Teino Evans, Staff Reporter
THE YEAR was 1997, the location the Waterhouse community in St. Andrew. It was then and there that the reggae band 'Time and Space' had its genesis.
The band was founded on the philosophy and teachings of Ras Tafari and Marcus Garvey and comprises singers, songwriters and musicians who have united their talents in a 'conscious' way.
According to Owen Pearson, the band's manager and rhythm guitarist, "the members share a unique relationship, because the core group (of seven) remains the same today and the philosophy of the band is built on the philosophy of Rastafarianism, and we write and sing songs for the liberation of our African sisters and brothers and just for people who are downpressed in general".
The sound of the band is nestled in the chemistry of the drum and bass, creating a real hardcore reggae sound.
"Most songs we sing have a nice reggae vibes to it and, for most people, they will find it quite different and refreshing and, based on the sound of the band, we have been likened to the Marleys and Peter Tosh," Pearson said.
Since being formed, Pearson says they have focused mostly on doing recordings and to date have recorded two live albums.
The first, entitled 'Time And Space Through Creation', was recorded on the band's own label, Time and Space, and was represented at the 2000 MIDEM in Cannes, France. The second album, 'Burning Con-piracy', was released on the Xterminator Record label.
According to Pearson, "the first album, though receiving good reviews at MIDEM, was unable to get off the ground, because at the time when we went some of the songs were not properly mixed, because we were somewhat self-maintained and most of our finances had dried up".
As for the second album, though not yet released, Pearson says they have a single from it that has been made available to the public.
"Last time I spoke to 'Fattis' Burrell, he was actually looking for a deal with a distributor or publisher for the album, but that is still in the pipeline. In the meantime there is a single entitled 'Rastafari Live Forever', and this is available for sale on the Internet on the Xterminator website," he said.
Time and Space boasts seven truly talented members and, as a result, they have been able to handle many of the technical and musical aspects of their work themselves.
All tracks on both albums were written, arranged and played by the group's members, who have also played rhythm tracks for the likes of Sizzla, Turbulence, First Born (group out of Guyana), L.M.S, Chezideck, I n I Records, Stamma T and Forsight.
The band has performed at a number of community and local shows, for example, at the African Livity show in 1998, the celebrity concert dubbed 'Lions Roar' at Hope Gardens in 2000, two Labour Day concerts in the Waterhouse Community and the Roots FM Anniversary show in 2001. Also in 2001, the band was one of the 10 finalists in the JCDC Popular Song Competition.
Pearson says the band has had to endure many difficulties in the entertainment industry, largely due to the fact that they are a band of seven, recording live musical tracks.
"Due to the type of songs we sing, most producers are looking for the easy way out, so when we tell them that we are a band or doing a live recording, it is a turn-off for the producers, because normally they use a one man to do everything. Even for shows overseas, they may say, 'bwoy it hard fi move seven man', so we usually have a problem there," he said.
Now, having to face the harsh reality, Pearson says they are currently looking to set up their own facilities for a recording studio.
"Hopefully this can be completed by September of this year. Right now we are operating from 45 Balmagie Avenue in Waterhouse," he said.
In addition to those obstacles, Pearson says the band has not been able to penetrate the local market, even in light of having some of their songs being played on radio abroad.
"Presently, we are looking for the type of management that can hit the target market that we desire and there are people with links on the international market. The Jamaican market has not really worked out for us, to be honest, and even people who have heard the band say we would really do well on the European market," he said.
According to Pearson, at the time when the band came into being, dancehall music was very active on the local market and because the band stayed away from certain types of messages in their songs, the media have not put their songs on the playlists.
"We don't sing about certain things, like bun dis an bun dat, and so we have not been able to break into the local market. The media fraternity don't see the essence of what we have, guys who sing about the social issues that are relevant to our own situation. They only want to play a song that has a party vibe,and they are missing the roots, rock vibes," he explained.
The band has just mixed a song entitled 'I Am Determined' and is set to release it before the end of the year.
