Greetings. Here's is the Steel Pulse interview recorded in 1995. I hope you enjoy it. STEEL PULSE INTERVIEW, 3/1/95 Facilitated by "Uncle Stew" & Bana Devi, in Seattle, Washington DAVID HINDS, Lead Vocals and Guitar. Q: Every time you have come back (to Seattle), I thought you mashed it up like the one time at the Paramount, which I remember in particular. David: That's the place! I couldn't remember! Q: That's when I met your son Baruch (Blessed). How old is Baruch? David: He will be twelve in two months. Q: We were speaking with Selwyn . . .You were thinking about making some moves to South America. Some new tours? David: Yeah, there's talks of doing that. We did a tour of South America June or July of last year during their winter period, and the reception was ecstatic. We really felt excited about the reception, it was the first time in Brazil, and we never imagined anybody to be that familiar with us. For the mere fact that we took so long to get to Brazil. What I liked more than anything else was when they said, 'You're the best reggae band that came down, that would come down here.' And, that was good enough for me! That was good enough for me! Yeah, so we shall return. Q: What are the most important lessons that you have learned recently. And, what are the most important books that you read recently? You deal with music, but I want to deal with the whole person. David: Books! My books and my interest in books vary according to what moods I'm in. I get mood swings--it goes according to what society has to offer, what I'm, you know, obviously it's got mixed moods. . .What I found interesting for my career was reading the books of other musicians, you know, Marvin Gaye's book, Tina Turner's book, Ray Charles' book, just to name a few. And, I was interested in their life. What interested me more was in the way they handled their business. And you know, Ray Charles fascinated me a great deal. And, so did Michael Jackson to be honest with you. Then I'll read the odd novel now and again. Last novel I read was The Client, John Grishman is the author for that. Q: I see you have Richard Wright's book? (Black Boy which was the basis for the book Native Son, Richard Wright's most famous book.) David: Yeah, I read this. Someone I met last night sort of gave me that. What I'm reading right now is O J's book. You know, it's an issue I think we're addressing right now. Q: All the ugly aspects of American society are prismed in that trial. David: Yes, it is. I'm reading this book, the trial has been a focal point for me--and it's maybe one of the reasons why I came back and did this tour here in February. Because it's a focal point for me. I say it's because it's going to be interesting to see what happens here with a black man that has so much money. You see what I'm saying. I think that I'm measuring American society on how this case goes. To see how Afro Americans or any minorities in this country are going to be handled. I think it's all based on how this trial--the outcome of this trial. There it is, someone we know who's got a lot of credibility and has a lot of finance, well to a point, more credibility than finance. And it will be interesting to see how it goes on that merit alone. And, that's why I'm sort--I think Raging Heart is his next book that's been out there. I want to be reading that. I'll do that when I'm on an European leg. But, like I said, I have had my fair share of books from certain activists like Kwame Nkrumah's . . . Q: Consciencism. David: Malcom X's autobiography, yes. J.A. Rogers who wrote Sex and Race and the Hundred Amazing Facts About the Negro. I've been through all that kind of drilling . . . like I said, current issues and you know just see what other people are about, as far as books, you know, affairs. Q: What is the most important reasoning for musical progress, mainly for the youth musicians. What should they check for in order to progress? David: First thing I honestly think, obviously, as far as first things first is total commitment, dedication and being original . . .won't go miss either, I mean, you could follow the trend when you sort of go along with what's out there. But when you're original, you stick around for a long time. When you go with the trend, it becomes a fad, and fad always fades. You know it's like clothing, it's material. But, when you're original, there's a lot of sincerity behind it. And, since you want to be original you got to be dedicated to it. And, since you're dedicated, for some reason, dedication is always heartfelt after a while. Certain people always tend to gravitate toward something that's heartfelt eventually. It takes a while, you know. Sometimes it takes your last few days on the earth to be accepted and appreciated. When your original work, when it does come true, it comes true and it shines above all the fads' short lived fame. Q: I have some musical questions for you about the band. In talking with Selwyn I asked him about having a full horn section, whereas he used to have to play the horns and now he can play the bubble and play other instruments. And, the fact that somewhere you have made the decision that you will carry a full horn section rather than, like many bands, try to make do with the keyboard. David: That's the problem. That's the difference between Steel Pulse and many other bands because I believe in trying to be authentic. We deviated a few years ago whether that was because of what was happening in the market. And we, like I said, we were trying to follow the trend. But in all honesty, I always prefer to have real horns as opposed to the keyboards playing samples or playing something synthetic. It means less money in our pockets, but I prefer going out there and be happy with my sound as opposed to going out there trying to rake in the odd thousand dollars every tour for the sake of . . . and then shortchanging the people--not really hearing as something could sound. So we care about our sound. Even to the extent when we do get the advances from record companies for studio work, we very rarely see anything of it--all that goes directly to the album. Because we are so concerned about getting the sound that we want and coming over the way we want that, you know, we walk empty-pockets. Because of that. Q: I also wanted to ask you about the new relationship with Grizzly. He plays traps sometimes, sometimes he plays percussion. And, the newer brother you have in the band changes with him on certain songs. How is that working? David: That's working pretty well and it wasn't as difficult that I thought it was when the initial idea was suggested. It was a lot easier for the fact that the new musician, Kelly, came from the ghetto. He was actually raised on my doorstep. So he was already into the Steel Pulse vibe. You know, in all honesty I think he knows the lyrics of the songs better than any of the other band members. I'm sure he knows the lyrics of the songs better than Grizzly does. So he's been familiar with Steel Pulse's vibe from jump, not only to the music but the whole vibe up and the cat up individuals, and the way we think is someone from the ghetto. So he easily adapted immediately. You know, he's a bit fuzzy around the edges when it comes to traveling because he's not that experienced because he's from the ghetto. So he's getting out there now and he's opening up. He is a younger soul than Grizzly, and we thought it was necessary to bring him in for the newer songs. And, that's the reason for him being there. And, we thought it was necessary to stay modern and stay contemporary and that's why I brought him in -- as opposed to getting someone else from another area, we decided to get someone that was from the ghetto so the pulse vibe is still there. He was there when we actually formed, just that at that time, he was just a kid. And, when we selected him, we selected him for that matter at the time, but you know he is easily adjusted--it's easy for him to do that. Q: Bana Devi spent time in Dominica, Martinique, St. Croix, and I spend time in Belize every year. The song Islands Unite, that song: Can you speak to that--I mean the song says many things. David: It says many things. The inspiration of that song, I'd say, came when we actually traveled to an island called New Caledonia. And, we've been to various islands throughout the world. We've been to La Reunion, in the Indian Ocean; we've been to a few of the Pacific islands, Guam, Hawaii! We've been to most of the islands in Hawaii, most of the islands in the Caribbean. And, what we've realized that there the colonialism played a very detrimental part in the existence of the people. You know in some way or the other there is always a sect or a section of people on the islands that are appalled with the way the imperialist countries, the countries that owned them or did own them, you know, the part they played. We realized that the gravitation in the relationship these islands had and what kept them together as an island, was in the reggae music. So we thought it was important to put this song, Islands Unite, out there. But, the catalyst for that song, like I said, came in New Caledonia. It was an island that was French oriented in the Pacific and generally it's black people--they are the majority of the island and they aren't happy with the French occupying the island. You know, in the general consensus that, "we want our island back." There weren't thrown into slavery like the Caribbean islands were, you know, they weren't taken from Africa and brought to Martinique, brought to Guadelupe, St. Lucia, Jamaica, and all that. It wasn't quite like that with them. But, their island was occupied by the French in the mid or the early eighteen hundreds. And, they still have a lot of rituals that they perform there, they've got tribes there, and they are appalled in the way the French just came and just took their island--the way they did. So they want their island back. So this is why I come in with the second verse "Christopher Columbus and a Captain Cook, pirates of the oceans, glorified, written in your books, they didn't know that dis here music (which is the reggae music) would help us find our way. It's the source that makes us one, pumping through our veins, unite all the islands, unite." And, you know, I think if the islands, especially Caribbean, became a unit, then I think they would have all the imperialist countries, and all the European countries that have prospered because it was off cheap labor that many countries like the United States and England, and France, and some other few Holland, became countries as we know them today. It was off cheap labor and a lot of these still maintain off cheap labor because it was only until recently--well it still happens, I mean, a lot of the products that are produced in the Caribbean are still gotten a hold of pretty cheap. When it comes to the imperialist and colonial countries. So that was my reason for writing Islands Unite, and I thought it was necessary. And I recently received a letter from someone from, I think it was St. Lucia or was it the Virgin Islands, someone from one of those islands that mentioned something about the French (between them and the Japanese) there trying to relocate nuclear waste from their shores to the Caribbean and it was important that song came out. He's going to use as a focal point to bring to the attention to the rest of the islands as to what is happening as far as the Caribbean, which is about to be flooded with nuclear waste and what can become of their economy then, 'cause you know, the economy has been boosted because of tourism. And if tourism is the main economy there or the main source for generating money there, what is going to become of tourism if the shores of various islands are going to be contaminated with nuclear waste, which we know a lot of the African shores are like. You know, a lot of African countries gladly took the money for waste to be deposited on their shores, not realizing the bigger picture in the long run. You know, African being, you know a lot of the countries being depraved when it comes to finance. You know, they are very short sighted to what can happen to them in years to come. So that's my reason for Islands Unite. Q: One more question: This magazine, Forward, this interview will appear in is a Rasta owned business, ok? There's a Rasta lawyer, a Rasta who is a visual artist, and an Ethiopian . . . David: Born in Ethiopia? Q: Yes, born in Ethiopia. And, I am a staff writer for them. But, I own my own book publishing company. When the brethren said they wanted to step Forward, so I am stepping Forward with them shoulder to shoulder. Do you have anything to say about responsibility as Africans in business enterprises where you have had some many experiences with European club owners and promoters, all sorts of Babylonian business. The African has a certain responsibility. . . David: Well, it's hard for me to answer that particular type of question because it all depends on the business, it depends on the attitude toward the business. In general, first to survive out there in business you got to be thoroughly educated on what you're going to be, on what you're about to launch as a business. Unfortunately, I don't think there's enough business out there wherein black people, black corporations as it should, and you know, as far as my standpoint, from my viewpoint, I really wish when it came to record companies. For example, you know, take Motown, it could have been a black corporation that was there to generate the reggae music or the dancehall music, or the ethnic music or what other category they could put it under. And we wouldn't have to be bowing to these corporations that are out there in America. Because on that basis alone, where the reggae music has suffered, and has suffered to the extent where we watch MTV and we watch a lot of acts that are out there, but none of them are coming through as reggae in the music industry on a great label in its purest sense. And, I think it's because the music still isn't being respected by the corporate world in America, and it still isn't represented in its true sense. You know, it's still going out there with a hip hop groove. You know, when Maxi Priest came with his claim to fame a few years ago, Closer to You, it was a R&B track. And that was proven when he became a big entity as a reggae artist, but the album never got nominated as a reggae album. You know old Maxi Priest was never seen as a reggae artist. Because the track, what he was known for, his claim for fame, wasn't exactly reggae. And that was the only way he could have get his claim to fame was not come through as a reggae artist. Shabba Ranks the same thing, we always got Shabba Ranks in the tip of our tongue, oh he made it and all that kind of stuff. But every record Shabba Ranks has put out that is a hit, mainstream music, CH radio or alternative music, or mainstream whatever. Hasn't come as reggae through in its pure sense, or dancehall in its pure sense. You know, Family Affair, and everything else, House Call, has got a hip hop beat to it. So as far as the corporations, I really wish that there was a Black corporation out there governing reggae music. Then we wouldn't have to be at the mercy of these people and you know, our music wouldn't be censored when it comes to our lyrics because Steel Pulse is, hasn't really been heard on a fantastic level. Also we would have been playing in a stadium here in Seattle as opposed to the club we performed at last night. And, that's what I'm talking about. You see what I'm saying. You know, unfortunately, or fortunately, if we do manage to play in Seattle on hit stadiums ten thousand or so, we would be behind a larger act, opening for a larger act. But, you know that's what I'm talking about. Hip hop music managed to survive because of the little independent labels--they are already in America and America know what the deal is with their music. But there's still learning to be absorbed when it comes to reggae music. And, if they are Black Americans out there, they need to have a fuller understanding of the music, you know, to invest in it. But that's my scenario of what we have experienced in any way. Q: Thank you, David. Give thanks and praise to the Most High. David: You had some interesting questions. You're the only one who's had an interview from me in the whole tour. You know, I wasn't bothered with any of the interviews. On this tour.