The Original Rock Star! "THE Dubber"

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The Room is full of Knotty’s and Ital Sista's, Wall Street Bankers and Main Stream Hipster's getting ready for some "Roots-Reggae-Rock-and-Blues." Crossing the restrictions of mainstream music is hard, if you want to be part of the "in crowd."  However, I think, “THE Dubber" has it right...why not make the in-crowd wanna be you!

When you flow with ease and effortless grace like "THE Dubber" it comes out like warm bowl of oatmeal with brown sugar, the kind that your mother used to make , while sprinkling a lil' extra love on top! This is what I said to myself when I first heard Wendell " THE Dubber" on Riyen Roots playlist on YouTube. "With a Feeling" is the song that captured my attention. Moreover, each song I hear keeps me looking out for more!

Aunt Kitty: What transitions have taken place on your 30-year journey, while cultivating your music?

THE Dubber: Thinking back over my 30-year journey, I have transformed from a humble one-string guitar player to the artists I am today " The Dubber". While attending Livingstone College in Salisbury North Carolina, I formed a power trio with some buddie’s called "Frija?" I was the weak link in the band at the time, but bassist Fred Johnson and drummer Linard Stroud encouraged me to hone my guitar and song writing skills. After two semesters of daily jamming and rehearsals, Frija performed at Star Time, an Annual Livingstone College showcase. With this performance, I was “smitten and bitten by the bug,” I knew I was a musician. I needed the stage. When the semester ended, Linard left Livingstone and returned to Chicago. Fred and I discussed keeping the band together and going to LA.  About three years later, that is what we did. We found another drummer (Greg Jamison) and lead singer (Du Shawn Franklin) and "Frija" was reborn as a four-piece band. We performed in Southern California, our first "GIG" was at Bogart's in Long Beach.

This "blew the doors open" for us to bigger and better venues in LA, and on Sunset Strip in Hollywood. Between 1989 and 1993, we played all the clubs from Whiskey a Go Go, and Coconut Teaser to the Viper Room. I have shared the stage with such notables as Rage Against the Machine, Korn, Tool and a host of other bands on the LA scene. All the leading labels courted us at that time, all of them. This process went on for about a year. Unfortunately, in the interim, our lead singer Du Shawn died in a freak car accident. ( Bro. Du Shawn "RIP".)

Having such unbelievable success, Fred and I decided to soldier on, creating a new group "Backlash."  Front singer Shawn “T-Bip” Woods and Terrace “RAS Gooch” Grimm joined us. Moving with the same success as "Frija?." We were blindsided by the arrest of T-Bip. This, ended another band. From here the remaining three members of "Backlash!" linked up with two Dub-Reggae Poets (Anthony "Rack" Yong) and ( David "Lord King David" Harvey) along with singer Regis Bell to form the futuristic Dub-Reggae band "The Dubber's or King Selassie I.

After 2 years of gigging  the LA area the band decided to come to the East Coast landing me back in Washington D.C. Six months and 20 gigs’ into it, the group disbanded. Now back in my hometown of  "DC" without a band, I started playing with a group called "Eastman" from 97-98. Between 2000-2003 I played with a young woman in the Baltimore area called Niela. Therefore, as you can see I have had many transformative actions take place, and all of this led me to becoming "THE Dubber." From different regions throughout the country, maximizing my skills by testing and perfecting everything from Rock, Reggae, to Neo-Soul, I was still in search of an opportunity "of" my own making. This came in the form of a talent show held by "Tower Records." I had written a few songs on classical guitar and I performed them as THE Dubber. That is capitol T, capitol H, capitol E, capitol D...ubber. I chose this name to show how I re-invented my musical styles through songwriting (I accommodated many singers and styles of music) this was my chance to showcase my true talent, my ability to meld sound and word...I am THE Dubber!

Aunt Kitty: Tell us a little about being a self-taught musician, and the dedication it takes to be THE Dubber!

THE Dubber: First, I am a self-taught musician. I can read music, a little, but after taking a couple of lessons in my youth, I simply felt board with learning traditional music. I found myself interested in creating new sounds and new progressions, I have stayed on this path ever sense. Therefore, what you hear today is my honest interpretation of music. I am not I am not trying to combine genres, and have no interest in revisiting past music and try to make it my own. I did not plan to usher in something new, it just happened. This is my art-my music- my soul. I express myself openly, but this comes with a price (sacrifice). People may like what you do but at the same time, they want to be entertained, and this is where the dilemma comes in. There are entertainers and there are artists. Entertainers may be talented, but that is what they enjoy...entertaining. Usually it comes with perks and accolades. However, with artists, it is about self-expression. They are talented but self-expression comes first. There is a statement made in their work. They have to express themselves even to a fault.

Aunt Kitty: Most Singer/ Songwriters make the conscious choice not to go into the (international zone) I love the fact that you give voice to your broader side in music..Speak a little about this.

THE Dubber: Well the reason I loosely titled myself a "World Artist" is because while working at Tower Records, I noticed the artists in the world music section where from all over the world. Ireland, Jamaica, South Africa, etc... they took a social/ political/ cultural stand from the region in which they lived. This music is considered "Roots music “for this area. From an American point of view, Roots music is considered, Folk or Americana. Most of these artists came from Rural America, but as far as Urban America, there was a void.  Urban culture had no voice speaking to the issues of social-political-culture. Rap music had moved on to the mainstream. This is my way to fill the void.

" Being born and raised in Urban America, specifically Washington D.C. I find it important for someone like myself to speak of oneness within the global family. The message in my music is for humanity."                            - THE Dubber

Aunt Kitty: Talk about your future, what you see THE Dubber doing in the weeks and years to come.

THE Dubber:  I am currently working on my new album “Cleaning up the Dirty South" an ode to the south where I relocated about six years ago. Columbia, South Carolina/ to be exact. Living here now, I have a better understanding of the South now, which gives me a better "over standing" of America as it relates to the larger world...There is a lot of world history in South Carolina.

The industry buzz is finally happening. I'll be dropping be dropping a couple of singles and video's soon, so be on the lookout for my first single "Under the Milky way" a remake by the band "The Church." There is a funny story behind this song. I promised myself I would never do covers...LOL! At one performance, I was asked to do only originals, so being the rebel I am; I found it funny to do a cover of "Under the Milky way" at this particular show. I remember back in Livingstone College looking at "120 Minutes" on MTV seeing the video for this song and saying to myself, " I'm gonna play this song one day!" Now, it’s not only one of my most popular tunes, but the song that started the buzz in my musical head.  

 Aunt Kitty's closing statement...
THE Dubber has a "nice sized fan base" abroad.  We are looking at someone who is putting out a global message...a universal "411." You would have a hard time getting lost anytime or anywhere if you had his tunes in your IPOD!  We are looking at: Canada, Japan, Indonesia, a good portion of South American countries; Buenos Aires, Brazil, and Bogata even his European "listeners" relate better he says "than some of his American audience." I am sure we will be catching up very soon...with the times being as they are, we need more Dubber's in this world pioneering music to jump us off into the "NEW ERA" we are so desperately in need of today!







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