Everton Blender Interview WESU 88.1 FM, Middletown, Connecticut March 2, 1996 Mikey: Last week I promised you that we'll be doing a live linkup with Everton Blender in Jamaica. Everton Blender are you there? Everton Blender: Yeah, greetings in the name of the King, Hail Selassie I Rastafari, ever faithful ever sure. Mikey: Everton Blender, it's a pleasure to have you here, and you are one of Jamaica's top artists on the reggae scene at this time. Everton Blender, what actually brought you to reggae music? EB: Right now a just consciousness brought I to reggae music, and music is a thing whey is an inborn consciousness, it has to be within you. Especially to deal with it the right way, the cultural way. ‘Cause when you deal with culture, most people don't want to hear the culture. When you want to hear certain little things you know, by certain artists and what have you, I don't really want to call any names. But right now I like how the vibes really a move and them seeing that we're really not wasting our time. We're doing the right things that we're supposed to do. Teaching the people and teaching the kids. Mikey: I know you're a family man. Is there sometimes a strain on your family when you're on tour, lets say in England, in Canada in New York and so on? EB: No, no strain, them really understand. True a long time we've been in the business suffering from grass roots. So them kinda set themselves a way and we measure out, and weigh and know how to really get along with it. Mikey: If you've just tuned in to us, we're talking to Everton Blender, and he's live in Jamaica as we speak. At twenty minutes before six, on WESU in Middletown. Blender you came out with a single entitled "Piece A De Blender" and you mentioned some of the hardships you went through, throughout the early days on your career and that you did a couple of shows and you didn't get paid. Do you want to let the public know about those earlier days of your career? EB: Yeah, like one time gone ago, when me used to sing at dancehall and them thing deh, and man used to invite yuh at them stage show. Them never used to give yuh any money. True me used to love the business, and me tell myself that me have to reach somewhere in the business one of these fine days. So what I did was walk from Lionel Town to Gimebit and from Gimebit to Lionel Town. I'm forty, yeah a far man, and yeah it's like me waan drop down and I have my family to feed, and me waan drop down fi real man. After me done walk and me know say me nuh have nuh money and me have me family to feed. But me did know say one day things a go be alright, and just juggle with it still. Mikey: What was the inspiration behind "Lift Up Your Head", its been getting a whole leap of air-play in the US? EB: It's like management know the versatility within me, and them just come together and we just do a thing, and here what the different sound would like, and what it would do. We arrange it and check out the different styles. It's a nice vibe, me know say it was going to take off unto the world, ‘cause anything we do never really just take off just like that before, but slowly but surely. Mikey: What do you consider to be the highlight of your career at this time, whether it be a particular performance at a show or a tune? EB: At this time, me would really like to know say the music business to really continue the same way. We don't want the music to die out, we want to know say good things to keep coming. Mikey: What do you consider to be the main root of the problems of violence in Jamaica, and the involvement of youths in violence? EB: Nuff people caan bear hungry and dem things deh. Yuh have fi can bear hungry and bear yuh wants, and bear yuh needs until it come. ‘Cause it's like a test. Most of the youths out deh now just want to do a one tune and bust, and get everything wha dem want. It's not so it go. It's not everything that's glitter and gold. Music is not a bed of roses. Some people see the music and believe it's a bed of roses, it's not a bed of roses. Mikey: Do you see the artists having a commitment to reggae music, like the commitment that you have? Do you see that commitment in the artists today? EB: Well Jah did show yuh say yuh have to make the weet and tail stay until the day of harvest. Because you can see a man and say it nuh in a him, and in a years time yuh hear it coming out of him. Just what we have to do is relax, and see who a go come from who naw come. You will know. When him see you, him would gwaan as though him interested, when yuh eye focus pon him. But when yuh leave him for a couple of minutes or for a couple of days, him gone and yuh won't see him again. Mikey: Is there a particular process that you utilize to develop the lyrics for your songs? EB: Well we just meditate, and a vibe just come to us, or we just sit in and bring tune from scratch without melodies or anything, and melodies come to you later. Sometimes you have to build melodies by yourself. Sometimes the melodies come to you. Sometimes a song will take you two or three years to come about, sometimes it can you a week or a month, or months. It all depends on what type of lyrics it is. Short Break Mikey: Welcome to WESU. We have Everton Blender live and direct, and he's in Clarendon, Jamaica. It's ten minutes before six. We have re-established the link with Everton Blender. So Blender. EB: Me deh yah same way. Mikey: Who do you consider to be a true Rastafarian? Some people wear dread locks for style. EB: Me is a youth wha a say Rastafari from grass roots, when nutting naw gwaan. Nuff a dem man a say Rastafari when something a gwaan. Like a bandwagon thing. Just like Jah carry me different from other man. Me a praise Jah Hail Selasse I from me a suffera when nothing naw gwaan, and people say nothing naw come of you because Selasse is your God and nothing naw come out of your God, and your God naw go help you. Me never give up faith, Jah always watch out. Him judge us by our integrity. So if him know that your mind is not clean, him just know how fi deal with everyone. Every man fruits a ripe, but you can see one man fruits a ripe different. Now how can fi him fruits grow different. It's like you have two men who plant greens, and yours grow fresher than fi him all the time. He wants to know how yours grow differently from his. It's just the integrity. Mikey: You mentioned that in the early days when you performed on a show, that you were not paid. Is that a trend in the business. EB: The other day I was a dance with some other artists, and you have some prentice. And when the prentice were on stage, you have the people disrespecting them and act as though them nuh waan hear them. So we just walk away. The people didn't hear us sing, we just go home. Them don't know why we go home, we just go home. We a show them say a so we used to stay, and nobody wanted to see us or pay us until we burst out big. But one time gwaan when nothing naw gwaan. We say give the prentice a blie and pay respect to them until the bigger artist come on stage. The youths must get a blie, especially when them a deal with something positive. Sometimes you see a youth, and you tell him that yuh a go do a show, and yuh tell him fi do a one tune before yuh come on, and when him do that one song, it's like him want to flop yuh when him a talk bout skull have to bore, and you don't want to take the mike. You don't want to give the mike to someone whose going to sing them things. But me really want to know where you stand and know yuh vibes and integrity before yuh come on stage with me before you flop me. "Cause me deh pon a high level right now, just me and Jah a coordinate. No one else can pull up that now. Mikey: You mentioned slackness, an artist has said to me that the people demand slackness, and that's why they do that. What's your feelings on that? EB: No, you don't give the people what them suppose to get. You don't give the people what them tell you them want. If them tell you that them want rubbish, are you going to give them rubbish? No man! If the people tell you that them want rubbish, you know say them nuff fi get rubbish. Them fi get good things fi keep them internal and external clean. For the next 20, 30, 40 years people are getting along on that positive vibes, and their children's children still living on that positive vibes. Never to fail, always righteousness. That's what we're working for. Mikey: If you've just joined us, we're talking to Everton Blender and he's live and direct in Clarendon, Jamaica. We've been getting a lot of snow around these parts. What's the weather in Clarendon? EB: It kind a look bleaky still. Mikey: I would prefer bleaky weather instead of 20 degree weather and 5 inches of snow. EB: And look here, me waan you big up bunjin and bobby from Connecticut. Them youth a me brethren and flex with me from grass roots. When nothing naw gwaan them man come from Connecticut and come a Jamaica and mek sure say me have food. We love them youth. Mikey: We're almost out of time, you want to big up the listeners in Connecticut before you go? EB: Yeah man. Big up all the listeners in a Connecticut from Everton Blender. Let Jah protect the I them whether oonuh coming in or going out from this time forth. Even for iba more, Selassie I Jah Rastafari protect oonuh. The young the old the disabled and each and everyone, the kids wha nuh born yet. Big up man, and guidance and protection to each and everyone. Also the I and the empress wha work inside the place, and management. Mikey: It's a pleasure. EB: Yeah man. Respect ------------------------------------------------------------- |Reggae Rock Irie Jam - Greater Hartford Reggae | |WESU 88.1 FM http://www.nai.net/~reggaerk | |Sat. 5-8pm | |Middletown, CT Reggae Ambassadors Worldwide Member 613 | |***********************************************************| |Unified Broadcasters Association 800-960-8605 (Voice Mail)| |P.O. Box 4481, Hartford, CT 06147-4481 | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~