
The guys from The Wailers don't give interviews often, and not because the Jamaican version of their spoken English is difficult to understand, but rather, so they can communicate through their music.
Indeed, with Bob Marley in tow, the original crew managed to sell some two hundred million records since they came together in the 1960s. Those sorts of numbers propel them to the same heady heights as pop icons like Madonna, U2 and MJ.
Subsequently, the new group was formed post the original outfit, sometime during 2008 by former Wailer Al Anderson and Junior Marvin - best known for their lead guitar and backing vocal work while playing with Bob and the original crew in the 1970s and 80s.
By late last year, the guys embarked on their first world tour and continued to spread their message of unbridled love and peace. And in 2009, The Movement of The People tour makes its way down under.
The tour will feature a retrospective celebration of the 'Exodus' album, voted by Time Magazine as the most important album of the 20th century. So with legendary reggae session drummer Paapa Nyarkoh and Jamaican keyboard virtuoso Desi Hyson onboard, they hope to continue to convey their story through lyrics and music.
The 'Exodus' album stands as the definitive statement of the concerns and the artistry of Marley, who, while himself marked by many of humanity's imperfections, rose from the obscurity of a third world shanty town to become one of the planet's most beloved and inspiring figures. His message speaks across generations of people of every colour and creed. And for five nights in November this message will be heard loud, clear and righteous in Australia.
These guys are just plain old rockers. And it's no doubt roots and reggae at its finest, most uplifting. Indeed, The Original Wailers represent the culture of Jamaica and the Caribbean in song and gospel. It is simply, music. And Junior says he doesn't even need to elaborate.
“If you know the music then you should know what it's about. It's all about giving thanks. We've been at this for some time and I'm still going strong. The idea is to bring people together and get recognition for our work and where we stand.â€
Sure, an artist who has been in the game so long is likely to have an extensive collection of albums to his name - and he does. In a slight twist, I wonder why he is persistently calling me virgin; perhaps this is the correct nomenclature - but he digresses.
"It's not about record companies; rasta and all these concepts are natural. I know rasta and it is real. Some people like fashion, some people like popularity. I'm not about fashion or style or hype - I like to bring people together to have a good time."
And much of their music, like much of the sound coming from the region - both roots and reggae - has a focus on peace and love. And their songs are testament to that.
"It's about our culture and looking into the future. I could be from the future, so I might not even be talking to you right now! The music though, importantly, represents everything that people know and love about the green, red and yellow. And a message always abounds - red is the memorial to the blood shed by patriots. Yellow stands for the wealth of heritage. And green represents the forests and vegetation."
In turn, the music represents true sign writing. "I would just say to people - make love, not war. Love is beautiful and war is ugly. We are in the transition. We are planting the seeds for the children and we want to overcome the struggle. In Iraq, in Africa, people are dying. For many years, we have been trying to change that.
"There are forces that discredit women, and praise guns; we need to try to reach out to those people and stop evil. My hope is to see the people of the world and kick knowledge and culture. We are going to be on stage as one big band. I built my character from that development and I carry fun to the stage, dancing and messing around. It's me!"
Now, who said education?
The Original Wailers play the Beach Hotel November 23 and the Hi-Fi November 25.