Midnite: Bringing Reggae's Past Into Reggae's Future

Hailing from the St Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, Midnite is considered by
many fans of traditional "roots reggae" to be the most promising act to
emerge in the genre in many years.

Midnite has an approach rooted rhythmically in the 1970s, earning
comparisons to the sounds of Burning Spear, The Wailers, Misty In Roots,
and the Twinkle Brothers. The vocal quality of lead singer Vaughn Benjamin,
however, is far more reminiscent of the musical side of the contemporary
Jamaican "singjay" Sizzla.

Beyond the cadence and tonal quality of Vaughn Benjamin's singing and
chanting, his fascinating lyrics chart new territory and reveal a poetic
depth not heard in reggae since the prime of singer/songwriters Bob Andy,
Bob Marley, and Ernie Smith. Benjamin weaves contemporary observations from
a Rastafarian cultural perspective. The track "Hieroglyphics," for example,
found on the group's Ras Mek Peace album, suggests that graffiti "is the
hieroglyphics of the modern day." "Bushman," from the Unpolished album,
fiercely asserts pride in the African past as viewed through the lens of
the colonial and post-colonial experience in the African Diaspora.

Band co-founders and brothers Vaughn Benjamin (vocalist) and Ron Benjamin
(keyboardist and musical director) form the nucleus of the quintet, which
also includes fellow St. Croix musicians Dion Hopkins on drums, Philip
Merchant on bass, and Abijah on lead guitar.

"We play our music to stimulate, to get people to start to think. We
basically deal with historical things -- where we come from, the way the
world was in the past," says Ron Benjamin. "Western society is getting
further and further away from natural living. Everything is technology.
Personally, I take technology as one of the greatest sins of the century."

Despite the fact that the group uses electricity to amplify its music and
recording studios with tape recorders to preserves its sound, in a relative
sense, technology is sparse in the group's recorded output. This is
particularly true on the group's second album, Ras Make Peace (Wildchild!
Records), which was recorded live in the studio to a two-track machine
without the common processing or post-production techniques used on
virtually all modern studio recording.

Unpolished is the suitably named title of Midnite's 1997 debut album, which
includes standout tracks "Bushman," "Propaganda," and "Love the Life You
Live." Originally released in 1997, while the band was located in
Washington, D.C., Unpolished has recently been re-released on Rastafaria
Recordings.

Following the release of Ras Mek Peace, Midnite returned to live in St.
Croix so that they could work with the local musicians and make recordings
at their African Roots Lab. The fruits of these labors can be found on
Jubilees of Zion, which was released on the group's Midnite Roots label.

Midnite has released three cds in 2002: Assini, Fya (featuring vocalist
Dezarie) and most recently, Seek Knowledge Before Vengeance.

Midnite has earned a huge following in its native St. Croix, as well as St.
Thomas & Puerto Rico. The group's underground following in America is
becoming substantial, as recent performances at major reggae festivals in
California have demonstrated. Onstage, Midnite has been known to perform
three-hour sets ? very rare in the reggae world. Midnite is also unafraid
to play its music as slow in a live setting as on record, something even
roots stalwart Burning Spear has generally avoided. "[Some artists] think
people won't dance [if the music is too slow]. That's just not true,"
explains Ron Benjamin.

By breaking many standard rules for commercial success in the music
business and challenging assumptions about how reggae can be developed and
delivered, Midnite is charting its own course towards a lasting independent
legacy. "We're doing the work, and it's extremely fulfilling," says Ron
Benjamin. "We get people who either love us or hate us. But we're getting a
reaction, and that's what we want."

Midnite will perform in Lincoln, Nebraska at the Royal Grove, 340 W.
Cornhusker Hwy., on Sunday, July 21st at 8 p.m. Tickets are $12.00 at the
door and $10.00 with a coupon available from Zero Street Records (Lincoln)
or the Royal Grove. More info: 402-477-8010.