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Burning desire

Reggae legend shows no sign of cooling down
burning-spear

Who: Burning Spear with Bedouin Soundclash

Where: Buffalo Bill’s

When: Tuesday, Sept. 7

Tickets: $45

The word "legend" gets tossed around lightly these days. My Australian colleague, for example, declares me a legend if I lend him a pen.

Outside Aussie slang the term carries a bit more weight.

In the world of reggae music, it’s the ultimate honour. It implies a peer-ship with the man whose dredlocked image has adorned a billion dorm rooms. Bob Marley – Legend – the title of a celebrated greatest hits album, and a tribute befitting a man whose music and ideas continue to transcend his untimely death at the age of 36.

Call a reggae musician a legend and it is no small thing.

The L-word often shows up in regards to Marley contemporary and fellow reggae pioneer Burning Spear.

The artist accepts good-naturedly.

"I am comfortable with all the good names," Spear remarks. "As long as it’s good. As long as it’s clean and not dirty, I am comfortable with it."

He’s a true contemporary. Born one month after Marley in 1945 in the same Parish of St. Ann’s in Jamaica, he claims it was Marley who advised the pre-stage named Winston Rodney on how to start recording.

So goes the story as previously recalled by Spear: "I found myself moving along up in the hills of St. Ann’s and I ran into Bob at the same time and Bob was going to his farm. The man was moving with a donkey and some buckets and a fork and cutlass and plants. We just reason man-to-man and I-man say wherein I would like to get involved in the music business. And Bob say, ‘all right, just check Studio One.’"

The casual encounter with "Bob" was the start of a 35-year recording career. Shortly before the release of his 1969 Studio One debut Door Peep Rodney found his artistic nom de guerre – Burning Spear – a reference to political activist Jomo Kenyatta, the first president of the republic of Kenya.

Fire and passion continued to characterize the artist’s work after he left Studio One to record with Island Records in the 1970s, his early works championing the cause of self-determination and self-reliance for oppressed African descendants through infectious reggae rhythms.

Spear continued to record throughout the next decades, receiving a Grammy award for 1999’s Calling Rastafari .

In 2002 at the age of 57 Burning Spear was burning stronger than ever. He turned his focus to the business side of his music and decided to practice his ideals of self-determination on his career. Together with his wife and partner Sonia Rodney he launched Burning Spear Records and under the new independent label, went on to release the 2003 album Free Man .

This past June the label announced it was partnering MRI/Ryko Distribution to re-release a collection of classic Spear albums from the artist’s illustrious 35-year career, including a re-release of Free Man on Aug. 17.

A new album is planned for 2005.

"This is the only way you gonna feel like you’ve been treated good," Spear said of his recent assertion. "You gonna be treated good by yourself. Nobody going to be doing it for you.… It was way down in the ’90s when I started to earn something and benefit something from what I been doing since 1969. You can see how many years passed by when I was out there doing thing not getting anything from what I been doing.

"All these thing encouraged me more to do something for me, so at least I can end up having something from what I been doing. Everybody has been getting from what I been doing so it’s about time I get from what I been doing too."

Along with taking a more hands-on approach to the business of music the near sexagenarian has maintained an ambitious touring schedule that would take down a man one-third his age. His show this Tuesday in Whistler is number 62 of a 64-date jaunt through North America he and his eight-piece band started back in June to celebrate the year of his "59 th Earthday."

That’s not including the six shows he played in Australia in April.

To sustain himself he’s had to remain focused. He may draw his name from a revolutionary political leader, but true power, he points out, is in the mind.

"You think powerful, you going to do powerful, you going to act powerful, you going to move powerful," Spear says. "It’s your mind. It’s not the name."

The R-word (retirement) comes up inevitably. Age is just a number, but pushing 60 years old, might this tour of Western Canada be his last?

According to the artist, the answer is no.

"I’m going to be touring in Canada again before I retire," he states. "I know that for sure."

"I don’t think I’m going to be in the music longer than when I supposed to be in it. Everybody have to retire at sometime," he adds.

However, he assures, retiring from touring doesn’t mean retiring from recording. His desire is to continue writing what he terms "clean" music. That’s not to say he wants to be reggae’s Pat Boone. "Clean" is a word more along the lines of "straightforward" in Spear-ese.

"When people listen to the music they don’t have to say: ‘what’s he talkin’ about? What’s that mean? Why is he saying that?’ People should just be listenin’ to the music feelin’ happy," he clarifies.

"Listen to the music, enjoy themselves, that’s what the music is about – very serious but enjoyable."

For now, he’s happy to go city to city, town to town, bringing his serious but enjoyable music to the people.

"Music is what I want to be," he says. "Everything is exciting with all these places and all these people I been singing for. No complaints."

"Keep the spear burning," is his closing salutation.

An appropriately legendary catch-phrase.

Burning Spear’s show at Buffalo Bill’s this Tuesday evening includes an opening set by Montreal reggae-rock trio Bedouin Soundclash. Tickets are $45 available in advance from the venue, Bestsellers and Whistler Entertainment.

For more information call 604-932-2446.