Title track from the album This Generation coming 2.26.2013. Below is an excerpt of an interview with Lions producer Dan Ubick, published today at reggae-steady-ska.com
he Lions from LA are a supergroup. You want proof? Their 12 (!) members have played with everyone from HEPCAT (vocalists Alex Désert & Deston Berry), MOBTOWN, THE BULLETS and OCEAN 11 (singer Malik Moore), THE EXPANDERS (Devin Morrison), JUMP WITH JOY (David Ralicke), BIG DADDY KANE (Steve Kaye), MACY GRAY, NORAH JONES, EVERLAST (Dave Wilder) to BLACK EYED PEAS and DE LA SOUL (David Chegwidden). Their MC Black Shakespeare is cousin to Robbie Shakespeare (of SLY & ROBBIE).
Five years ago the Lions released their debut “Jungle Struttin’”, one of the best and most original Reggae albums in years. Now they are back with a bang and a second album, “This Generation”. Already some of the new songs have made it onto the soundtracks of new Hollywood movies “Seeking A Friend (For The End Of The World)” with Keira Knightley and Steve Carell and “Ruby Sparks” with Paul Dano and Anette Benning. Besides, the Lions can be heard on “Young Adult” with Charlize Theron, “This Means War” with Reese Witherspoon, as well as the TV series “Breaking Bad” and “Burn Notice”.
We have already heard some brilliant tracks from “This Generation”, which will be released in early 2013, so we got in touch with guitar player, and one of the main men, Dan “Connie Price” Ubick (formerly of The Keystones, Big Daddy Kane, De La Soul, Breakestra).
RSS: How did the band form?
Dan Ubick: The Lions really got together first in 2006, just to see what would happen if we recorded some Reggae influenced songs in a way that sounded like the LPs we all grew up listening to, LPs with two guitars, real horns, organ, piano, and heavy bass and drums.
As we didn’t officially have the singers we have now full time, most of the tracks on our first LP “Jungle Struttin’” are instrumental. We did our take on what we loved about The Upsetters, Soul Syndicate, Rockers, etc., but added overtones of other influences like Cumbia, Afrobeat, Ethiopiques and film scores as we had no vocalists. So what was basically an instrumental group having fun at Orgone’s Killion Sound Studios quickly became something we had to do more of because it ended up sounding so good to us. We did get lucky and added our friend Noelle Scaggs (then of Rebirth, now of Fitz and The Tantrums) on a tune and had Alex, Deston and Shakespeare on a couple.
The guys in the band at the beginning were our drummer Blake Colie, Dave Wilder on bass, myself and Sergio Rios on guitar, Dan Hastie on organ and piano, Davey Chegwidden on hand percussion, James King on saxophones and Todd Simon on trumpet.
READ THE FULL INTERVIEW
http://reggae-steady-ska.com/the-lions-the-joy-music-brings/