Wailers Warm Up Old Man Winter Festival

To be sure, The Wailers will warm up our frozen souls when they headline this Sunday’s Old Man Winter Roots and Brew Festival at the Hub Entertainment Complex. Eleven bands on two stages (The Venue and the Cadillac Ranch) will join The Wailers in their own version of a January thaw (Check out the lineup in the side bar).

It is a very rare treat that The Wailers would make an appearance in this region and, unfortunately, they are coming up at a time when we are experiencing some of the most Arctic weather we’ve seen in quite a spell. These legendary players have helped spread reggae music to the far corners of the earth—and I guess they finally found us.

Emerging on the international music scene in 1975 as backup to Bob Marley with their first global hit “No Woman, No Cry,” the band boogied out of Jamaica to spread the love and eventually toured the US the next year in support of Marley’s “Rastaman Vibration” album.

The US was still getting over the Vietnam War and we were still reeling from the civil rights unrest of the 60s. The vibe of peace and getting along with each other was much needed, and Marley and The Wailers crafted a unique musical sound to bring that message.

This unique roots reggae sound was the handiwork of Aston “Familyman” Barrett, who with his brother, the late drummer Carlton Barrett, Junior Marvin and Al Anderson (guitars), Tyrone Downie and Earl “Way” Lindo (keys), and Alvin “Seeco” Patterson (percussion) came together in 1974 to back Marley. Before this, Marley, Peter Tosh, and Bunny Wailer had been performing together as a singing group called the Wailers but without a complete and permanent band.

When Marley died in 1981, Junior Marvin took over the singing duties and The Wailers continued to tour and record five albums. But in 1996, 19-year-old Elan Atias was asked to replace Marvin when he left the band. Atias was in LA putting together a demo album when he ran into Al Anderson, the other guitarist with The Wailers, and drafted him to help with his demo. Anderson was impressed with Atias’ voice and brought him into the famous band.

“It was the first job I ever did, the first band I ever sang with, the first time I ever got up on stage,” Atias remembers. “I never had a sound check, never had a rehearsal, for eight shows. I got up in front of about 6,000 people and did the songs from the memory of listening to the records as a kid.”

But it wasn’t easy-peasy. Atias had two legends’ shoes to fill. “I wasn’t afraid of the crowd. I was more afraid of getting all of the lyrics right. I knew that everybody knows all the Marley and Wailers lyrics by heart.”

Atias was all of 19 or so at the time. “I always tell people that it was like my college years because I didn’t go to college,” he admits, “but I had the best professors in this college—Al and Wire and Familyman, and, of course, Aston Barrett. I went all around the world. I saw the world three times over… I had the best professors I met along the way, too—Carlos Santana, David Crosby, and others.”

Then, as if it were time for his graduation, Atias left the Wailers in 1999 to pursue a solo career, working on the Sex and the City soundtrack, collaborating with Sly and Robbie, and doing other projects.

Then he found himself back at the Wailers mike in June 2007 when he began work in earnest on the new Wailers record.

“I got the concept from Carlos Santana when he did the Supernatural album,” Atias says. “He had guest artists come in and bring their kind of vibe to his vibe and write all new songs.”

“My whole idea was Bob’s not around any more,” Atias said. He also wanted to include as many of the original musicians in the Wailers as possible. But there was a problem. Carly Barrett had passed on. His brother, Familyman Barrett, went to Jamaica and rescued unreleased drum tracks that Carly had laid on two-inch tape and had them converted to wav and mp3 files.

Against these tracks, all of the remaining original members of the Wailers came back to work on the music, which was recorded in Jamaica.

Atias then began approaching artists to appear on the album. He has secured the assistance of 22 artists, but only a dozen tracks will be recorded.

The final lineup has not been confirmed yet, and a lot can happen in the studio during the writing process. Among the artists who have been approached are Dave Mathews, Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, 311, No Doubt, Nas, Eve, Amy Winehouse, Green Day, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Incubus.

In addition, Alpha Blondy, who is from the Ivory Coast, and an artist from Algeria will trade verses in French and Arabic. “We’ve approached a lot of the artists who speak with a positive voice,” Atias said. “All these great artists have been inspired by the Wailers.”

The new Wailers album will be the first joint project for Barrett’s Fam’s Music label and Atias’ One Lion Records. The entire project will be eco-friendly and a percentage of sales will go to charity. This new album will certainly prove the universality of reggae.

“We have fans in every country, all speaking different languages,” Atias said, “and all the different genres that they’re blending together. It is no surprise that he has dreamed of bringing artists, across different genres, into the studio to do a most singular Wailers reggae album.”

Catch The Wailers and all of the fine regional bands at the Old Man Winter Roots and Brew Festival at the Hub on Sunday.