To stay at the forefront of the ever-changing scope of music, The Wailers can’t placate Reggae purists when the children of the Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears era begin to age and their parents and grandparents pass on. Some members of The Wailers were in diapers and sucking their thumbs when Bob Marley was at his prime. But evolution is an inevitable requirement to stay current, to be listened to.
“Things and times change,” Danglin conceded. “There are different personalities that are involved with The Wailers at this point.”
To adapt to change, Aston “Family Man” Barrett, world-renowned bass player and original member of Bob Marley & The Wailers, brought together a new lineup – a younger generation of Reggae musicians that would cater to today’s ever-youthful, Marley-adoring crowd.
“You’ve got some younger guys right now that are lead singers, including myself, that appeal to a younger audience and everything,” Danglin said.
Add to that the behind the scenes package referred to as “The Wailers Organization,” made up of a management team, developers, graphic designers and social media marketers. Their hard work pays off. Ninety percent of the college shows The Wailers book sell out.
The statistic is easily justifiable. Bob Marley & The Wailers’ timelessness reverberates through the generations. The grandparents listen to his classics via radio, then the parents purchase the CD and when their children come of age they purchase the MP3.
“I think that parents have an influence because I’ve seen where mothers bring their daughters, fathers bring their sons and daughters and husbands bring their wives… It’s family music,” Danglin said.
Over time, The Wailers have embraced children, families and, of course, the nostalgic dreadlocked Rastafarians visualizing the golden days and swaying to Danglin’s voice in lieu of Marley’s.
“You see grandkids and grandparents at the show at the same time, even if the music was made decades ago. People are still drawn to it,” Danglin recalled. “I’ve seen some 8-year-olds in the crowd. I’ve seen 60-year-olds in the crowd so I think the music in its form is growing to a wider audience and the reception for it has been overwhelming.”
The Wailers tours with the liveliness that reflects the soul Marley put into the creation of his final album entitled “Uprising.” He never saw the chance to grace the stage and sing tracks from this album. The Wailers in his stead posthumously preach his genius.
Marley’s music indeed has survived the decades, but the understanding of his music has been noticeably weathered. The young crowd, which may have never even heard of a Rastafarian, will willfully sing along with the lyrics, “Rastaman, live up! Bongoman, don’t give up! Congoman, live up, yeah! Binghi-man don’t give up! Keep your culture: Don’t be afraid of the vulture! Grow your dreadlock: Don’t be afraid of the wolf-pack!”
The message behind the cause has been lost in translation in an inundated era of clich?d love, sex, money and drug-laden rhetoric. But that’s only half of the story. We of the post-millennia can’t always relate to the ’70s and ’80s – two among many decades of unconsciousness for most college students in 2011.
The Wailers that we listen to today pays homage to the person responsible for the music, sans the dated movements that inspired his music. But, of course, listening to The Wailers is better than no Bob Marley at all. They come at an opportune time when the new generation doesn’t realize that they need to be reminded of what it was that made Bob Marley & The Wailers so prominent.
Marley’s music, in due time of 30 years and two days later, effectively becomes just as much the property of The Wailers as they preach to the newer audience. They are matched for the younger crowd after all.
Who knows, maybe one of these coming days your son or daughter will adamantly educate you by insisting that The Wailers (of their time) wrote, “Could You Be Loved.” That’s when you should fall out of your seat.
The Wailers will be performing at the Majestic Theater Feb. 8 at 8:30 p.m.
