“Rebelling in a good way” with Rebelution

The California based band that held the #1 Best Reggae Album spot in 2009 continues to raise to the top in 2010: starting the new year with countless sold out shows across the nation. I was lucky to catch them live and and find out what they are all about.

NorCalChika: The Winter Tour 2010 has been very successful thus far; it sold out every show in CA. Can you tell me how the line up came together?
Rebelution: We’ve been friends with SOJA for a year or two now and have toured with them on both coasts before.We also wanted to add a hip-hop element to the bill to round out the show and some of us have been fans of Zion I for years so we naturally thought of them.

NorCalChika: What’s the best part of being on tour with the current line up?
Rebelution: The best part of this tour is that each band is really hyping the crowd up and giving the people the best show they possibly can. When the show is over, it’s really great to just hang out too – all the bands are easy-going and fun to talk to.

NorCalChika: Any specific cities you guys are/were looking forward to playing?
Rebelution: Funny enough, on the last tour we had to cancel our show in Boise, Idaho on account of our lead singer contracting the swine flu. We were a little unsure of how the show would go over this time around but it ended up being a great show with a great turnout. I feel like we were extra motivated to redeem ourselves that night. We also did an acoustic session at a nearby record store the day before the show which was fun as well.

NorCalChika: Bright Side of Life is your latest album, in terms of writing and production, how is this album different from Courage to Grow?
Rebelution: Bright Side of Life is a big step for us in many ways. Some bands have a “sophomore slump” with their releases so we were careful to take our time with this one – we recorded at home in Santa Barbara to maximize comfort and the songs were more developed and versatile this time around. We did use the same engineer and mixer from the previous record so the music would translate just as easily as before.

NorCalChika: I attended your show in Santa Cruz, CA and was wowed at how the fans knew every word to every one of your songs. It’s like you guys didn’t even need to sing. How does that make you feel?
Rebelution: When the crowd participates and sings along it makes our job so much easier! We don’t have to draw the energy out of them, they do it themselves. Their memorization of the lyrics further shows their dedication to us and the music. We have the best fans in the world.

NorCalChika: Making a successful band takes a lot of dedication. How did Rebelution come together?
Rebelution: We all met at college in Santa Barbara. We lived in a very social atmosphere where live music was highly encouraged and reggae was starting to take hold. We played many a house party and eventually worked into the local bar scene. Once we all graduated we had the freedom of time and mobility and hit the business full force.

NorCalChika: What does Rebelution mean and how did you guys come up with the name?
Rebelution: It’s just a play on words that sounded nifty. We think of the term as “rebelling in a good way”, making a rebel out to be someone of positive change.

NorCalChika: How do you feel about social networks such as myspace, twitter, Facebook? You think they play a significant role in music today?
Rebelution: Social networking and online user content has contributed greatly to the success of Rebelution. These types of sites were becoming popular at a similar rate as our music, and once we aligned ourselves with this digital movement things really took off. We booked many of our early gigs and gained our first non-local listenership through Myspace. The fact that people could stream our music and then leave comments or write messages helped us learn about the type of demand and demographic we should be catering to.

NorCalChika: What do you guys look most forward to once tour is over?
Rebelution: Once tour is over we look forward to getting back in our own beds and bathrooms again. We like to use the off time to catch up with family and friends and work on new song ideas. It feels good to stay in one place for more than a day or two!

NorCalChika: What is your craziest fan story?
Rebelution: I usually like to throw out my drumsticks after a show and once at a reggae festival I hit one of our fans square in the face. I heard about it later on and felt really bad about it so I got her and her friends into the next few shows that she came to. She was a great sport about it and we still joke about it every time we see each other.

NorCalChika: Are you guys currently working on any new projects?
Rebelution: We’ve got a couple of new songs we’ve been playing live and we’re hoping to get into the studio again at some point this year. Other than that we’ve been doing remixes and acoustic versions of some oldies but goodies. We keep busy.

NorCalChika: What are you guys looking forward to, as a band, in 2010?
Rebelution: 2010 is looking to be a promising year for us. Our album is still on the reggae Billboard and iTunes charts so we’re trying to take that momentum and roll with it. We’re currently on a comprehensive 7-week national tour that is really solidifying our U.S. audience. After this we’ll be making a long overdue return to Hawaii and Guam, and then we’re off to France and possibly some other spots in Europe, which will be our first time out there. We’re really excited about the new territories we’re getting into!

NorCalChika: Any last words/comments?
Rebelution: Just want to give a big shout out to our awesome fans who make all this possible. We’re constantly amazed by the amount of love and support the people have for us and our music. Thank you!

-Wesley Finley, drummer for Rebelution