Taj Weekes - Roots Reggae Musician, Songwriter, Poet, Humanitarian

Sunday

21Feb2010

Deidem - Taj Weekes and Adowa

AIR CARAIBES MAGAZINE

Award du meilleur album reggae 2009

Taj naît et vit son enfance à Sainte-Lucie. La musique était omniprésente dans sa famille, où il est le plus jeune parmi 10 enfants. A 5 ans, Taj chante à l’église et à 9 ans, il forme un groupe avec son frère, jouant dans les shows locaux, les salles et les paroisses de Sainte-Lucie. Mais un peu plus tard, Taj décide de quitter son île « chérie », trop petite pour ses ambitions et vivre de sa musique, pour les Etats-Unis. Il forme son groupe Taj and Adowa et la compagnie multi-média : Jatta Entertainment. Le groupe sort un premier album, Hope & Doubt, déjà très bien accueilli par les critiques, puis Deidem qui reçoit l’Award du meilleur album reggae 2009 par l'industrie de la musique indépendante "Just Plain Folk" (JPF) à Nashville, Tennessee, aux Etats-Unis le 29 Août 2009... La musique de Taj défie les catégories, un amalgame entre le reggae « roots » avec une touche d’afro folk, de rock et de jazz… Taj Weekes est un poète qui observe le monde, avec tendresse et une lucidité particulière pour tous ceux qui souffrent. Une urgence se dévoile de ses textes, il appelle notre intellect et nos cœurs à se réveiller avant qu’il ne soit trop tard… TOCO (They Often Cry Outreach) est la Fondation créé par Taj Weekes en faveur des orphelins de l'île Saint-Lucie.

Jatta Records

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Sunday, February 21, 2010 at 12:50AM

Adowa,

Album Review,

Best Reggae Album,

Caribbean,

Charity,

Deidem,

France,

Hope & Doubt,

Independent music industry awards,

Jatta Records,

Just Plain Folks Music Awards,

Nashville, TN,

Non-profit organization,

Reggae,

TOCO,

Taj Weekes and Adowa,

Taj Weeks,

They Often Cry Outreach,

l'Award du Meilleur Album Reggae 2009

Thursday

08Oct2009

Real-thing Reggae From Another Island

LINK MAGAZINE

Interview by: Matt Wake

Coiling-serpent guitar and resin rhythms make it obvious this is reggae for Rastas, not frat boys. The track is "Angry Language," from Taj Weekes & Adowa's memorable 2008 album "Deidem."

"I told the guys I wanted it to be as roots as it possibly can, but not so roots that people who were not listening to reggae in the '70s could get it," Weekes says.

Weekes' socially conscious lyrics, sung in a wispy brown voice, address modern issues. "Brown Lawns" from an upcoming acoustic disc, is about the ongoing financial crisis. The iridescent "Hollow Display" wouldn't sound out of place on Bob Marley's "Uprising" record. The closing "Deidem" track "Louisiana" is an interesting detour, with Weekes musing over Hurricane Katrina above jazz piano.

"On this song, I didn't want people to dance, I wanted people to listen," Weekes, 39, says. "What better way to put it out than in its simplest form."

Growing up on the island of St. Lucia, what kind of music did you hear on the radio?

"We listened to a lot of country-and-western music, so I learned about guys like Merle Haggard from my mother. We listened to Abba. You'd hear a Jimi Hendrix song, then Joni Mitchell, then the blues, then The Skatalites. That was Radio St. Lucia, one of the main stations. They played us everything."

How do you think being from St. Lucia instead of Jamaica impacted your perspective on reggae?

"If I'd grown up in Jamaica I probably would have been so intimidated by the number of artists there, that I wouldn't have moved into that genre of music. I think it gave us our own personal voice, and a little more confidence to push it out there."

A book of your poetry is being published. What do you get out of poetry that you can’t get from writing lyrics?

"The quiet of the words themselves. There are no thoughts from the music. You take it in as you please into your head and do as you wish. It's almost like sometimes you read a book and then go see the movie and whatever slant they put on it you didn't like."

What's one of your favorite projects your non-profit, They Often Cry Outreach, has done?

We came back from St. Lucia and gave away 500 soccer balls, 600 uniforms. The reaction of the people when we give is the greatest thing for me.

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Thursday, October 8, 2009 at 1:00AM

Abba,

Adowa,

Deidem,

Non-profit organization,

Rasta,

Reggae,

TOCO,

Taj Weekes and Adowa,

Taj Weeks,

They Often Cry Outreach,

Uprising

Wednesday

07Oct2009

Taj Weekes - Art Is His Social Conscience

WEST INDIAN TIMES

Interview by: Stan Evan Smith

Stan Smith (SS): You have been singing since the age of five and by age eleven, you were composing your own calypso songs. How and why did you make the transition to reggae?

Taj Weekes (TW): Calypso is the dominant genre in St. Lucia now and was when I was a child, so I naturally followed what was being played on the radio. But when Rastafari came into the picture, with all its dynamics, I was instantly taken up with the music and lifestyle and then the transition followed.

SS: Who is your biggest musical and philosophical influence?

TW: Coming from an island where radio stations are not formatted musically, I've listened to many genres of music. So the influences run from the greats of Rock and Roll to the Blues, to Country, R&B and Reggae. Not really individuals but the music in general. Philosophically, His Majesty, Dubois, Garvey, Gibran, Rumi... dem kinda people.

SS: You are from the island of St. Lucia where Calypso/Soca is very popular. Why did chose to do reggae music?

TW: I didn't choose to do reggae, reggae chose me. I never really had the groove for calypso. Even though initially calypso music carried a message, the familiar backbeat in reggae was instantly recognizable to me. I felt its vibration more than I did the other kinds of music.

SS: How would you describe your vocal style?

TW: I wouldn't. I sing what I feel; if there is a style in there someone should let me know.

SS: Why did you decide to sing music that "stirs thought, provokes discussion and inspires people to think for themselves, free from the constraints of the corporate media" as opposed to just music which is fun and entertaining?

TW: When I sit to write, I don't decide to write songs people would describe as "stirs thought and provoke discussion," I write what I see, what I feel and whatever moves me. I mean, what is the use of art if it doesn't provoke discussion or stir thought? I would describe such art as dead. Music certainly doesn't need another artist singing about rims and women's body parts. There's enough of that already. We've been jumping and waving for what seems like forever. Maybe it's time we sit down and get our thoughts provoked a little.

SS: You are socially conscious artist. Your new CD DEIDEM (meaning "All of us") speaks to that. Are you working on any projects that the public should be aware of?

TW: We are certainly working on other projects and they are not all musical. We are currently trying to change the diabetes crisis in St. Lucia. We have the highest rate of diabetes per capita in the world. We're also working on a poetry book and we've adopted the correctional facility in St. Lucia to provide some kind of interventional therapy for the brothers and sisters who are incarcerated.

SS: Talk about the songs on the new CD DEIDEM. Give us some insights into how and why you wrote songs like "Orphans Cry," "Since Cain" and "Dark Clouds."

TW: Orphans Cry... The situation in Darfur I feel went quietly into the night or at least so it seemed to me. No one was saying or should I say singing anything about it. Where were the brothers who preached about Africa in all their songs? Were their televisions sets not working then are their radios broken? The silence was deafening, so we wrote... "the devils who ride on horseback love my sleepy eyes... the orphans cry on the outskirts of our lives, they cry, you indifferently deny... one tear too many, one tear too many."

Since Cain... We listen and read the propaganda making us believe that there are less than human people living in different parts of the world, so we wrote... "is the god of the east not the god of the west, or has he chosen some children and forsaken the rest?"

Dark Clouds... "Spring comes early, autumn's late, summer’s early, old man wint’ won't wait..." Do I really have to sing this for people to know that the environment is changing? Maybe... so we do just to remind them... "dark clouds don’t always bring rain, but smoke is a sign of fire."

SS: You have a non-profit organization, The Orphans Cry Outreach. Could you tell us about the organization, its aim and what you hope to accomplish through it?

TW: It's actually "They Often Cry Outreach," www.theyoftencryoutreach.org. We're hoping to give something back to our communities. We delivered 500 soccer balls and 600 uniforms to the children in St. Lucia a couple weeks ago and we are hoping to extend the program to other islands in the Caribbean soon. We are working on various things which we don't really want to talk about now... however, when the time is right we will inform the public about what it is.

SS: Calypso is very popular in St Lucia. I interviewed Trinidadian reggae singer Jamelody and he told me that, initially, his choice was not well received and local support was slow in coming in his homeland. Has that been your experience or have you been accepted as a reggae singer in your homeland?

TW: Well... what is most important is that we've accepted ourselves, which is the most important ingredient to being accepted by the other people, but what we do is not about any particular place. It is universal but I do agree with the brother some times. The homeland support tends to be slow in coming.

SS: Describe your style of music and what is different about what you bring to music?

TW: We play what I call "classic roots reggae," and what is different about what I bring to the music is me, my perspective. I believe every artist brings a unique twist to the art form they've chosen. What gets boring is when we stop realizing the balance between being artistic and being commercial.

SS: Tell me about your brother's influence on you in terms of you being a Rasta?

TW: My brother MPLA's influence was one of pure love. He taught me to love myself and to always follow the voice inside my head. He taught me to live off the vibration and to let it guide my way. He taught me that we were inherently Rasta because Rasta is righteousness and that we were born in righteousness not in SIN.

SS: What does being a Rasta mean to you?

TW: It means that I've accepted the I and I philosophy where I the physical and I the spiritual are one. It means that I have comprehended the Divinity of man and the Humanity of God. It most certainly means that I have accepted the new name of Christ.

SS: One of the problems with being a reggae artist is management; you have a manager... tell how has this helped you in your career?

TW: By providing the much needed guidance in legal and business dealings.

SS: Tell me about your European Sony distribution deal. How as that helped your career?

TW: It gets the product out there and creates more visibility.

SS: What is or has been the biggest obstacle you have faced as an artist?

TW: The public's misconception that good reggae music can only come from one geographical location.

SS: What kind of music did you grow up listening to and how did that influence the creative process in your music?

TW: We listened to everything and I'm quite sure it did, though I cannot pinpoint to you the manner in which I am quite sure it had its effect.

SS: Tell me how moving to Canada and New York impacted your music career?

TW: Music didn't become a career until I moved to Canada. It was something that I had dabbled in before but it was not until I realized the possibilities in North America that it became a career.

SS: As an artist, what goals would like to accomplish?

TW: The only goal I would like to accomplish as an artist is to be true to the art form and whatever follows, follows.

SS: After the death of your parents, the period of "wallowing in my grief," did it teach anything about yourself as a person and an artist?

TW: As a person and an artist, when you witness the death of the people who brought you into this world, I think you realize your own mortality and that is when you tend to wallow in your grief. But the strangest thing about all this is that I also realized that death in and of itself is redemptive.

SS: The name of your band is Adowa; in Rasta iconography, the battle of Adowa is important. Could you explain the importance and significance of the name Adowa?

TW: The Italians came blazing with guns and ammunition and the humble Ethiopians beat them back with sticks and stones and the Ark of the Covenant. A defining moment in the history of Ethiopia, the world and Rastafari, leaving Ethiopia unconquered to fulfill the ancient prophecy of the Rise of His Imperial Majesty.

SS: For audiences who do not know your music, who is Taj Weekes? What is he all about and why should they listen to your music?

TW: Taj Weekes is a reggae musician from St. Lucia who follows the oral tradition on truth and storytelling through his lyrics. Simply put.

SS: Many young artists enter the music business with dreams of stardom and they end disappointed. How are you preparing yourself to meet the challenges you will face?

TW: The question as I sense it has the connotation that I will have to face the challenge of being unsuccessful where success in and of itself is a relative term. I've prepared myself to be a musician true to the art that I have chosen and to see it to wherever it may lead. I play music; I don’t play stardom or failure.

SS: Your album "Deidem" was in contention to be nominated for the reggae Grammy this year, how did you feel as a young artist and did it tell you anything about your music?

TW: Maybe before I truly overstood the manner in which the Grammy operated I would have been excited but no, it didn't really matter and there was no enlightenment to me about my music when I found out.

SS: When Taj isn't composing music, what do you do for recreation and relaxation?

TW: Play soccer and I read.

SS: Do you think your style is unique? If so, what is different about what you bring to the music industry?

TW: If I didn't think my style was unique then I would be wasting my own time and also that of the public's. I approach the music lyrically from a National Public Radio point of view... free from commercial manipulation and from a "wake the town and tell the people" point of view.

SS: Yesterday when I called, you were at soccer match. Do you play or follow soccer?

TW: I play and follow, heavily.

SS: Would you like to do a musical collaboration with any other artists? If so, who and which genre?

TW: I am open to any collaboration that does justice to "collaborating" and in doesn't matter with whom or what genre.

SS: You are a reggae artist, but what other genre of music would you consider your favorite?

TW: Reggae is my favorite but I listen to any genre as long as there is something in there that moves me.

SS: As an artist what goals would like to accomplish?

TW: One goal, to be the best that I can be.

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Wednesday, October 7, 2009 at 3:54PM

Adowa,

Canada,

Darfur,

Deidem,

MPLA,

Non-profit organization,

Rasta,

Reggae,

TOCO,

Taj Weekes and Adowa,

Taj Weeks,

They Often Cry Outreach,

West Indian Times

Sunday

23Aug2009

Weekes Uses Music to Combat Diabetes

QUAD-CITY TIMES

Interview by: Stephanie De Pasquale

Reggae singer Taj Weekes doesn't just sing about orphans in Darfur, the cycle of violence and global warming. He tries to do something about it.

Weekes runs a nonprofit charity, They Often Cry Outreach, which helps children around the world and recently has turned its efforts to combating diabetes in the Caribbean, where he is from.

By next year, an estimated 20 million people in the Caribbean alone will have the disease, according to Diabetes Voice, the magazine of the International Diabetes Federation. Weekes' charity is sending doctors to increase testing and educate the public about the treatable disease.

"It's a massive problem," he said. "We have the highest rate of diabetes per capita in the world. If this is not a crisis, I don't know what is. There are more people dying from diabetes in St. Lucia than any other disease."

Weekes lyrics began to address global issues after the death of his parents. He occasionally sings about love, but prefers to tell real-life stories in an effort to make a difference with his music.

"We're not overly into the love thing," he said. "We don't talk about women's private parts, and we don't sing about rims on cars. We sing about the things that matter to people in their life."

While he acknowledges that some crowds just want the party songs they can dance and have a carefree time to, others view his shows as more of a spiritual awakening.

"A woman came up to us after the show and said she wasn't sure if she was supposed to dance or listen because all her senses were aroused and she wasn't sure what she was supposed to do," he said. "Hopefully everybody can feel that way."

Weekes and his band, Adowa, perform organic reggae that is free of electronic drumbeats and pre-recorded tracks. Growing up in St. Lucia, the radio stations were not formatted, so a given station would play a wide variety of genres. The exposure to blues in particular has had a big impact on Weekes' music since he embraces the storytelling nature of the genre.

"It's a blessing because you get a very wide musical education that covers all the bases," he said. "Whichever genre is your vehicle, you can always tap into the other genres and take something out of it to help you on your way."

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Sunday, August 23, 2009 at 3:20AM

Tuesday

28Jul2009

Vibz Magazine Interviews Taj Weekes

VIBZ MAGAZINE - FRANCE

Interview by: Ania.M

For full French text of original interview, click here

Vibz: Can you introduce yourself for those who don’t know Taj Weekes?

Taj Weekes: "It is difficult for me to introduce myself because I have to speak of myself as a stranger. Usually when you introduce yourself to someone you just say your name. You don't tell them where you are from and how long you have been at a particular occupation… but here we go...

Taj Weekes, musician, poet, two CDs: 'Hope & Doubt' & 'DEIDEM.' The last of ten children, born in Saint Lucia, founder of TOCO. Everything else can be found on my website www.tajandadowa.com."

Vibz: According to one of your sentences: "great music remains great music, no matter what the style." What is your definition of great music? Can you give us some examples of what you consider as such?

Taj Weekes: "Great music is a subjective thing because what will move me might not move you. I know the music that moves me is from that lingering melody that sticks with me hours after the initial listen or that beat that caught me subconsciously before I realized that I was tapping my feet to it. It's the vibe in the singer's voice that gives you the chill, you know. It’s not one particular genre or artiste or song. It's a variety from all over. That is what I consider great music."

Vibz: Born in Saint Lucia, you grew up in a context where music was omnipresent. Is it that context that contributed to develop your artistic streak?

Taj Weekes: "Possibly, but I don't know and cannot put a finger on it. Maybe I was born with it. I don't think too much of this can be learnt but the environment in which you find yourself can be of great influence to what one becomes. Children live what they learn. That's what they say."

Vibz: In your late teens, you left for North America. A few years later, in 2005, you released your first album "Hope & Doubt," which propelled you onto the international scene. How did you experience that?

Taj Weekes: "With the usual calm."

Vibz: Was leaving your country in order to give rise to your career a prerequisite?

Taj Weekes: "Well I had seen the height of the mountain and the amount of energy needed to get to the top. Someone offered me a ride half way, so I took it… in other words, it is not a prerequisite, but it would have been a lot more difficult from where I stood originally."

Vibz: Your new album "DEIDEM," which means, "All of us," was released on August 8th, 2008. Your lyrics denounce violence, war; tackle the loss of faith, the defense of the weak and the degradation of our environment… "DEIDEM" depicts very dark outlooks. What is its main message?

Taj Weekes: "I would not say DEIDEM depicts a very dark outlook. I would say DEIDEM calls it as it is. I am not afraid to say that the emperor has no clothes. If there is a ten-ton guerilla in the room, someone needs to pay attention to what's happening and address that reality. We live in a world of extreme violence. We live in a world where might is right, where force rules, where the environment is a mess. Our denial will not save us and that means 'all of us.' Life is the message. What is the meaning of life? How do we perceive life and our role in this life?"

Vibz: Can we say that "DEIDEM" is a shock treatment aimed at awakening consciences?

Taj Weekes: "It all depends on which side of the fence you live on. If your world is of manicured lawns, excess all around and if you call 911 when you break a fingernail, of course this is shock treatment because you don't live in a circle of reality. Step outside your bubble and come see the masses of people who suffer. It may have been shock treatment last year but look around now and hopefully they see what I see. If consciences are not awakened, at least consciousness should be."

Vibz: According to your biography, "this album was designed to create conversation where people can come together." Do you think there's a lack of communication between people? Does individualism represent a danger for humanity?

Taj Weekes: "There are many dangers to humanity but individualism is not on the top of the list. The bible says where one or two are gathered, there is God. A lack of conversation has caused most of the problems we face. If we sit together, eat together and reason, we get a better understanding of people and people get a better understanding of us. It does not take a treaty to do that."

Vibz: You were named "Top Artist for 2008" by the San Francisco Bay Guardian and your new album is nominated for the 2009 Grammy Awards in the Roots Reggae category. How do you feel about those marks of recognition?

Taj Weekes: "It's all well and good to be recognized and it shows that people are appreciating what it is that we are doing, but when I sit to write a song and put an album together, I don't try to write so I can be nominated for anything by anyone. I write and sing what my heart dictates and where my spirit leads."

Vibz: Through your music, you speak for the disadvantaged, the abandoned, the alienated and for those who suffer. You founded a non-profit organization for disadvantaged children around the world called They Often Cry Outreach (TOCO), which reveals your altruism. Can you tell us a few words about your organization? Is it a duty for you to help those in need?"

Taj Weekes: "Well, we used to try to help whenever, whomever and however we could by giving as much as was possible to different organizations, but then we decided to do it ourselves. I was given the title of Goodwill Ambassador to the Caribbean and since then we have been focusing our efforts on helping out the children in that region. You see usually when there is talk of HIV and global warming and a slew of other maladies that affect the world, the Caribbean is not usually thought of. It's just a place to go on a vacation and sit in the sun. My job is to shine the spotlight on that region and let the world know that we too suffer. The main focus of TOCO however, is to provide footballs to children in the Caribbean and around the world and we would appreciate if the public would help us in this endeavor by donating in whichever way they can at www.theyoftencryoutreach.org."

Vibz: TOCO is also helping to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS in Caribbean communities. Can you tell us by what means?

Taj Weekes: "By educating the public through music and forums, condoms… whatever we can do to stop this thing or at least slow it down."

Vibz: What do you think about the pope's latest declaration according to which the use of condom contributes to worsen the HIV epidemic?

Taj Weekes: "The pope says many things. I wouldn't necessarily give credence to something because it was said by a pope. Then again, the current pope and the ones before him never supported condoms at anytime before and during the epidemic."

Vibz: What are your projects for the coming months? Is a European or French tour planned?

Taj Weekes: "We are currently working on an album hoping for release this year. There is a poetry book coming out soon called 'Brown Lawns' and a single to follow. There are a couple things we are working on… the charity is ongoing work and we would love the support of the people. We have Europe in our plans and hopefully everything comes to fruition in the coming months."

Vibz: Your last word?

Taj Weekes: "I don't have a last word because it is usually the first word to another conversation… a conversation that should be ongoing, a communication that should never end."