Raging Fyah at Ocean Mist, Matunuck Beach, RI
Niko Tripoli | Niko One Drop | One Drop Sessions | Team Upsetta |Upsetta International
18 July 2019
Niko: Welcome everybody, welcome Raging Fyah, Demar, Pele, to One Drop Sessions, Upsetta.com. I wanna start talking about the new formation of the band a little bit; if you could talk about the process of how Journey came to join the band. What was it about his flare, his flavor, his style that attracted you guys to him?
Demar: Greetings. Yes. Well, it’s been an interesting transition, ya know, I considered it as destiny because you know Journey used to contact me through Facebook all the time… asking me questions about the music industry, to get some pointers as to how to grow in this music industry. And for some reason, I always liked his energy, so I always responded to him.
Um, he was in the Rising Star Competition in Jamaica, and ya know we followed it up a little bit, and he was second place, but around that time now, we were searching for a singer, and everything about him kind of appealed to me, and later we tried him out, and he was just as interesting, he used to listen to us all the time too, so when he came around he knew the songs, so it was just so smooth, like, it was meant to be!
Niko: Did you guys have auditions, did you make him come out, how did that part of it work?
Pele: Yeah, we only showed a few singers, like, it wasn’t anything like on the media or anything like that, it was just a word of mouth… audition a few people.. and when we heard Journey, he had the sound and the energy that we were looking for, so we just worked with it…
Niko: Yeah, very good. Yeah man, you can feel the energy on the stage tonight, it was really, really nice. Let’s talk a little bit about how you guys have been spending the last few months, as Journey joined the band at the beginning of this calendar year. Have you guys been in the studio recording new music, have you guys been practicing, sort of getting the tour together, how have you guys been spending the time?
Pele: Alright, so since Journey came on board ya know, we’ve been doing a lot of work. We did some shows in Jamaica, with Rebelution and The Green. And then we went to New Zealand, we did the One Love Festival, and then since that, it’s just been in studio, like, a daily routine for us, just vibing some new stuff, feeling his energy, just lettin it all out, ya know, and we’ve been working on a new project, and so many songs we’ve worked on since January so far, and it’s really good, ya know it’s a new transition, but a good transition.
Niko: Yeah.
Pele: And the studio session and the vibe has been really good, I mean we’ve been preparing for this tour I mean for the last couple months, so, it’s just been from studio to rehearsal, studio to rehearsal, that kind of vibe and that kind of energy.
Niko: Yeah.
Demar: Some of the songs were even featured tonight.
Niko: Yes, I noticed, yeah!
Demar: Song reception, it was amazing.
Better Tomorrow
Niko: Yeah man, yeah man. Well, one tune that you guys have recorded and released this year is “Better Tomorrow,” the encore tune we heard tonight. Let’s talk a little bit about what this… this song is speaking to something big and important that’s going on in this world right now- Pele, you spoke to a little bit to the crowd- the song opens with the line, “Why not build us a bridge?” What’s this song about to you, can you talk a little bit about the tune?
Pele: I mean, this song is self-explanatory, if you listen to the song, but- at the end of the day, it’s all about love. I mean, there are so many things happening in the world today, we all building up walls, ya know… why not build up bridges? Why so many injustice? We are all one people, whether black, white, orange, purple…
Niko: Mmhmm..
And the chorus in the song is so simple, because we want from the four-year-old to be able to sing it to the grandmother, and everybody! When it reach the chorus, we just want everybody to just put out that energy, and know that love is the answer, and that is what we’re saying.
Niko: Yeah, man. Well, it’s definitely- the tune is great- and I feel like it’s been received pretty well in the world. Is this maybe a single to an upcoming album that we can hope for as fans of Raging Fyah later on this year, or…?
Pele: Well yeah, I mean like we said earlier, we are just working!
Niko: I’m tryin to get something out of you!
Pele: Hahaha.. we’re just doing music, man, but keep your ears open, and listen close, because we have new music coming very, very, very soon.
Niko: Very good, yeah, I can’t wait, for sure. Ok, let’s talk a little bit- if you don’t mind- about the origins, the beginnings of Raging Fyah. The original three- I understand- all met at Edna Manley College. Maybe, if you could talk a little bit about working with Ibo Cooper, or studying under him, and what that experience was like, how he influenced you as musicians.
Demar: Edna Manley is that birthplace of the band and stuff, but ya know, like when we entered Edna Manley, the focus was mainly on jazz, ya know, and classical music. Ibo Cooper always told us that, “Is reggae music gonna feed ya, ya know?” Ya know, you do jazz and all a that, it’s not ours, ya know… Reggae music is ours. So, we must focus on it, and take it serious. I kinda felt the respect for the genre more and more, ya know as he showed us about the Bob Marleys, Burning Spear, and even his group, Third World, ya know, he’s experienced.
We learned to appreciate that sound. The group now, we, Pele, Anthony and myself, for some reason, we always end up in the same group in school. Without even planning. And there was a chemistry between the three of us, throughout school days. We used to steal away from school, go to the studio and record, and get in trouble sometimes, haha, ya know… and, started playing for other artists, even after school. Remember when we went on a tour with a band in Germany, and just fans hearing that band used to just come to three of us and say, “You three guys have a special chemistry, you should do something.”
Niko: Mm.
Demar: And we kept believing in that, and ya know, we started writing songs together; and then we found a singer. We actually linked him up tonight, and he’s still in support of us, ya know. But we started writing songs and decided that we could do it ourselves, ya know, don’t need to be playing only for artists. We have a message that we want to share, based on our experiences. So, it just grew from there, started recording our albums. We met Kumar, eventually, and we started, and the story goes on from there.
Niko: And the story goes on. History. Well, I’ve gotta say, you explaining a little bit about your time in high school, and how you started: a jazz base- classical base- and that Mr. Cooper turned that into like, take reggae music as seriously as they take jazz in New Orleans, or in New York, or wherever.
You can feel that that’s what you guys do, and it’s really appreciated as a fan of the genre. Let me talk a little bit about the tune that we have with Upsetta that’s coming out later on this summer- a track called “Thank You Jah.” Is there anything you guys can tell us about this tune?
Pele: Yeah, I mean… “Thank You Jah” song, I have to say big up, Upsetta and the whole crew. From we heard the instrumental, ya know it just connected with us.
Niko: Mm.
Pele: Yeah, and the vibe that we felt, it was just a thankful vibe, ya know, is just- giving thanks. I mean, we went through a lot the last couple year, coming into it at that time. So, the song, it just connected with us that way, and we felt those kinds of emotions, so the song just have those feelings, and the riddim itself, it’s just very simple…
Niko: Right.
Pele: It’s just the guitar, and a little acoustic a little bit… but, it’s very simple, but it’s so real. Ya know, and that’s the kind of vibe we wanted to bring out in the song. So, give thanks, Upsetta, for reaching out to us, and we’re looking forward to hearing that song and the other songs on the riddim, as well, because- big song! Hahahaha!
Niko: Yeah, big riddim!
Pele: Big riddim, ya mon!
Niko: Nice artists over it.
Pele: Ya mon, Rasta Soul.
Niko: Yeah man, that’s what it’s called, Rasta Soul, that’s right. So, there’s another week of the tour you guys have left.
Pele: Yeah!
Niko: Is it about that? Where can people find tickets if they’re lookin for tickets?
Pele: Tickets are online, I think, I don’t even know the exact site, Ticket Master, or what you call it.
Niko: Probably the website, ragingfyah.com?
Pele: Yeah, you can check the website, and the Facebook, the social media pages, there are links connected to the pages. So, yeah, one more week left, make sure ya come on out, catch the Fyah, because it’s burnin hot!
Niko: One more tune for ya… one more tune, I’m sorry, one more question for ya! Haha, I think I’m on my radio show or something! Alright, this one talking a little bit about the importance of music in history. Throughout history, music has played a crucial role in politics and social change. How do you see today’s reggae playing a role in that, maybe compared to other times? This is a question I’ve been asking as I talk to different artists, so I’d like to hear what you guys have to say about it.
Demar: Well, for us, and reggae music, we’re just- we just take up the baton, ya know, because somebody has to carry that torch. So, we’re just doing our part; the greats have done it before. Now we are doing our little part, carrying it along, because this music must live on.
Niko: Yeah.
Demar: Ya know, so…
Pele: And in addition to that, I strongly believe that music influence people, one way or another. And, we Raging Fyah, we feel that if we put out that positive energy, we want to impact the world, positively.
Niko: Mm.
Pele: So, that’s why we do the music that we do and sing the songs that we do, because it’s not an if, but, or maybe- we know that there’s an influence from the music when you hear it, and we want to continue to wave the banner high of reggae music on a whole, and the message and ya know so that’s why peace and love is our religion, and we want to continue putting out that energy so who hear the music can now live that as well, cause that’s what we’re livin… love, straight.
Niko: Yeah. I feel that. Well, gentlemen, thank you very much, Demar, Pele. Thank you very much for taking the time.
