Groundation

Some people become musicians to make a buck or attain fame, while others have higher aspirations for their art. Groundation clearly falls into the latter category. For more than a decade, the Northern California-based, nine-piece collective has spread their message of positivity through the medium of roots reggae infused with elements of jazz, funk, dub and more. Now, with the August 18th release of Here I Am, their sixth studio album and first in three years, Groundation takes their music to another place altogether.

Here I Am, released on the band’s own Young Tree label, was recorded following a period of extensive touring that took Groundation not only to locales as far-flung as Israel, Morocco, Europe and South America but, for the first time, east of the Rockies within their own country. Now, finally, the band that has long been considered a sensation in so many other countries, an American torchbearer of this vital form of music—reggae—whose popularity only increases internationally year after year, is poised to make a major splash in their homeland.

And not a moment too soon, because Groundation has so much to tell us about the world we live in—and our own place in that world. The dozen original songs that comprise Here I Am, more lyrically direct and musically adventurous than previous Groundation recordings, are symbolic of the struggles each of us faces in our daily lives—the new compositions arose from the knowledge and insight gained during those tours, from so many diverse people doing their best to find their way in an increasingly tumultuous world.

The album, says Harrison Stafford, the band’s guitarist, primary vocalist and lyricist, is one of “new beginnings, like awakening from a dream into reality. It deals with the problems and challenges we face today, and also shows that we are not compromising our sound and not looking to repeat anything. Always evolving, always pushing the boundaries.”

“We wanted to utilize everyone’s experiences but as a unit, as one group,” adds keyboardist Marcus Urani, who co-founded Groundation with Stafford and bassist Ryan Newman in 1998. “This takes patience, understanding and time. We have always had the option of putting other elements on Here I Am in our music, but it wasn’t time yet.”

As always, roots reggae’s primal rhythms and ideals of oneness form the basis of Groundation’s newest music. But this is a band whose songs often grow out of improvisations—which Stafford calls “the lifeblood of our music”—and that instinctively favors unpredictability over the rulebook. Accordingly, Here I Am is full of surprises and new directions. From the first few jazz-driven minutes of “Run the Plan,” the album’s opening track, it’s apparent that Here I Am will not conform neatly to any single genre. Incorporating cross rhythms and two simultaneously executed time signatures, all within an intricate three-part arrangement, Groundation—the other members are David “Diesel” Chachere (trumpet), Kelsey Howard (trombone), newest recruit Te Kanawa Haereiti (drums), Mingo Lewis Jr. (percussion), Kim Pommell (vocals) and Stephanie Wallace (vocals)— precedes their trademark one-drop reggae with a complexity not previously attempted in their music. Lyrically, meanwhile, the song uses the allegory of a card game to liken life to fate.

Another new development on Here I Am is the promotion of the group’s female vocalists to the front line. “So Blind,” which also features a soaring trombone solo from Howard, features Pommell on lead vocal—she also shares the lead with Stafford on the stirring title track, a song that also features trumpeter Chachere. Lyrically “Here I Am” reminds us that most of the planet’s population is not involved in the violent squabbling that dominates the daily news cycle, that for most of us, the simple desire for freedom and equality trumps all of the ideological extremism that fuels war. Wallace, meanwhile steps up to the microphone to lead “Not So Simple,” a song that features another reggae rarity, the drum solo, in addition to its prominent bass and horn parts.

Several special guests add their voices to Here I Am, including reggae greats Pablo Moses and the original Congos vocal group. On the track “Blues Away,” over a ripping organ solo from Urani, Moses and Stafford sing, “No matter what they say, I will wipe all my blues away, through conscious music and one love today.” The Congos, as well as Pommell, contribute to “Beating Heart,” which Stafford describes as “a straight-ahead Nyabinghi song with some of the greatest bass work Ryan Newman has done on record. The lyrics are very serious, again confronting what we see around us as a ‘fire building up.’ The point is for us to take a step back and not let the gravity of the moment take us away.” The Congos also shine on “Time Come,” a track that features an intense saxophone run from regular Groundation collaborator Jason Robinson. The album also includes legendary reggae percussion Sticky Thompson on four tracks.

These latest collaborations are certainly not the first for Groundation. Moses and singer Ijahman Levi appeared on the band’s previous studio album, 2006’s Upon the Bridge, and on 2002’s Hebron Gate—one of Groundation’s most acclaimed previous releases—Apple Gabriel of Israel Vibration and Don Carlos of Black Uhuru contributed their voices. Stafford, Urani and Newman recently extended Groundation’s reach by teaming with another legendary reggae sticksman, drummer Leroy “Horsemouth” Wallace, plus jazz guitarist Will Bernard, in a project they called Rockamovya, releasing their own album in 2008.

Groundation has, since their inception, built a strong and devoted worldwide fanship, but ironically many of the group’s most dedicated followers—those in the United States—have been unable to see them perform due to their strenuous international touring schedule, which kept them from touring outside of the West Coast. But recently, Groundation completed an extensive run that took them from Hawaii to the East Coast, as well as many points in between, broadening their base considerably. But all of what they do—the touring, the recording—has been in service to the music and the message within, not to the sort of frivolous goals that drive much of today’s mainstream music. Says Stafford, “The world is a very chaotic place and it is up to us as mankind to put some balance into this life. Music is the greatest blessing given to the human race. It allows for people of all walks of life, beyond language or cultural barriers, to feel connected to something greater.”

Adds Urani, “Groundation in 2009 is a group of people who have come together to create music from our hearts. We all have different backgrounds and sometimes we struggle to understand each other, but through music and love we find the common ground. Music is the greatest teacher and we want to share what we have learned. We hope to share these lessons about love, understanding, and music across the globe.”

“Here I Am,” Stafford concludes, “is a statement for 2009 and a challenge for the future. Just like life the music is very layered and complex. Sometimes it is easy and carefree; sometimes it is very hard and demanding. It has taken 10-plus years for us to get to where we are today both musically and personally. We have become a truly unified body representing each person’s strengths and contributions, and Here I Am is about all us, our moment in this existence and wanting more, a life of great love and happiness for all people. My dream has always been to be part of a music group searching for the next sound, and that is exactly what we are doing.”