Bob Good
The reggae crew brings its uplifting tunes to the Monona Terrace rooftop on June 16.
Natty Nation wants you to have a healthy mind.
With their recent album Divine Spark — their fifth in a career spanning 20 years — the local roots reggae crew delves into the benefits of finding mental balance through mindfulness meditation.
The first two tracks are even called “Balance” and “Meditation.” These upbeat jams set the tone for the record’s theme. They’ll also have you instinctively swaying to their smooth melodies.
Your next chance to sway with a live Natty Nation is Thursday, June 16, for the season’s second installment of the Monona Terrace “Concerts on the Rooftop” series.
“The goal is to uplift,” says JAH Boogie, the group’s frontman, lead vocalist and bassist. “To teach people about the energy within their bodies. Open them up to a healthier way of life.”
Though it starts slow and serene, Divine Spark quickly ramps up in both speed and substance after the first few tracks.
Things get heavy with deep electric guitar riffs and solos on “Suffice,” a track about pushing through difficult times in love. Over the quick drumbeat of “Purpose,” you’re asked flatly how you’ll leave a mark on this world. “Civil Rights” is a driving, funky tribute to those who devoted their lives to fighting for equality and is aided by F.Stokes, a Chicago-born rapper who spent his formative years in Madison.
The album closes with three spaced-out jams. “Divine Spark” is a mellow track about releasing the spiritual power within; it melts into “5th Dimension Dub” and “She Cries Dub,” traditional dub remixes of earlier tracks (“Divine Spark” and “Suffice”), with plenty of synthesized effects and echoes layered in.
Divine Spark was mixed by Errol Brown, who was Bob Marley’s tour engineer and also worked with Lauryn Hill, Gregory Isaacs and Burning Spear, among others.
Now that they’ve got another album under their belts, Natty Nation can get back to what they love most — playing live shows and touring. For the summer, they’re playing one or two festival gigs per weekend, with other appearances mixed in.
When the weather gets colder, the group plans to head overseas, likely to Europe and anywhere-warmer-than-Wisconsin.
Aaron Konkol, the group’s musical director, keyboard player and backup vocalist, says the key to keeping their live shows fresh is simple: “We improvise a lot. During a show, Boogie will begin singing a different song on the top of the one we’re playing, so it keeps everyone on their toes.”
Due to other band and life commitments, Natty Nation uses a handful of different musicians to play live gigs when the usual suspects Olen Franklin (drums) and Richard Hildner (guitar) are busy. “Bringing in other musicians helps a lot,” says Konkol, who joined the group in 2002. “We let the other musicians who are playing put their own stamp on it.”
With the new direction of Divine Spark, the crew will continue to grow from within — and hopefully add new fans to their base as they go, says Boogie.
“I’ve been into meditation for a while. We’re picking up people through that,” he says, adding that Natty Nation will continue to “find new avenues that spark our creativity, [and] explore different concepts and try to incorporate them into the music.”
