CBC: How would you describe Umojah Nation's sound?
Tracey: Most definitely the foundation of our sound is roots reggae with the heavy bass and one drop. However, we tend to compose and intricately arrange our originals in a way may lean away from the typical definition of roots reggae, as it was conceptualized in Jamaica, and towards the British sound, much like Steel Pulse, Aswad, etc. We do flavor our tracks with the dancehall vibe from time to time for we love a good bashment!
.Don't we all???
CBC: Who are your musical and non-musical influences?
Tracey: Too many musical influences too mention but they range from the likes of the great Bob Marley and The Burning Spear . to Buju Banton and Tanya Stephens . to Phoebe Snow, Stevie Wonder, and Lauren Hill.
The one main non-musical influence in my life is the Scriptures.
CBC: Who writes the songs for Umojah Nation?
Tracey: Stephano and I both write songs for the band. I usually sing the song I write as the songs sung by Stefano, are written by him.
CBC: As you mentioned before, many of your inspirations are drawn from the scriptures, do you have other inspirations to help you and Stephano write songs?
Tracey: Yes, a song like 'Generation' is influenced by my readings in Ecclesiastes while others may be inspired by the Psalms and Proverbs. Others, such as 'Temptation' deal with the struggles within one's spirit and physical self. Stefano draws from his African experience writing songs such as 'Higher Hites' that attempt to uplift the human spirit or 'Smokescreen' to educate us about colonialism. We both have a need to inspire and bring people closer to together through love so that is a reoccurring theme in our compositions too, whether it be love for Jah, family, Jah's creation, or self.
CBC: During Umojah Nation performance, which tune ?never fails'?
Tracey: Tough question . but I must choose two ?Temptation' and "No More Stress" Most everyone can relate to them.
CBC: How do you promote your band and shows?
Tracey: We do heavy promotion online via Myspace, Facebook, email distributions..and of course Chat ?Bout Cleveland! But, there is nothing better than placing a flyer in someone's hand. What we are finding also is that the music is doing the talking for us via word-of-mouth!
CBC: What inspires Umojah Nation to do what you do?
Tracey: We are heavily fueled by the close connection within our band and the dedication of all our members. We have also connected with people of all walks at our shows who are truly listening to not just the music but the message as well. One response was that "our music was good for their soul" which means we're touching people with our music. We are finding that oneness thru reggae music! For one we truly believe in our vehicle of music as being a ministry.
CBC: What are the biggest obstacles for Cleveland area bands? Is there more of a disadvantage as a reggae band?
Tracey: Local clubs tend to leave promotion to the already cash-strapped bands instead of following the well-proven concept that you got to spend money to make money. The disadvantage to reggae band over genre such as Hip Hop or rock is that as typical in any city, radio rules the scene and big money decides what the people should hear. Therefore a lot of ears don't know reggae music since it has been pigeon-holed into the less familiar World Music, even though the likes of Bob Marley left a big global footprint. This may indirectly impact your ability to attract a young(er) audience but as they say, "he who feels it knows it." The positive however is that Cleveland is not swamped with reggae bands as they are rock bands so you can to stand some in the local music scene with good promotion.
CBC: What's the best and worst thing about playing clubs?
Tracey: As mentioned previously, club promotion is bad. Additionally, while playing locations that don't have a good sound system and/or sound engineer is common.
CBC: ..and the best?
Tracey: The best thing is the connection you make with the massive, after all, that is main reason to play out.
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