Easy Star All-Stars: 10 Years of Radiodread

Fitter, happier: Easy Star All-Stars

It has been been 10 years since the release Radiodread…
In a way it really does seem like just yesterday that I was writing the arrangements, making demos, recording, and then mixing because it all feels very clear in my memory. I actually recently had a funny memory of playing and recording the melodica for Subterranean Homesick Alien in my home studio with someone talking really loudly right outside the door and me worrying that the mic would pick it up (it didn't).

Dub Side of the Moon was a resounding success and an instant classic. Was it hard to follow such a successful album?
Thanks for the kudos on Dub Side. It was difficult to figure out what the follow-up would be, that discussion took over a year I think. But I don't remember feeling too worried about being able to make another successful tribute, the blueprint was there from Dub Side so I just set about writing arrangements thinking that I had a good idea of what needed to be done.

Why did you decide to cover Radiohead?
There are several reasons. First of all we had heard that Radiohead were fans of Dub Side of the Moon and that during their Hail To the Thief tour it was being played on the PA system before they hit the stage. So that was a good start, feeling like they would probably be open to our concept.  Then we also didn't want to follow Dub Side with anything too obvious like another Pink Floyd album or another 70's classic. But we felt that Radiohead made sense because in some ways they were like a 90's version of Pink Floyd because of their musical experimentation, and OK Computer has been held up as a 90's analogy to Dark Side of the Moon. And like with DSOTM, many of the themes explored on OKC are quite universal and still make sense in the Jamaican context.

Obviously Radiodread went down a storm as far as fans and critics are concerned, did you get any feedback from the band?
Yes. While we were in the process of making Radiodread, Radiohead's management asked us to send some rough mixes, and they told us that if the rest of the album sounded as good as the roughs then they would be very happy, which was certainly encouraging. Then after we had sent a finished version of the album to the band, we heard that Thom Yorke gave props to our version of Let Down from the stage at a concert in Philadelphia, which was quite an honour. And then the band's management also told us that the band was very happy with our album and especially the attention to detail, which was a thrill for me since I had spent so much time on the details in every stage of the project.

Were any of the tracks particularly hard to translate into a reggae sound?
Many of them were quite challenging, especially because seven of the twelve songs on OK Computer are not in standard reggae 4/4 time - they are either in odd meters entirely, or they go back-and-forth between 4/4 and other meters. But with Money on Dub Side we were able to translate a song in 7/4 time into reggae, so I figured that it was possible with other songs. I'd say one of the more difficult ones was Subterranean Homesick Alien - the Radiohead version is in 6/8 time, which is basically a waltz - not your average reggae vibe. But once I figured out how to apply the one drop beat to 6/8 it all made sense.

As a group of multi talented musicians, do you ever get an impulse to release your own material or is covers something you prefer?
Well, we have already released a few collections of our original material - Easy Star Volume One, Easy Star Volume Two: Dancehall Culture, Until That Day, and First Light. So I encourage everyone to check out these albums to get a better sense of what we're all about.  And we always try to include a few originals in our live sets, so everyone who has seen the band live has heard some of our original material, and the crowds usually love it.

Have you had any requests by artists to make a cover of their songs?
Not yet, but that would be really cool. Artists, if you're reading this, hit me up with requests.

What is next for Easy Star All-Stars?
Aside from touring, we're trying to figure out the next tribute album, and write new original material.

In a world of ever changing music trends and fashions, why do you think reggae has the ability to stay strong consistently?
Because reggae is the truth. Music from the heart and soul that open-minded and open-hearted people will always be able to relate to.

Easy Star All-Stars Present Ten Years of Radiodread at Rescue Rooms on 6 July 2016.

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