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Courtesy of Rebelution
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A band out of Isla Vista, Santa Barbara could do the cliché thing and start making surf music or sunny pop, but the boys of Rebelution chose instead to make reggae—laid-back music with a social conscious. The band's first full-length album Courage to Grow (June 2007) reached number 4 on the Billboard Top Reggae charts.
They recently started their own label, 87 Music, and released Peace of Mind, their third studio album and a triple LP. There's a straightforward studio version of their songs, an acoustic album and a dub album. They also made their first music video for their single, “Sky is the Limit.”
Lead singer Eric Rachmany, keyboardist Rory Carey, bass player Marley D. Williams, and drummer Wesley Finley will perform at the Pageant this Friday March 23. Can’t make it? The guys will be live streaming their concert the next day and all proceeds go to the charity of your choice. St. Louis Magazine caught up with keyboardist Rory Carey and talked to him about breaking his knee, living with his band mates and if white guys can play reggae (Answer: Most definitely).
St. Louis Magazine: Why Reggae?
Rory Carey: We all grew up listening to music other than reggae and I think we all found it at different times in our lives, some in high school and some of us in college, and it just kind of felt like a common ground.
SLM: What were you like in high school? What kind of clique did you hang out with?
RC: I was big into skateboarding growing up. I grew up in San Diego and there’s such a big skate scene down here. Tony Hawk went to my junior high.
SLM: Did you know anyone who knew him?
RC: No, he’s much older than me. But in this area in San Diego skateboarding is really developed. A lot of the pros are around and it’s really inspiring to get out there and skate.
SLM: Did you ever think about going pro?
RC: It was my dream for years. But I broke too many bones. After I broke my knee when I was 16, I realized it’s kind of tough on the body.
SLM: How did you break your knee?
RC: I tried rolling off a roof.
SLM: Yikes!
RC: Not the smartest idea, looking back.
SLM: Did someone record it on video?
RC: Actually I do have it on video.
SLM: Do you ever watch it?
RC: It’s been a little while. It brings back a lot of pain.
SLM: What was Rebelution’s first show like?
RC: It was in Isla Vista, a college town in Santa Barbara that’s a beachside community, and it’s the kind of place where bands set up their stuff in people’s back yards or on the street and hundreds of people will basically come out and check ‘em out. And so we just kind of threw a party and everyone came out.
SLM: You started your own record label?
RC: Yeah, 87 Music [pronounced: eight seven]. It’s part of the address of the apartment we all lived in during college, so it’s actually where the first Rebelution show ever was: 6587 Del Playa. We always called it the 87.
SLM: Isn’t it harder to make music through your own label?
RC: If you have a record label they’re going to have input and might tell you how they want stuff to sound. We were never really into that. We want to stay ourselves and play our own style. Plus, these days it seems it’s not even necessary with the whole Facebook, free media, social websites where people can just find the music anyways.
SLM: Where did you film your video “Sky’s the Limit"?
RC: We filmed most of it in Santa Barbara. It was really paying homage to where the band started. Our bass player Marley [Williams] was really involved in the production and idea of it. He was a film major at UC-Santa Barbara.
SLM: Why did you release the acoustic and dub triple album?
RC: We thought it was a cool idea. It had been a couple years since the last album came out, and we really wanted to bring something big to the table.
SLM: Do you remember the last time you played here?
RC: Yeah, last winter we came out and headlined [at the Pageant]. It was a really good show. It was a Monday night, and we’d had to reschedule cause we were stuck in snow in Kansas for a few days and we barely made it in. But a good amount of people came out.
SLM: Do you guys still live together?
RC: No, we did till just recently. I lived with Eric [Rachmany] and Marley for a couple years. We had a house in Santa Barbara downtown.
SLM: And that wasn’t hard seeing them all the time?
RC: People asked us that a lot, “How do you guys live together? You live together on the road anyways.” But we’re pretty good friends.
SLM: Do you get a lot of flack for playing reggae?
RC: Yes and no... I’d say more no. What do you mean exactly?
SLM: Cause you don’t look like [pause] stereotypical reggae artists, I guess.
RC: My biggest response to that is Bob Marley, one of the creators of reggae music, was half white. He was half black and half white. The whole race thing is thrown out just by that fact alone. So no, I don’t see any problem with what color your skin is or where you’re from. Reggae really is the most universal music I’ve ever encountered. People that don’t even know the language can still feel the vibe of the music.
