other communities can benefit, too, and have a network to trade. We also need to move certain communities out of Kingston. The city is overpopulated. It is polluted, look at all the garbage and Riverton and them have to light these fires and the polution. These are some of the things that right now, we can’t expect to be enforced by the government. Sista Irie: So how are you going to make those changes? Do you see a revolution, do you think music can change it? Do you think people get so fed up that (pause)….how do you break that system? KP: Mi have a song say “Mi dunno, mi dunno what it will take to change this world. Mi dunno, mi dunno but the youth will have to save this world.” The only thing we can do is educate the youth because populations die out. That is just the reality of it. Even if it take forty years, if we get to the youth now, we have a chance for the future. Sista Irie: This is where the Reggae Revival …to me… is much more than just a reggae revival , it is a Spiritual Revival. © 2015 Sista Irie Photography KP: It is a consciousness revival. Not only in reggae music. That is why when Dutty come to me with this term ‘Reggae Revival’ and ask Island Stage Magazine what I think about it, the first thing I say to him is “it is just a revival in general.” You have conscious rappers coming out, you have the whole yoga spiritual community coming to the forefront right now. Everywhere you look is a yoga studio or a health food store. It is not just music but the music is a symbol for it. The music is something that accentuates it and speeds up the whole process. That’s why we do the music. It’s an overall thing. have to set a precedent and give the youths a standard. Because a lot of music has been made but maybe people weren’t taking it as serious as they could. Maybe they weren’t getting their teams together and make sure they have their marketing sort out and their videos and artwork are up to standard. There was a time when it was just labels controlled dem tings. Now is ‘we’ that control these things for ourselves. We are looking at what the hip hop man do and we look pon the R &B and POP people and say “how dem set those tings so?” We want to set our things like that so it can have the same impact. Sista Irie: Speaking of Revival, you can only revive something for so long. Has the Reggae Revival come to a point where each of the artists are focusing on their own careers and now one must look for sustainability. When that happens, is it no longer a revival? Sista Irie: So my last thought is about the youth of Jamaica. There are a lot of people in Jamaica that have turned their attention to the Reggae Revival and it is having an impact on the industry world wide. Do you see that the youth of Jamaica are beginning to feel the shift and want to become the shift as well? KP: There has to be sustainability. I would hope that is the aim of the whole experience where artists can come up and have a platform where people are looking for a product from this area we call reggae music in the space of the whole music spectrum. The more a Chronixx gets exposure, and artist like Protoje, the more the people who love these artists start look for the next set of artists, the movement grows. So what we try to do is set a precedent in terms of how professional we go about what we are doing. That includes our teams and how we present our music. KP: As it relates to the whole reggae scene and the Revival as we call it…we are at the beginning stages in Jamaica. Still very early. A lot of Jamaican youths would only know a Chronixx or only know a Protoje. They might have heard there was someone named Kabaka, and then, what I always try to stray from in these arguments is speaking of it on an individual basis. It is still a collective thing. I don’t think in the minds of Jamaican youth that there is this big vibe going on in reggae music. Because reggae music and dancehall music is an every day thing for these people. Artists come and artists go. But it take a certain thing to become a spearhead or a real popular artist in Jamaica. A lot of us within the Reggae Revival, we don’t break through to that main kind of vibe where everyone know you. Even if you are in the paper every day, because I The Capture Land Tour is a ground breaking thing. I heard Protoje on stage talking about he is doing a school tour, him alone as an artist. In Reggae music these are ground breaking things, and I am not saying they have never been done before. Maybe those things were happening in the seventies or eighties but we have gone through a spell where certain things just never gwaan in terms of consciousness music. We just Special Edition 4/20/2015 PAGE 30 www.island-stage.com Island Stage Magazine see articles that come out every day with me, and I go stand up and people still just walk by me. One youth might come up and say “yow my artist” but fifteen other walk by. So it is still an early stage. I am sure it is the same for Dre Island and Jah 9. We want to reach a level where we are the people we want the youth to look up to. It is NOT an EGO thing. It is because of what we say. I can say that for myself. I don’t know if ego is driving anyone else of my close bredrin. It is the message we deal with. It would have been better off for the Jamaican youth if the conscious artists are like the pop stars in the country. It is a vision that I wish even the government have too but we can’t depend on them, so we have to do it ourselves. that Revival, and I am going to keep my eye on what is going on now with the hope that success happens with this group of artists who are working so hard and in such a beautiful way, I really think there is a strong possibility that things can continue to move in the right way. What was lost can be gained and what was hidden can be revealed. Sista Irie: So are you talking about the way Chronixx and Protoje bring everyone on stage? KP: I can say it straight…within the uptown there is a consciousness of the whole vibes. People come to a Kabaka show not just to see me, but they know they will see a bunch of artists. But if I perform in the ghetto or some area in the country, they may not relate to that or put that together. I don’t see that manifest. It is more like they look to see who the youth is onstage or if dem wait until they hear me say “I got to give the Most High Praise, from I see them….” they say “RHATID”, him sing that song with Chronixx. There is still a lot of work to do in terms of the mass of Jamaica. But I think the association we have on stage and the unity is doing a lot for the movement and even the artists as individuals. Them thing is easy and comes natural. Sista Irie: Well, I just have to say, I have been here since the beginning of the Regge Revival. Actually I have been here since Bob and Peter were around, Special Edition 4/20/2015 PAGE 31 www.island-stage.com Island Stage Artist Spotlight www.reggaereflection.com Cham © 2015 Reggae Reflection Cham ...also known as Baby Cham has been a mainstay on the Dancehall scene since the mid-nineties, achieving international success with his Ghetto Story Release. His third album, Lawless has a planned release date in June. Now as Cham is headlining the Set up Shop Volume 2 Tour which runs from April 9th through May 3rd, fans can expect to see a high powered show backed by his new live band, The Mad People Gang. The tour also includes Wayne Marshall, Jo Mersa Marley, Christopher Ellis, and Black Am I, all featured artists on the Set up Shop Volume 2 Tour, which is the latest Ghetto Youth Compilation CD produced by Damian Marley. While Cham was in Boston, Reggae Robin had the opportunity to chat with Cham about the tour with his new band, his thoughts on the current state of Reggae and Dancehall, and his upcoming album Lawless. Thank you to Janet Davidson of Madhouse Records and the Setup Shop Volume 2 team for providing the opportunity to chat with Cham and photograph the show. For over 27 years, Reggae Robin has produced and hosted Boston’s longest running Reggae radio show, Raggamuffin International on the Boston College Radio Station, WZBC, 90.3FM which airs on Saturday from 3PM - 7PMET. Robin also hosts a weekly show the VP Records sponsored online radio station, Randy’s Radio, every Monday 2PM - 4PMET. Follow Reggae Robin: © 2015 Reggae Reflection Island Stage Magazine Reggae Robin: Welcome back to Boston Cham. Cham: The new single, that’s the first single of the upcoming album. The name of the upcoming album is Lawless. The first single is entitled I’m too Hot. The video is out. The single is out on iTunes. Make sure you all go get it. No bootleg. Purchase it, $1.29 is not going to kill your pocket [ laughs]. Cham: Thanks for having me. Reggae Robin: It’s always a pleasure to see you. I have to tell you that I always say this on the radio. You are the only artist that has ever held a door for me! Reggae Robin: Where can you get it? Cham: [laughs] I’m always doing that for you. That’s my thing. I’m the kid for the ladies. I’m going to keep on holding the doors and making sure that everything is ok. Cham: You can get it anywhere. Google play, iTunes, anywhere. You can even go to my website which is Chamworld.com and you can click on the link and that will take you to a buying link also. Reggae Robin: So what’s going on? You are on tour right now with the Set up Shop 2 Tour. Reggae Robin: It’s always good to support. Everyone needs support. Cham: Yes, it’s the Set up Shop Vol 2 Tour. Myself, Wayne Marshall, Jo Mersa, Christopher Ellis, Black Am I and the name of the band on tour is The Mad People Gang. Cham: Yes, Hashtag Support! [laughs] Reggae Robin: What else has been going on? Reggae Robin: Is this your band? Cham: The clothing line has been doing well. The clothing line is Lawless also. We came up with the idea. To me, Lawless is not about sticking up banks or sticking up shops or none of that. Lawless to me is - directly is basically I’m a citizen of a world without borders. So we float wherever we have to float, we go wherever we have to go, we do whatever we have to do as long as we keep it our way and keep it respectfully and lawlessly. Cham: Yeah, that’s my band. Reggae Robin: Are you going to do more band tours? How about festivals? Cham: For Sure, I’m touring strictly with the band as of now. This summer we are doing a lot of the festivals also. We are doing a lot of the festivals here in the states, a lot of the festivals in Europe and then for the Canadian tour also we probably have 4 major festivals which is good for Canada. Reggae Robin: Where can we get the clothing line? Cham: You can get the clothes at www. chamworld.com. We have a few stores also that’s just launched in Jamaica, probably two or three. And that’s how we are doing it for now, apart from that for the rest of the world you Reggae Robin: Is there any music that we should be looking out for? I know you have a new tune and video. Special Edition 4/20/2015 PAGE 36 www.island-stage.com Island Stage Magazine have to go to chamworld.com. Hopefully we’ll get it into Macys or one of these big chains. 15 years old. And they have been supporting me from day one. So when they purchase all this stuff, cds, singles, when you go see them live that’s when you tell them thank you very much by delivering 200% or more! Reggae Robin: Or you can just go and see Cham when he plays and you can get it there at the venue. Cham: At the concert, you done know. Where the fans can directly purchase their t-shirts, hats, tank tops, you name it. They can go all out. Reggae Robin: And you always have every time I’ve seen you. You’ve always just given your all. Cham: Thank you very much and with this new band, it’s fire! Real fire ! [laughs] Reggae Robin: What do you see that is going on with Reggae right now. People are talking all kinds of things about it. Reggae Robin: What do you think about American Reggae? Cham: Reggae is always Reggae, no matter what people are always going to talk. You find that it’s a genre that is really a culture. And a culture can never ever die. The culture is the people. The people will never ever die. That’s just life. It’s like a cycle, it’s like the earth, always moving, always rotating. Reggae will always be Reggae. Dancehall will always be Dancehall. It’s powerful, it’s the most powerful genre of music in the world. If you really check it, it gets the least amount of promotion, the least amount of money spent on it, the least amount of press , the least amount of radio, you name it, media, but yet still if you check it and break it down ratio to ratio we still outdo all of them, no matter what. And especially with our live concerts man, which other crowd is crazier than a reggae crowd? And who can perform like a Reggae or a Dancehall act. None! [laughs] Cham: Music has no boundaries. And all of us, that’s the reason we do the music. We do the music to expand the music and so other kids from different backgrounds and different cultures can directly embrace the music and that’s what’s happening now. We find that these kids over here and not even in America alone. We have European bands that are really in and even speaking patois. It’s a compliment. And it’s good and it keeps us, Dancehall and Reggae artists on our toes to know that ok, this is ours no matter what so we have to always keep ahead of the game and lead the way. Reggae Robin: Since you’ve been everywhere, is there any place that you haven’t been that you want to play? Cham: Let me see. I would love to play in Egypt, Israel, Afghanistan. These places that we’ve read about in the bible from day one. Reggae Robin: Tear up the stage. I mean tear up the stage! And you have always done that. Cham: That’s my thing. I just love performing live for the fans. That’s the way you give back to the fans. They have been supportive for so many years. I’ve been doing this since I was a kid like Special Edition 4/20/2015 Reggae Robin: Israel is supposed to have a huge Reggae scene. PAGE 37 www.island-stage.com Cham: We get so much orders from Tel Aviv for Lawless merchandise. Crazy orders so I can’t wait to go over there. I know that it’s going to be fire. Reggae Robin: Have you been to Africa? Cham: We’ve done just two countries in Africa. Hopefully with this album they are lining up a full African tour. So hopefully everything can come through. And we can get that done where we can really hit the African market the right way and let them see our live concert. Reggae Robin: When will the album drop? Cham: I am shooting for June. That’s what we are shooting for. So hopefully we can get the single up and popping. It’s already doing well. That’s I’m Too Hot and by late May we can probably leak the second single and then boom the album comes right after. “They say I’m Too Hot [laughs]. The ladies say I’m Too Hot. Can you hear me?! Good! [Wow Wow!]” Reggae Robin: Is there anything you want to say to the people while you have the opportunity. Cham: If you give me that [opportunity], I’ll talk all night [laughs]. I just want to tell the fans, thanks for supporting and keep on supporting. Now more than ever Reggae and Dancehall music need the support. Apart from that, just support the music. Stop bootlegging, please. Let us show the strength of our real fan base. Just like how they can see it in our hard core concerts and all these things. Let’s show the support with going on these medias and mediums by purchasing the records. Not just my records, but your favorite artist also. And even if he’s not your favorite artist and you love the music, you should purchase it just the same. © 2015 Reggae Reflection Island Stage Magazine Apart from that, Big up to Madhouse Records. Big up to Janet Davidson, David Kelly, the whole Lawless Army and Team Cham. “Can you hear me?! “ And remember the album is coming. The album is fire. Shout out to my new backing band, The Mad People Gang and if you can recall from 1997, I told you all we present on stage out of Sherlock Crescent [St. Andrew, Jamaica] signed by The Mad People Gang and we live to know that my new band is called The Mad People Gang. So Big up . Remember the new album is called Lawless. Check us out on social media (click the links below). Thank you! “The road to success is not straight, there’s a curve called failure A loop called confusion, speed bumps called friends And red light called enemies, caution signs called family And flat tires called jacks but if you have a spare called determination And an engine called perseverance, with insurance called faith And the drive to make it, you’ll reach a place called success Can you hear me”? Cham Follow Cham: © 2015 Reggae Reflection Special Edition 4/20/2015 PAGE 39 www.island-stage.com Kamila McDonald Island Stage Magazine Kamila McDonald Shares Her Story & Why We Should Honor Our Bodies Interview by: Maliika Walker “We are all here to find our purpose in life, meanwhile we know deep down we are not living to our full potential. That should be the drive to get up off the couch. We are all meant to just live life.” Kamila McDonald was born in Kingston, Jamaica to parents who practiced the Rastafari way of life. She is the oldest of five children. Two of her siblings are roots artists Kelissa and Keznamdi McDonald. Growing up she lived a fit and healthy lifestyle. However, her life changed when she left Jamaica to attend college in cold and brisk Norway. She was suddenly in a foreign land separated from her friends and family. Kamila eventually gained almost 200 pounds and became pre-diabetic. She conquered her own struggle with obesity, winning Miss Jamaica World Beach Beauty in 2009 and Miss Jamaica Beach Bikini in 2013. Kamila McDonald is a wife, mother, certified personal trainer, nutritionist, TV reporter, and co-founder of the 10 Pound Pledge Program. This past January, she was appointed the newest ambassador for Adidas Women. Kamila holds a Bachelor’s degree (with honors) in Communications & Media from Stanford University and a Master’s in Journalism from UC Berkeley. Kamila is committed to motivating others to live life to their fullest potential. A few years ago I signed up for Kamila McDonald’s No Salt Challenge. Kamila provided all of the participants with a guide for following the program as well as motivating emails throughout the challenge. It was a tough challenge and I am not ashamed to say that I did not finish because I was not ready to make the commitment. When I informed Kamila that I will not be continuing Special Edition 4/20/2015 PAGE 41 www.island-stage.com Island Stage Magazine the program, she encouraged me to complete the program when I was ready. Well today, I decided to sign up for Kamila’s 10 Pound Pledge Program and I will be sharing my progress throughout my journey on the program. I recently had the opportunity to speak with Kamila about her journey with healthy living and why we should honor our bodies. Here is our conversation. experience was destiny for me. It’s easy for a professional trainer or a nutritionist to say, “Oh, he/she just needs to work out regularly or he/she just needs to be healthy”. But when you live that, you know how difficult it is to make a lifestyle change. I needed to walk that path and overcome it so I can be a vessel for others who may feel there is no hope for them in living a healthy lifestyle. I understand that it’s very difficult. As humans we are all creatures of habit. It is very difficult to get over the habit of being unhealthy when you don’t even realize it. So having gone through that battle and overcoming it tells me I was put on earth for this. I give thanks for health and strength and the fact that I found that being healthy is the best decision I have ever made. I looked in the mirror and said to myself that I cannot do this anymore. I was very depressed for those couple of years, very different from what I knew and was used to. So yes, I have been through the struggle of weight loss and I am here as a beacon of hope for people who may be going through a similar struggle. It’s important for people to know that you do not need these diet pills, these crash diets. Getting healthy comes with consistency. Maliika: Would you mind sharing your battle with obesity, after growing up living a healthy lifestyle? Kamila: I grew up in a Rastafarian family. That means as a Rastafarian you embrace a healthy lifestyle. As a youth I was lucky to have parents who raised me in that livity. Rastafari is a lifestyle. My siblings and I were blessed with that opportunity and we didn’t think about it as youths because our parents prepared good ital food and kept us involved in activities like gymnastics and the swim team. I was very active as a child and teenager. I then went to a pre-college program in Norway and that is where I became unhealthy. I became pre-diabetic. I went thru a very difficult struggle because I became a prisoner in my own body. I was raised in a healthy way of life; then leaving home for the first time, had a profound effect on me. When you start making decisions for yourself the stress can lick you. Just think you are away at college and you are striving to do your best, somehow I lost myself in the process a little bit. For the first time I became to realize that I didn’t know what was healthy vs. unhealthy because I grew up that way naturally. Having gone away to an environment where it’s minus 20 degrees, freezing cold, away from my land of birth, the land of sunshine, I stayed indoors and hid from the cold, and the pounds just piled on as a result. It is just so easy. When you’re going thru it, you don’t really realize what is happening to you. That was the moment of truth for me. It was a very difficult couple of years. It was probably at my lowest point of my life but I feel like going through that Special Edition 4/20/2015 Maliika: Consistency is a powerful word. Kamila: Yes people think consistency means that we have to wait until Monday. That they have to have something written down and must follow it starting that next Monday. But the key is to make little changes and incorporate those changes into your life until it becomes consistent. I do not believe you have to completely overhaul everything at once because look, we are only human. I mean I allow myself two cheat meals a week. For those meals I throw all of my rules out of the window because you have to have balance. So if you know you want to have cheesecake, you can still have it, just plan for it in advance. For the rest of that week stay on your plan PAGE 42 www.island-stage.com Island Stage Magazine then when the weekend comes plan a little treat for yourself but go back on your plan. Make sure your plate is full of vegetables. Incorporate fruit into your plan but limit it because remember fruits have sugar. Be careful with a daily high consumption of fruit. Remember that all carbs are not bad, just stay away from processed foods. It’s the processed foods that are killing us right now. To see all of my hard work and contributions is a benefit for me. To see something that I designed being used by people in countries like Trinidad, Zimbabwe, and France means a lot to me. That to me is a measure of success. Maliika: What message do you have for women who find it hard to just get started, who find it hard to get off the couch? Diabetes is the number one killer in the world. Why is it that people that are 30, 40, 50 years old are dying of Diabetes? This used to be a disease that grandparents, people of older generations deal with, Hypertension & High Blood Pressure as well. You have younger people dying of heart attacks. We all need to embrace a healthy way of living, of finding that right balance. It’s not about fitting in that bikini, it’s about survival. It’s about living to your full potential because if you are not waking up energized and you’re sluggish during the day you are not living. You are cheating yourself. It’s important to realize that you are meant for greatness on this earth. It’s important to live your life balanced. It doesn’t mean cutting out foods for good all the time, it means balance. Kamila: You have to honor yourself. We all have a mission on earth. What is our purpose? You know deep down inside if you are not living to your full potential and so much of that is health. We are all here to find our purpose in life, meanwhile we know deep down we are not living to our full potential. That should be the drive to get up off the couch. We are all meant to just live life. Why be mediocre when we are meant to be our very best. You know you cannot be your very best if you are not feeling confident about yourself. We all hear the voice inside of us, calling us to be the very best we can be. When you hear that voice get up off the couch and be the very best you can be. The easy thing to do is to stay on that couch. Don’t limit yourself. We only have one life to live so why live it in a mediocre way. What legacy do you want to leave for your children, grandchildren? What amazing things are you dreaming? You can be super amazing when you are healthy. Maliika: Thank you. I love that you released your workout program, The 10 Pound Pledge. How has the program been received so far? Kamila: It’s been great. I put my heart and soul into this product because it’s a culmination of all of the things I have learned and experienced to not only help myself through, but others as well. There are many reasons why we can’t get ourselves healthy or can’t get fit. We feel we are too tired or too broke, but getting healthy is the ultimate solutions to those problems. It doesn’t take a lot of your time. Maliika: I hear what you’re saying. We have to take care of our bodies and love ourselves from the inside. The Ten Pound Pledge is going well because it’s changing people’s lives. People are becoming healthier and that was the purpose of the program. Special Edition 4/20/2015 PAGE 43 www.island-stage.com Island Stage Magazine Kamila: You know I’m a very spiritual person. I recently watched a video where the person was stating that we need to let go of our addictions because we love ourselves. We also have to forgive ourselves. We hold on to so much from the past. Especially women, sometimes we hold on to so much and then look for ways to heal that may not be the best for us. We are our own worst critics. Let go of that anger, of that resentment. Live in the moment and love yourself. Maliika: It’s important for us to feel we are worthy of freedom from anger and self-hate. We have to feel we are worthy. Kamila: Yes, each and every one of us is worthy. We are beautiful creatures of God. We all need to love and respect our bodies in order to live to our full potential. Maliika: What else is in store for you? People know you in Jamaica but I would love to see you have more exposure outside of Jamaica as well. Kamila: Yes I plan to travel more internationally because I want to share my story. I want to inspire people all over the world to live the life that they deserve. That’s what I feel like I was put on earth to do. Take the #10PoundPledge: Special Edition 4/20/2015 PAGE 44 www.island-stage.com Rick Long © Daniel Serrette Island Stage Magazine Rick Long Fashion Week, for designer, Adrian Alicea. He was also selected as one of the models for Circle of Sisters. He also dances and performs for different artists on the road, as well as providing choreography for concert or show stage sets. 2013 proved to be a big year for him, because he was selected as one of the 20 principal choreographers for Carnival Choreographers Ball in New York City in the April and November shows. Only a handful of working choreographers are chosen, and very few have been selected in back to back shows. In his spare time, Rick teaches swim and dance class to autistic and special needs children. Choreographer, Dancer, Model, Actor With dance roots originating from Broadway Dance Center, in New York City, Rick Long has extensive training in the dance arts. Rick specializes in Dancehall, Jazz, and Hip Hop styles. He has studied with the most notable choreographers, ranging from the likes of the recently late, Frank Hatchett (legendary Jazz Choreographer) to Wade Robinson (extraordinary Hip Hop Choreographer). He is passionate about dance, because it’s in his DNA, “It’s in my blood”, he has stated. He was born into dance. It’s like part of his culture. His mother, as well as many elders in his family, are all dancers. It just seems natural. Rick Long has performed in over 50 major cities, some of which are international. He has danced and choreographed for artist like Lisa Lisa, and Daddy Yankee. He has performed on the same stage for Salt-N-Pepa, Trey Songz, and SWV just to name a few. Rick Long was also in Step Up 3D, the Movie. In May 2014, Rick’s Dancehall Explosion dance class, was one of near 80 dance groups that performed on the New York City parade strip for Dance Parade NYC. The parade ended in Tompkins Square Park. He was one of seven dance instructors selected to perform a 1-minute routine at the Parade Grandstand press box with his group of dancers, and teach a 30-minute Dancehall Reggae workshop at the Teaching Stage. Rick was the only Dancehall Reggae group, at Dance Parade NYC. His Dancehall Reggae workshop had a couple hundred people in attendance, making his workshop, one with the largest turnout. He recently modeled at Harlem Week at Grant’s Tomb and taught a Dancehall Reggae workshop at Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival’s Family FunZONE. Grace’s Jerk Festival has over 23,000 people in attendance. Rick’s workshop gave a fun option to families that were there to enjoy the concerts and the food festival. Rick is also a resident judge at The Gifted Showcase, a talent competition in New York City. As a choreographer, Rick’s style can be described as sensually artistic, yet with a smooth groove and a Caribbean swagger. If you ever have the opportunity to work with Rick Long, or ever see him choreograph a dance segment or piece, you will find it to be quite unique and creative; a magical mantra, if you will. It is always radiant, filled with precision steps, and is lined with a kaleidoscope of fluidity. When asked what about dance motivates him, his response is simple, “Dancing makes me tick, because it has always put me in a joyful place, and it constantly reminds me to sustain confidence in myself. I have complete control over it, and peace of mind”. Currently, Rick Long teaches his Dancehall Reggae dance class, entitled “Dancehall Explosions” at Pearl and Ripley Grier Studios. He also teaches at David Barton’s exclusive fitness gyms in New York City. Rick was recently selected as one of the models for 2013 New York Special Edition 4/20/2015 Island Stage: What got you started in dancing? RL: I won a major annual talent show “Hartford Heads Held High”, when I was in High School. The show was in Hartford, CT. Island Stage: Who has Inspired You? PAGE 46 www.island-stage.com Island Stage Magazine RL: My Uncle, the late Frank Hatchett, who was a choreographer and my mentor. He was legendary. My mom is a huge inspiration as well. She was also a dancer, and she is my biggest fan. won “Hartford Heads Held High”. We went from there to the Apollo to compete. Island Stage: Who are your favorite Dancehall artists? RL: I loved Patra in the 90’s. My other favorites are Mr. Vegas, Bounty Killa, Konshens, and Shaggy. Island Stage: What do you love about performing onstage? RL: I have had the opportunity of performing with different celebrity music artists, and what I love most is the adrenaline rush that I get when I can look out in the audience and see people reacting to what I love to do. It’s a great feeling to see hundreds and thousands of people pleased and happy, reacting to my talent as a dancer. Island Stage: When did you know that Dancehall would be your dance specialty? RL: My favorite genre of music is 90’s R&B and 90’s Dancehall. I trained in different dance styles; Ballet, African, Jazz and Hip Hop, but naturally felt more connected to Dancehall. It was something my family and my classmates listened to, and so did I. I grew up in a city that was heavily infused with West Indian cultures, predominantly Jamaican. I lived in Hawaii for several years but my foundation of Dancehall and love of it came from my experiences in Hartford. Island Stage: Who are a few artists you would love to work with and why? RL:I would like to work with Shaggy because he is an artist that was around when I was a kid growing up and to this day he’s very relevant. Shaggy introduced my dance group at Carnival Choreographers Ball in New York City 2013, and it was amazing, I truly love his music. I would love to work with Mr. Vegas because he has such a great body of work, and he’s an artist with high energy songs. Working with him is a dream of mine. Lastly, Konshens. He has a huge fan base that is not just in the US, but in Japan, Guyana and Europe and he has perfected what dancehall music lovers want to dance to. I would also love to dance with a couple mainstream artists like Ginuine and Usher. Island Stage: Did you ever dance in a group? RL: Yes, twice. The “Hit Squad” which was a 15 person step team. From there I formed a dance group together with my two cousins called the “Nasty Boyz”, and it was with this group that I Special Edition 4/20/2015 PAGE 47 www.island-stage.com Island Stage would like to thank the following people. Without their contributions, this issue would not have been possible. Sista Irie Lloyd Stanbury Reggae Robin Empress K - Reggae Reflection Maliika Walker Kizzy Riske