Taj Weekes and Adowa, Reggae Artist Set to Take the Stage at RockStock ‘09

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Interview by: Michael Staton

Taj Weekes is faced with quite the predicament. Being compared to Bob Marley after releasing only two albums is kind of like an aspiring painter being compared to Picasso at his very first art exhibition—it’s a lot of pressure. However, this pressure doesn't seem to phase Weekes; in fact, he acts very Bob Marley-ish about things, for lack of a better comparison.

Here at Industry, we're gearing up for September's Rockstock festival in a big way, so we thought we'd find out more about what the festival's only reggae artist was all about. It turns out Weekes is about two things above all else.

"It's edutainment," Weekes said, "It’s all about the music and the message. We want to entertain you and make you dance but we want you to hear the message at the same time." Weekes' songs focus on several topics such as famine, war and the environment. Weekes said he would never sit down to write a song about the plight of children lost in civilization, but due to his constant thought on the state of humanity, a song like "Orphans Cry" emerges onto the page.

Weekes said this obsession with sending a message began when he first started listening to music. Weekes was raised in St. Lucia and listened to anything he could find. According to Weekes, St. Lucia contained a large cross section of music that came from radios and tape decks. He spent his time soaking up the sounds of The Rolling Stones and Merle Haggard before he began composing calypso music at the age of eleven.

Weekes said his spirit led him to something more from music. He felt writing songs with a purpose—whether that is to change or inform—was the right way to go. "While I’m still alive, there will always be war on this Earth," Weekes said, "So when I write something the socially conscious aspect has got to come out. It's simple: we don't love each other like we love ourselves, lack of love leads to selfishness and then things just get worse from there."

Weekes describes the music he produces along with his band, Adowa, as organic music with classic reggae styles thrown in with their modern tendencies. Weekes said he doesn't care what kind of music comes out so long as it's good music, which is why he's glad to be a part of the upcoming RockStock09 festival despite being the only reggae artist involved.

Weeks and the band will perform old and new songs, such as "Angry Language," "Dark Clouds," and "Life." He likes to vary the pace of the show with fast and slow songs with an occasional lone acoustic set thrown in to take the energy down a notch.

While Weekes spends most of his time in the Northeast and California, he is more than happy to venture to South Carolina in September. He feels that no matter where a person lives, they could all use some of the product he’s selling.

"When you sell your music live, that instant reaction is the greatest thing in the world," Weekes said, "The vibe is everywhere and the intention is to make it spread as far and as wide as possible."