Trinity Roots have been writing and performing some of New Zealand’s finest reggae/soul since 1998. Sharing members with Fat Freddie’s Drop, collaborating with the likes of Neil Finn and boasting countless sold out shows, there is no doubt that Trinity Roots are considered a cornerstone in the reggae scene.
After the successful Australian release of their single ‘Haiku’ in 2014 Trinity Roots are now ready to kick of the new year by announcing an Australian tour in support of their heavily anticipated third studio album (set for release early 2015).
The original seven date East Coast tour has been expanded to include a performance at Gold Coast’s Bleach Festival. This Tour will be a chance for the band to showcase their new material and reminisce on some old favourites. Supported by the self-proclaimed guitar-wielding banjo-slinging freak Karl S. Williams, these shows are set to be a journey for the senses.
To celebrate the band’s visit, the guys have given us a track by track run down of their killer new album Citizen – check it out below.
Bully
“I wrote this song as an observation of a dangerous issue within our culture of the title and its not only at schools. There are political tactics that entail certain ‘boys club’ antics affecting us all.
Then the Sabbath-esque choruses kick in to augment the heavy-ness of the subject.”
Citizen
and to push the boundaries a little bit. We were sitting in a hotel lobby in Shepherds Bush, London before a show at Bush Hall brainstorming names for the album.After a bit of deliberation the idea of Citizen seemed to encompass a lot of the sentiment of the album so we stuck with it. This track also has a deep Rootsy rhythm section vibe which references a lot of older Trinity repertoire and that’s something that we’ve tried to preserve.”
Clarity
“Clarity is one of those songs that kind of wrote itself. A lot of our songwriting is visceral so you start with a seed and follow your gut feeling from there. The verse groove in 5/4 came from an idea that our original drummer Riki Gooch came up with a piano line that we embellished.
The lyrics pertain to a ‘lost in translation’ kind of theme – what is said can be interpreted differently. The fundamental is what is the intent behind the communication. The outro is inspired by Kanaky rhythms from New Caledonia. I toured there a lifetime ago with South-side of Bombay and heard those infectious rhythms and they re-appeared from the depths of my hard drive in this track!”
El Kaptain
“El Kaptain is a political satire inspired by the conservative outcome of our last election and the apathy of middle New Zealand. The ‘Kaptain’ is John Key our Prime minister who has ‘gemini-esque’ traits of saying one thing and then doing completely the opposite. I don’t agree with his policies and his spin doctors have a mastery of the political vernacular to coerce your average voter into trusting him – nasty business!”
This Road
“A song of deep rooted jealousy issues which I have learned to deal with and passion. Love and lust can really rip a person apart and unfortunately its one of those things we all have to go through to get to the other side – if you’re lucky! It’s kind of written from my partners point of view to me basically saying “I love you so get your shit together and stop worrying about who I’ve been with!”
Hercules
A good accountant is worth their weight in cd’s…”
Musings of a Cloud
“This tune was originally an instrumental that we were going to treat more like an interlude and then in the last few months of mixing/tracking the title Musings of a Cloud became the subject matter of the song. Musings of a Cloud reflects on the preciousness of time and how we as busy individuals in modern day society spend a lot of time with our heads in the clouds whilst trying to keep our feet on the ground.” (Ben Lemi)
Village Man
“I actually wrote this song for a solo project but it seemed to fit with TR better. So this song is a ‘Mars vs Venus’ type song pointing out some of our differences but moreso an observation that for eons, Men, in general, have dominated women through physical strength and horrific brutalities.
But optimistically, we seem to be shifting to a more gender-balanced society. We still have a way to go but at least we have started the journey back to respect and equality.”
They Fall
“An observation of the Divisiveness of Politics and how even those closest to you can be on the other side of the fence. We referenced Talking Heads in this one as David Byrne has always wielded prose to make you think.” (Ben Lemi)
Haiku
“The lyrics in this song came from a coal-face’ observation of a large percentage of our youth feel quite disconnected and despondent with real-life NZ. I teach at a tertiary contemporary school and everyday there is a ubiquitous feeling of hopelessness with some of our young people, especially in the provinces.
There is also a nod to our young girls feeling pressured by advertising imagery to look and consume in a certain way to be ‘beautiful’ which is a complete fallacy and tragedy. These kinds of image conscious messages can be really dangerous for our young people. Musically I love the stonking ‘Queens of the Stone Age’ groove in the verses in 7/4… Punk meets Roots!”
Tour Dates
(With Special Guest Karl S. Williams)
19th March | Brisbane, QLD | The Zoo
Tickets from: http://www.thezoo.com.au
21st March | Sunshine Coast, QLD | The Solbar
Tickets from: http://solbar.com.au
22nd March | Gold Coast, QLD | Bleach* Festival @ Rabbit & Cocoon with Tijuana Cartel and The Lyrical – Tickets From: www.rabbitandcocoon.com
25th March | Brunswick Heads, NSW | Brunswick Hotel
Free Entry: http://www.
26th march | Sydney, NSW | Oxford Arts Factory
Tickets from: http://oxfordartfactory.
27th March | Wollongong, NSW | University of Wollongong Tickets from
Tickets from: www.uowunibar.com.au
28th March | Melbourne, VIC | Evelyn Hotel
Tickets from: http://evelynhotel.com.
