Interview & pictures : Benoit Collin
on Sunday, July 10th 2005 - 19 139 views
California's Groundation were on a big summer tour of Europe that took in France. But it was in Germany, after a flawless performance on the Summerjam stage, that we met them. The perfect opportunity to get to know the band that, in four albums, has become the leader of American reggae. Groundation do not simply play roots tinged with jazz, but intelligent music carried by brilliant compositions. A conversation with their leader, singer and guitarist, Harrison Stafford.
Reggaefrance / It was your first time at Summerjam; what are your impressions?
Groundation / The people were there, it was a truly wonderful vibration. I would have liked it to go on and on... People knew us, they knew what kind of music we make and what music we'd come to play here. We're just happy to have the opportunity to come all this way to play, and to see people who appreciate what we do, who love life and celebrate it through music... It's an honour to be part of it.
Tell us about your beginnings in music.
I couldn't say when I started loving music; I feel I've always had it in me. My father is a jazz musician, he plays piano. When I was little and couldn't sleep, I'd go to him and he'd play me Duke Ellington. I must have been three or four.
I have an older brother who listened to lots of styles of music, and he listened to reggae: Peter Tosh, Bob Marley, that kind of record. It was the first music that really spoke to me. I was young, I was five.
I started getting interested in Jamaican culture, in Rastafari... I went to Jamaica very young, and to lots of cities in Africa. In my last year of primary school, I gave a presentation on Rastafari. I was young, really! I didn't yet know that music would take up such a big place; at the time, all I knew was that I wanted to help people: to be a doctor, to make sure I helped people... But music was the answer. It was a way of reaching as many people as possible, of leaping over borders and languages. Music was The Thing.
After high school, I really wanted to study music. The only university I applied to was in California. I went there because they had a jazz programme. One of the best you could find in the United States at that time. Eight hours of school a day, ten hours a day playing... That's where I met Marcus, the keyboard player, Ryan the bassist and Kelsey Howard on trombone. The music was there, it was that and nothing else! If I had more time, I'd give it to the music.
What are your influences?
We come from everywhere. Obviously the Jamaican roots reggae of the 70s: The Gladiators, Burning Spear, Israel Vibration, Bob Marley of course... But also jazz: John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Cannonball Adderley... those are incredible musicians. And also hip hop, funk... Above all music that "grooves", not classical or folk: mostly groove.
How does the writing of the lyrics go?
I used to sit down more. On the earlier albums, I composed a lot. Working on song themes, writing them out. As I grew up, I read an enormous number of books and watched a lot of films. I love that, I watch them all the time. I wanted to keep that "story", that emotion, let it mature in a corner of my brain, and then, when the time came, sit down with my guitar and start writing the lyrics, which came to me from I don't know where. The albums "Hebron Gate" and "We Free Again" were born like that: the words come from that space, from that openness. I don't sit down thinking: "OK, what rhyme can I make with that? I need three syllables here", and so on. It happens more freely. That's how it should be all the time.
You're Californians; do you think you've paved the way for American reggae bands?
I hope so. But I don't really know. Music moves forward, whether you come from the United States or elsewhere; you have to offer something original, a different, special, unique sound: a sound that is you, in short. You don't want to hear: "yeah, it sounds good, it sounds like Burning Spear." You have to find your own style. We keep working on that within Groundation. But I think all musicians, all bands, everywhere in the world, have to find their own thing. There are lots of reggae bands in the United States. But they need to have their own voice. To travel all over the world and spread a message, that message has to be theirs, it has to be true to them. It has to be real, and unique. Maybe we're preparing the way for bands like that. I hope so.
Here, the welcome we receive comes from the music. It's not because we're good on stage, or because one or two songs are good... It has to be something special. And then people will listen. People who live in your neighbourhood, and others who live thousands of miles away.
"We Free Again" definitely established you in Europe. Were you hoping for this recognition? Do you think it has come too fast?
I don't think it came too fast. I've always thought that the progress of success and the progress of the band went hand in hand. The more our popularity has grown, the better our music has become. We're still evolving musically. When a band tries to find a sound, to push boundaries, that's what Groundation does... I think "Hebron Gate", which came out in France, was a unique album. People liked it, the record company noticed and wanted to carry on. And "We Free Again" came out and did very well too, all over Europe. Our popularity is growing. But wait for the next album, you'll really see what we're trying to achieve.
What are Groundation's plans?
Our new album, obviously. People are always asking us for our best album or our best song, but we don't have one. The albums are what they are, how they were made. There's no "best song" on these albums. Sometimes we laugh in the studio when we say we don't give a damn. We don't have four-minute songs to get radio play. The songs last as long as they need to, and so does the album. And the best album is always the one to come. The next one will come out this winter.
Tell us about your label, Young Tree Records.
The label has existed since the release of Young Tree, in 2000. We're building it up bit by bit; we've released other artists on it, like Pablo Moses, The Congos, Winston Jarrett, Andrew Bassie, the best musician in Jamaica... These aren't records you can hear in France or in Europe. Young Tree Records belongs to us in the USA, and that's what allows us to stay underground.
And that gives you total freedom in the compositions...
That's why we do it. Because otherwise a producer would be there telling us: "This song is in five, people aren't going to dance to that!" or "Why not cut this song down to four minutes?" We're here for the music. That's why we produce ourselves. We're free to create the music we love. And I think all of us in Groundation agree on that.
Do you have a message for our readers?
We'd like everyone in France to know that we're truly grateful to be able to do a tour like this. Life is short, you know, and being able to share experiences like this is simply wonderful. It's an incredible gift to be able to play music to people who love it and welcome it warmly. We've come a long way to get here, and the people are so welcoming.
The French should know that Groundation won't change; we're not here to become millionaires and get on MTV. We're here for the music above all. And for the people, equal rights, justice; we're here for the struggle. Every song is about us as people, in our evolution. It speaks as much to the French as to Californians. It's the same thing: it's our leaders who led us into war. Not us. Groundation is here to break that.
Is it important to you to raise awareness in the United States?
Definitely. But it's very hard, because it's not really popular, and it doesn't make any money. But if we work at it... Freeing people from their fears too. We were touring in the USA; a guy came up to me and told me he'd thought about suicide for a long time. And that now he listens to reggae, he listens to Groundation and he loves it. That his life has taken on a different meaning. Saving someone from their death is really worth it. I'd give my life for that.
Life is an exchange. It's not as if we hope to become millionaires and have a big house in the hills. What we hope for is to live and die, and leave greatness behind us. That in the future, musicians will listen to our music to draw inspiration and nourishment from it. To remain for ever.
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