Blue King Brown
The Aussie combine return with their potent brew of roots music and righteous indignation

Dan Grunebaum

After you’ve checked the big-name acts off your
must-see list, part of the fun of festivals like Fuji Rock and Summer Sonic is happening across bands you’ve never heard of. As I made my way last year out to Summer Sonic’s Beach Stage, some powerful rumblings were emanating across the dirty gray sand of the Chiba seaside as the sun gave up its ghost into the smog of Tokyo bay. Getting closer to the stage, I was greeted by the agreeable sight of a tiny spitfire of a woman of indeterminate ethnicity leading an equally unidentifiable ragtag collective of musicians through a barnstorming set of reggae, funk and Latin-influenced numbers. Delivered with a resonant voice and accompanied by expert percussion, her songs called for a collective movement against modern-day ills ranging from environmental destruction to the deprivation of indigenous Australians to slavery to the multinational corporation.

Born in the US to a Western Samoan mother and Native American/Mexican father, Natalie Pa’apa’a (pictured right at Summer Sonic) formed Blue King Brown with bassist and fellow percussionist Carlo Santone. The pair hooked up in 2003 in the counterculture Aussie beach haven of Byron Bay. Now based in Melbourne, they are currently a six-member powerhouse that—on the strengths of their bracing live show and debut album Stand Up—have played leading Aussie festival Big Day Out and backed roots acts like Michael Franti and John Butler.

Hearing that they were due back in Japan for Yokohama’s surf-oriented Green Room Festival and a solo gig in Shibuya, we tracked Pa’apa’a down by email to find out what fuels this dynamic frontwoman.

Tell us about your first experience of reggae, and why you use it as a medium for your messages.
I listened to a lot of reggae music growing up; luckily, my mother has really great taste in music and she passed that on to us kids. Reggae has been known for its conscious messages. Whether we play reggae or other styles, we use all our music to spread a message of unity and love, as well as hope, strength and the individual responsibility we all have to make our world a safe and peaceful place, with tolerance and respect.

Why do you think reggae has become one of the world’s main music of resistance?
I think you can find messages of resistance in all types of music, not just reggae, but it is more common in reggae, I guess. I think this stems from the history of reggae music and where it comes from. Artists like Bob Marley have made a universal impact on music today through the expression of their struggles and the struggles of so many throughout the world, through rhythms and melodies, and people really connect with that.

How did you and Carlos meet? What was your first impression of each other?
We met in Byron Bay by the beach through a friend. We were friends straightaway.

Why “Blue King Brown”?
We wanted a name that didn’t mean anything other than us, and our music and messages. This is a unique name that we came to because we liked these three words individually and it set up colors that we now fly as our logo/flag.

What did you learn busking in the streets?
We learned a lot!! How to entertain a crowd enough so that they stay, enjoy themselves, and then pay you some money! Playing on the streets is a great way to get used to performing in front of people and to hone your skills on your instrument.

Why is roots music so strong in Australia now?
I think it’s because people are more open to hearing different types of music, and roots is something that uses different sounds and subject matter compared to classic rock ‘n’ roll or pop.

What are the challenges for an Aussie band in reaching a worldwide audience?
Living in Australia means that you are distant from places like Europe, the USA and Asia, so it can be hard for bands to get together the finances to fund tours internationally. But nowadays with the internet, it is easier for bands to spread their music around through their web or MySpace pages, which is great for planting the seeds for fan bases in other countries.

To what extent are the issues you take up in your lyrics local and what extent global?
On our debut album Stand Up, there were some lyrics that were aimed locally but whose words translated to similar situations that happen in other parts of the world. Most of our lyrics are written with a global perspective, for everyone, everywhere.

Tell us about upcoming releases and how they will evolve.
We are currently recording our second album and experimenting with some new sounds, including programmed drumming and extra instrumentation. It’s sounding good and we’re looking forward to finishing it and sharing it with y’all!

The Green Room Festival, May 24 and Shibuya Duo, May 25. See concert listings (popular) for details.

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