Krista Henry, Staff Reporter

Members of Rootz Underground are Colin Young (left), Jeffrey Moss-Solomon (second left), Stephen Newland (centre), Charles Lazarus (second right) and Leon Campbell. - Contributed

Largely undiscovered by the masses, Jamaican band Rootz Underground is focused on going global for 2007 and revolutionising music in the process.

Rootz Underground members Stephen Newland, Charles Lazarus, Jeffrey Moss-Solomon, Leon Campbell, Paul 'Scooby' Smith and Colin Young have been combining their various interests to produce an eclectic sound that has been generating interest across musical borders. Formed in 2000, the group has spent the time getting their name out, writing original lyrics, performing in a variety of locations and taking a leap of faith in their talent.

According to lead singer Stephen Newland, "Rootz Underground is a band, not a front man focus. Each member makes his own contribution. A lot of music is now is computer-generated, but we have a personal feel."

It is a feel that dips into roots, rock, jazz, hip hop and reggae music. Charles Lazarus, lead guitarist, explains that locally there is a resurgence of live music, moving away from computer- generated rhythms and DJs, and at the forefront of the movement is Rootz Underground. "The revolution is us and all bands that are writing original music. We're the human X factor that will change the computer-generated music," he said.

Thus far, their music seems to be hit with local fans, as Lazarus elaborated that the group has never got a bad reaction, appealing to audiences from the ghetto to uptown.

Influence

Their first album, Movement, is set to be released this summer. The first single, Victims of the System, influenced by the philosophies of Marcus Garvey and Haile Selassie, has been getting a lot of airplay and the video can be seen on RE TV, Hype TV and Tempo, among others. They have performed on RE TV Unplugged, ATI Temptation Island, at RedBones, last year's Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival, and they are confirmed to perform at this year's staging as well.

The most exposure the group has got is from the Internet, having been featured on numerous websites, including their own (www.rootzunderground.com). "Internationally, where we are today is because of the Internet spaces we have. We record all our shows and people come from all over the world to see them. We also have a lot of YouTube videos. Soon we're working on a deal with iTunes, so people can digitally download us on all the major MP3 sites from Jamaica, Japan and Europe," Newland said.