everton blender

   wild hare, chicago 9/6/01 click here for the interview.  

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Everton Blends Roots & Dancehall @ Wild Hare

By Steve Serpiente

CHICAGO - Jah vibes permeated the North Side air Thursday night 9/6/01, as Everton Blender propelled the city to a higher high with his stop at the Wild Hare on this Midwest leg of the Visionary tour.

Everton's five member band (bass, drums, guitar, keyboards & female backup singer) took the stage around 12:15 a.m. and teased the massive with a medley of Blender hits. Everton then swaggered on stage, clutching his always present African wooden staff, and opened his show with "I Love Jah Jah," a song which set the tone for much of the subject matter of the evening.
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A steadfast Rastaman of uncompromising conviction, Blender packed his 20 track, 90 minute set with spiritual songs praising Jah Rastafari, tunes filled with inspiration for sufferers and cuts chastising the vile ways of Babylon.

From his new CD Visionary, Everton performed "War Monger Man;" a very danceable version of the autobiographical "Been Trying;" "I Love Jah" (done over the same riddim as Garnett Silk's "Zion In a Vision"); the catchy "Jah Never Fail I Yet;" and "Golden Pen." (Yes, the pen is mightier than the sword!)

Everton also gave the Rootsman Credential CD proper representation, selecting "Higher High;" "Danger in Your Eyes" (a cover of the Paragons standard originally issued on Coxsone Dodd's Studio One imprint); and the anthemic "Ghetto People Song," which was the nightcap of the evening.

Reaching back into his catalog of conscious dancehall from the early to mid 1990's (check out the Lift Up Your Head and Piece of the Blender: The Singles releases), Blender niced up the Hare with "Coming Harder;" "Blend Dem" (which included a series of forwards); "Piece of the Blender;" "Family Man" (he has four kids); "Pass Di Kutchie" (on the "Full Up" riddim made famous in reggae circles by the Mighty Diamonds' "Pass the Kouchie" and introduced to the pop world via Musical Youth's "Pass the Dutchie"); "Material World" (featuring a wicked guitar solo); and "Lift Up Your Head" (the extended keyboard mix).

Personal favorites were the acappella version of "Where Do the Children Play," immediately followed by a jumping rendition of "World Corruption" (voiced over the classic Studio One "Love Me Forever" riddim).

Although Blender has recorded a number of respectable love songs ("lovey dovey" as Everton himself refers to the material), he did not pull any out from his repertoire, choosing strictly cultural themes instead. Everton is the genuine heartical article fi true.
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Blender was accompanied on this tour by fellow Heartbeat Records recording artists Richie Spice and Spanner Banner, who are two of a trio of brothers earning their living as reggae singers. (The third brother is Pliers of the Chaka Demus & Pliers combination.)

Since the ever gracious, ever humble Everton was kind enough to spend almost an hour with this writer and fellow Chicagoreggae.com reporter Issa Prophet prior to his performance for an interview/reasoning session, the Chicagoreggae.com crew did not see either Richie or Spanner. But their sounds did ring sweet as their music wafted down to the subterranean backstage lounge area of the Hare.

Contact reggae addict Steve Serpiente at serpiente97@yahoo.com all pics by issa prophet
To hear Everton Blender chat with Issa Prophet and Steve Serpiente of Chicagoreggae.com about topics such as Africa, marijuana, Haile Selassie I, the current state of reggae music, Studio One, Bob Marley, Linval Thompson, Dennis Brown, Everton's tribulations before finding success in the music biz, Blend Dem Productions and more, watch this space...