2008 Woodie Awards
Marley's legacy lives on through bandmates
Nick Bush, Collegian Staff
Issue date: 5/12/08 Section: Arts & Living
Bob Marley: still dead. The Wailers, however, are quite alive. The remaining members of Marley's band made sure this fact was far from lost on the approximately 200 audience members in attendance at the Pearl Street Ballroom in Northampton last Wednesday.
Although the Wailers existed in various forms since their creation in 1963, Bob Marley and his band had little success outside of Jamaica until the early 1970's. It was then that Marley first teamed up with Aston "Familyman" Barrett and his brother Carlton Barrett. As Marley's musical director, Familyman was behind the unique sound of the Wailers, both on stage and in the studio. He recruited and trained all of the musicians that played on stage with Marley, from the horn players down to the backup singers.
Despite Marley's death in 1981, Familyman and the Wailers continued the legacy of their front man. While it would be impossible to replace the inimitable Marley, the current Wailers still manage to pack a lot of energy into performances. Lead singer Elan Attias, who channels much of Marley's influential style and message of unity and love, now fills the difficult vocal 'shoes' of Marley.
Passafire, a four-person reggae-rock outfit hailing from Savannah, GA, opened the show. Clearly indebted to Bradley Nowell and the rest of Sublime, the band pushed through over half a dozen effects-laden songs, getting the crowd mildly aroused.
As the Wailers prepared to perform, the smoky haze near the front of the stage seemed to suggest that a burning building was nearby, but nonetheless that was not the case.
Familyman emerged to loud applause with the rest of the Wailers in tow. Quickly launching into a saxophone and trumpet-fueled introductory groove, things got off to an anti-climatic start, with lead singer Attias nowhere to be found. After nearly ten minutes of jamming, vocals began to float into the mix, and Attias stormed onto the stage dressed in a camouflaged military-style jacket.
Although the Wailers existed in various forms since their creation in 1963, Bob Marley and his band had little success outside of Jamaica until the early 1970's. It was then that Marley first teamed up with Aston "Familyman" Barrett and his brother Carlton Barrett. As Marley's musical director, Familyman was behind the unique sound of the Wailers, both on stage and in the studio. He recruited and trained all of the musicians that played on stage with Marley, from the horn players down to the backup singers.
Despite Marley's death in 1981, Familyman and the Wailers continued the legacy of their front man. While it would be impossible to replace the inimitable Marley, the current Wailers still manage to pack a lot of energy into performances. Lead singer Elan Attias, who channels much of Marley's influential style and message of unity and love, now fills the difficult vocal 'shoes' of Marley.
Passafire, a four-person reggae-rock outfit hailing from Savannah, GA, opened the show. Clearly indebted to Bradley Nowell and the rest of Sublime, the band pushed through over half a dozen effects-laden songs, getting the crowd mildly aroused.
As the Wailers prepared to perform, the smoky haze near the front of the stage seemed to suggest that a burning building was nearby, but nonetheless that was not the case.
Familyman emerged to loud applause with the rest of the Wailers in tow. Quickly launching into a saxophone and trumpet-fueled introductory groove, things got off to an anti-climatic start, with lead singer Attias nowhere to be found. After nearly ten minutes of jamming, vocals began to float into the mix, and Attias stormed onto the stage dressed in a camouflaged military-style jacket.
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