I love me some good Cali reggae. There is a band that has been on my radar for a while now. After enjoying their music for quite some time, I figured it was worth it to reach out and see if I could learn more about their work. Tribal Seeds were kind enough to answer my call and share their career to date. The crew consists of rockers Steven Rene Jacobo (lyrics, lead vocals, guitar), Tony-Ray Jacobo (producer, keyboards, vocals), Carlos Verdugo (drums), Victor Navarro (bass), E.N Young (keyboards, vocals) and Ryan Gonzo (guitar, vocals).
Their music start is quite simple “It started with just [us] enjoying it. It was fun. Then when people started showing a genuine interest in it, it made [us] feel like this is something we could probably have some success in if we pursued it.”
They have a bunch of favorite works that resonate with their discography. I asked them to elaborate more on them. “Our song Vampire is a song that stands out because every time we play it live it gets such a good high energy response from the crowd. Also songs like Beautiful Mysterious and Dawn of Time stand out … because we experimented with lead guitar riffs that aren’t usually in traditional reggae music… [We] are proud of a lot of our work. Getting to play Red Rocks a couple times has been awesome too… Getting to share the stage with artists and bands that we grew up listening to and are big fans of, has been awesome as well.” My favorite song of theirs is Dark Angel and it is a perfect song that encapsulates the whole of what Tribal Seeds has to offer in music.
While they have been on the road they have had some one of a kind experience that few musicians can ever achieve. Tribal Seeds talked about some of their most memorable. “We got to open for Steel Pulse a couple times and that was a dream of [ours] for a long time. Opening for either Burning Spear, Alpha Blondy, or Manu Chao is also a dream of [ours]. Getting to tour with Slightly Stoopid was also a stand out for our career. These are just some artists that either [we] grew up being inspired by or fans of and was an honor or would be an honor to share the stage with them.”
The rock and roll life style can be rough sometimes. “[One of us] played with a fever once in San Fran and was barely able to stand on [their] two feet and play the show. That one stands out in [our] mind because [he] felt like [he] was gonna collapse after, but made it back to the bus.” Glad he survived to tell the tale!
Since they have a unique place in the music world, within reggae, I wondered if they could give me an in depth view of the industry from their end. “There’s a lot of good music out and a lot of music [we’re] not really a fan of… It’s kinda crazy how sexual and/or violent music is on a mainstream level… With kids being the main … demographic, [we] just think, ‘damn, the world really needs more positive music to counteract a lot of what corporations are trying to push down people’s throats.’”
For the future they remain ambitious yet humble. “[We] just hope to do good works… Being spiritual [people], [we] feel it’s [our] duty to do good works while [we’re] here… God blesses people to do good, so weather it’s starting a foundation or charity or supporting one or something along these lines, [we] have a passion to help make the world a better place. [We] want to continue to challenge [ourselves] to be innovative and unique. Keeping with roots Reggae as the foundation, you can take some chances to do something different and new.”
Influences range all over the reggae scene for these guys. “Bob Marley, Steel Pulse, Midnite are the main influences for Tribal Seeds music. [We] like Manu Chao a lot, The Kooks, Vampire Weekend to name a few. [We] draw inspiration from all genres of music.”
As the summer winds down, Tribal Seeds are a group that all reggae and music fans should know. Their simple yet complex tunes are appealing and enjoyable for all. They continue to write and will be sure to grace us all with more excellent music down the line. Give them a listen and explore their world!
Jam On.
