Blue King Brown get Worldwize

May 16, 2011

Issue

Blue King Brown (Natalie Pa'apa'a in centre).

Blue King Brown
Worldwize Part 1-North & South
Australian tour May/June
www.bluekingbrown.com

Blue King Brown are a Melbourne-based roots band whose second album, Worldwize Part 1-North & South, was released last August. An Australia-wide tour to promote the album began in Canberra on May 12 and ends with a show in Sydney at The Metro on June 4.

Green Left Weekly's Annie Ross spoke to lead singer and guitarist Natalie Pa'apa'a.

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What is the new album about and what messages are you hoping to get across ?

“Worldwize” is the word that came to us and that we held onto. To me it means being aware of the world we live in today, the well-being and health of our people and our planet.

It's understanding that as individuals, we have a very small amount of the world's combined knowledge but that we are willing to connect with other people in order to better our collective consciousness. The album's lyrics really reflect that sentiment throughout; that's the underlying thread of the album.

With the album, we have gone into some new territory with sound. We spent two years in the making and we travelled to many places throughout the world during the process of making the album. Also, living in places like Jamaica and working in Bob Marley's studio there was all part of the big inspiration that really flows through to the sound. And that is Worldwize Part 1.

Was any song on the new album inspired by an event or person? What were the musical inspirations for the new album?

There's one song on there that kind of stands out from the rest of the album in terms of the way it sounds and the style and sombre tone of the song. It's a song that was written about the Zapatista movement [based in Chiapas in Mexico's south that fights for indigenous rights]. It is especially inspired by Subcommandante Marcos, who was an incredible person.

The song is layered with about 100 drums and that's the whole rhythm. But the lyrics are obviously really serious and about a really inspiring resistance and revolution that has happened. So that's one song that really stands out.

Our musical inspirations for the album are so varied. Everything from the music we've been listening to, to modern day dance. We love world music, we love hip hop.

We also had been touring in the process of making that album and were able to see and meet other artists, as well as witness some of the guests on the album, like Elliot from John Brown's Body, a great reggae band. He has a killer voice.

Our inspiration was varied from music to current affairs, to world history, to what we've been lucky to be able to experience.

You recently collaborated with award-winning Aboriginal artist Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu on a song about land, family and our connections to these things. What was this collaboration like and how did it affect you?

It was really great to get the song into the studio. It's a song that we had actually played together on occasions, if we were at the same festival we would call him up to come on stage to do the song. So we thought why not get it into the studio.

It was great to collaborate with Gurrumul. He really is so talented and so pure and his voice is incredible. We've known him for years and we always have fun.

It was a natural progression; it was great to have a song that connects with his audience and our audience and appeals to a wider Australian population as well.

Most of your lyrics are intensely political. What role do you see your music as having in helping to bring about political change?

I guess I hope that the music, as much as I'm inspired by incredible movements and organisations and truth-tellers and truth-seekers, is to let such people know that they're not alone and perhaps be a soundtrack and a reminder that there are many people like us all over the world.

The other part is to raise awareness about issues or things that are going on, whether that's locally in Australia or whether it's in another town in the world. We're lucky because people know we like to talk about these things and they approach us and we get filled in by locals in a town or by organisations.

It's about trying to raise awareness and trying to activate the younger generation to be a part of the movements that are happening. Also, for us to collectively remember that we are part of a global community.

I believe the next phase of human evolution is the evolution of our consciousness and our decision to say enough is enough, and to stop breathing and dying by this system. It's a capitalist system and it hasn't got your best interests at heart or the interests of our planet.

How do you feel about the political situation in Australia at the moment?

How long have we got?

It's frustrating to see that on one side there's no great shifts or radical progressives coming into politics. On the other hand, there's the highest number of Greens in the Senate and involved in politics, so that's a really positive thing.

As well as that, we have these incredible organisations such as GetUp, who have hundreds of members who are really committed to getting Australia's public engaged and involved in democracy.

There's always a road to progress, and a road of struggle. A lot of these people work tirelessly and endlessly, probably underpaid, but there are always good things and good people who are always looking forward and that's what we need: more of that – like you guys!

Blue King Brown has spoken out against nuclear power before. How has what has happened in Japan affect your viewpoint?

It's totally reinforced our viewpoint and changed the viewpoints of anyone who could think twice about nuclear energy. It's so painfully obvious that we are using old technology that has so many faults.

It has no place in the future and is incredibly dangerous. It is an awful way to boil water to make energy.

We have so many more opportunities to build on renewable energy and invest into that, not old technology that doesn't do anyone any good, like nuclear energy.

It really is heartbreaking for us because Japan is somewhere where Blue King Brown has toured from the beginning. For seven years we've been going there and we have a strong fan base there. We have a lot of connections.

We're very anxious about what's happened and the situation there is just awful. I can't believe that you see politicians on the news and politicians from America and Australia as well saying, “Well, it doesn't mean we should stop investing in nuclear energy.” That's exactly what it means.