>>PREVIEW
ANTIBALAS AFROBEAT ORCHESTRA
Sunday, June 24
Gateway Lounge (SAIT)
There are a few misconceptions about Antibalas – even after 10 years – that need clarification. First off, they are not a Fela Kuti tribute band. They’re not even really an Afrobeat band — never were.
"The number of times I’ve had an interview start off with someone calling us a Fela Kuti tribute band," sighs Martin Perna, band founder and core rabble-rouser. "We love Afrobeat, it’s true, but we started out trying to meld that sensibility with the salsa and Afro-Caribbean protest music sounds that had been around since the ’60s and ’70s.
"The band’s name was originally Conjunto Antibalas (Bulletproof Ensemble), which reflected that musical heritage much more strongly," Perna continues. "But nobody could say it, or remember it," he laughs. "It was a year and a half before we played a Fela Kuti song at all."
And of course, now we need to rush to dam the flood of speculation that Antibalas are denying their origins and distancing themselves from Afrobeat, the hypnotically danceable protest music from ’60s and ’70s-era Nigeria.
"I mean, we love Afrobeat. We haven’t abandoned Afrobeat by any means. If you think of contemporary jazz musicians," Perna explains, "they will, throughout their whole careers, periodically go back and learn and explore the standards. Afrobeat, for us, is important, but it’s something that we weave into the larger fabric of our social critique."
And here comes the other bit that folks often seem to have trouble wrapping their brains around, while they’re winding their booty. The Bulletproof boys consider themselves to be playing protest music. Maybe it’s easy to miss, what with all that danceability. Perna laughs again.
"You know, in the Caribbean, there is no division between protest and party music. The biggest party tunes have clever social commentary in the lyrics. Look at the Mighty Sparrow from back in the ’60s. I don’t know. People here in North America — maybe it’s the Protestant thing of guilt and suffering. It’s not just here either; you can see it in Europe. If you go from France to England, there’s a distinct difference in how the music is received. There’s this guilt and uptightness attached to dancing that seemed to carry across the ocean."
While dancing and defying The Man are inextricably linked in both African and Latino cultures, it can be hard to tell if North American audiences make the connection. In the end, it doesn’t really matter. Perna is philosophical about their role as agents of change in this society.
"North America’s too big a place for one band to take on the role of changing things. It’s crazy to even think that way. For change to occur, there need to be radical country and punk and R&B bands. All kinds of music need to start speaking the language of change. I mean, we’re all accountable. We should all be involved."
And involved Antibalas has certainly been. From an explosive entrance onto the New York musical scene over 10 years ago, the band has produced consistently driving, challenging and uplifting music, with manic touring and recording to back it up. Today, a band the size of Antibalas lasting for 10 years is practically a mythical occurrence. It’s a success story, albeit on a word-of-mouth level, that nobody could have predicted for a band playing music that most of North America had never even heard of.
Therein lies the rub. Because, 10 years on, it’s become harder than ever to make a living in the music business – the firebrands still have music and revolution in their hearts, but they also have mortgages and children. The punishing tour schedule has been taking its toll, and with costs rising everywhere, Antibalas find themselves running faster to stand still. It’s a problem.
"The years of trying to make Antibalas a full-time thing are really taking their toll on the band members," admits Perna. "Whatever notoriety we have just doesn’t translate into monetary support. How do we create sustainability for ourselves in the middle of the capitalist model?"
He continues, "And being on tour is really incongruous with being part of a healthy community, too. I have friends whom I love that I can sometimes go months, even years without seeing, because I’m gone so much. It’s hard."
They’re not ready to give up yet, though. What Antibalas does – what Antibalas means to all of them, and to all of us – is important. Still keeping themselves on the edge, Antibalas brought Tortoise cult icon Jon McEntire in to produce their latest album, Security. It ranges from hardcore Afrobeat trance-inducing rhythms, to sultry reggae and straightforwardly joyous salsa, the medium as always intertwined with and bearing the message.
But the days of being bulletproof may be numbered. Most band members juggle a variety of balls to keep themselves afloat and artistically sharp. Perna recently produced a children’s colouring book called "Blackout," dealing with the blackout of the eastern seaboard three years ago. "When all those lights went out, and it was dark as far as the eye could see – it was magical. I think it’s interesting to take something that’s seen as a misfortune, and finding the beauty in it, finding what we can learn from it. It’s easy to respond to things like that with fear, but fear is a bottomless pit. You have to find better ways to understand what’s happening to you." |
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