The Wailers were once synonymous with Bob Marley, their revolutionary leader for many years, and for good reason. Considering the enigmatic and invariably popular Marley, The Wailers’ talent and level of dedication to the movements in which they were part of were dwarfed by Marley with The Wailers aptly performing the role of backup to such a widely respected frontman.
After Marley’s demise, however, The Wailers have demonstrated that it wasn’t just their leader’s drive and talent that sold roughly 250 million albums worldwide. Playing alongside such reputable acts as Sting, Carlos Santana, Stevie Wonder, and the likes of reggae legends Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, who once played with the group before it was named as such, The Wailers have continuously demonstrated that they are a musical force in and of themselves. Indeed, as of today they estimate that they have played for 24 million people on innumerable tours carried out on their own.
If you’re counting, that’s a lot.
Currently the group is anchored by Aston “Family Man” Barrett, the last remaining member of the original Wailers. Barrett was a close friend to Marley and played on dozens of classic reggae hits throughout the seventies. Aside from keeping the band together, he is accurately titled as a family man, he maintains an old-school, authentic sound that harkens back to the classics put forth by the original group.
Things are inevitably bound to change, however, throughout the course of life and as a result, highly esteemed lyricist Koolant was brought on as the new frontman for the group. While he is widely known to be a steadfast enthusiast of the classic forms of reggae and roots-rock, Koolant brings a fresh and personal take on the material that The Wailers continue to produce. The combination of the more experienced Barrett with that of the traditionally oriented yet carefully innovative influence of Koolant has served to reinvigorate the entire group without detracting from the messages and goals that they have carried forth for such a long period of time. This message has carried over into their current worldwide “Revolution” tour in which the group has sent a resolute message that they are one of the voices of the 99%; that they embody all that the Occupy movement represents.
In “Family Man’s” words:
“I am eager to take the spirit of rebel music that I was able to bring forth with my bred’ren Bob Marley, out on the road and across America. These are the times Bob sang about when he said, It takes a revolution to make a solution. We want to show the people that the Wailers are the band of the 99 percent. We want our music to be part of the solution. I am a resolutionary.”
Making their only stop in the state of Oregon on their current tour, The Wailers are set to play The Crystal Ballroom next Tuesday, January 17th. The tour is based around a ‘themed-show’ similar to the of the Exodus-themed show of years ago that closely followed the groundbreaking album. Expect to see a great deal of old-school material combined with an arrangement of jams and fresh takes on the roots-roots rock reggae that has defined this talented group for so long.
Doors at 7 pm, show at 8 pm. All ages. $25 at the door. Advance tickets here.
