By Stephanie Smith

The reach of Rastafari and reggae has spread beyond the songs of the legendary Bob Marley, but the vibration remains the same: One World. One Love.

As a child growing up in St. Lucia in the Caribbean, Taj Weekes was exposed to all different kinds of music on the radio—reggae, calypso, rock ‘n roll—in addition to the liberation theology and music he grew up with in church. It was reggae, however, that he fell in love with.

“Reggae initially meant put rhythm to a poem and cry,” says Weekes. “When people listen to us, that’s what they expect. There’s been the development of this crazy stepchild of the music—run off of excess and rhythm driven—but it’s not reggae. Reggae is organic, soul, message-driven music.”

Weekes and Adowa left St. Lucia for North America to spread the message. The band is named after the 1896 Battle of Adowa, in which the Ethiopians triumphed over the Italians, directly leading to Ethiopia becoming an independent state.

“I have Ethiopian lineage; the name keeps me in contact with Ethiopian ancestry. I like to carry that with me. Everybody in the band are Caribbean musicians. It’s a beautiful thing that everybody brings from their island. When [the music] comes together, it’s a wonderful melting pot.”

Another part of heritage that Weekes and Adowa carry with them is the principle of Rastafarianism, a monotheistic movement promoting a peaceful lifestyle and a holistic organic world view. Rastafari and reggae go hand-in-hand and provide a place in the world for the band.

“Rastafari teaches us to see beauty in ourselves—not to look like anybody else, but to look like ourselves. It’s a more spiritual, holistic approach to the world where you treat everybody as your equal.

“We really know who we are. [As for the music], we are in it, not of it. Nothing changes—the vibration remains the same. Music is spiritual for us. We’re Rasta…we’re modern-day town criers.”

Weekes’ poetry has influenced people all over the world. On a recent trip to New Orleans, the band’s holistic message of love received an overwhelming response from the audience.

“Suffering is universal. Our message is universal. You know we’re coming up on the fifth anniversary of Katrina. I told the people there that I could not help with the rebuilding, so I wrote a song for them. The response to ‘Louisiana‘ was tremendous.”

As for contemporary musical influences, Weekes is reluctant to name names, but as a lyricist he is drawn to artists who “say old things in new ways.

“Look at is this way: if I were a basketball player, I would look for people who played better than me. I am naturally drawn to these kinds of people. The ones who are giving the message music are few and far between. They tend to stand out like beacons among the gray.”

In keeping with his Rastafari lifestyle, Weekes wanted to do more than just music. He decided to shine a light on the “other side of the Caribbean” when he formed They Often Cry Outreach (TOCO) in 2007, a nonprofit organization that seeks to improve the lives of underprivileged children through sports, enrichment, educational and wellness programs. Much of the money from the music supports the charity.

“The Caribbean is not all sandy and vacation spots. The place has its share of maladies. Diabetes is at the largest occurrence per capita in world; we just filmed a documentary about it and we gave away 2,500 diabetes testers. We’ve just implemented a soccer program for children.

“We’re also collecting shoes for the people of Haiti. So far we’ve collected 3,200 pairs. We’re asking people to bring gently used shoes [to Riverbend], tie them together, and put a dollar in there. We’ll dump them in my trailer and carry them along with us.”

The diabetes documentary, which opens in November 2010, was filmed by the video division of Jatta Records, Weekes’ record company. The band is also in the studio finishing its third album, to be released by Jatta in July 2010.

“Jatta means to let your hair grow and not cut it. [The company] has different wings, music and video, because I want to produce more documentaries about issues that affect me in ways that I just have to say something about it.

“If you walk and talk, it’s easier to spread the word that way. You kind of spread a mess if you’re not living that lifestyle. If you live a life that’s not one of excess and show people life can be simple, it’s easier [for them] to listen.”

For more on the Haiti shoe project, visit www.theyoftencryoutreach.org