ALPHEUS
Interviewed by Jesse I -- October 19, 1999

This interview was conducted via phone from Boston in the USA to Melbourne, Australia, shortly after the release of Alpheus' Quality Time album on the Heartbeat label. It was a pre-record for airplay on Chant Down Babylon on 106.7 PBS-FM.

JESSE: Right now on the line I've got an upcoming star, coming out of the Studio One stables… Alpheus , thank you for joining me here on Chant Down Babylon.

ALPHEUS : Hey, hi there Jesse. Thank you for having me.

JESSE: Ah, it's a pleasure! I wouldn't mind starting by getting some background information. Whereabouts and when were you born?

ALPHEUS : Wow. Oh wow, when was I born… I haven't told anybody this! I was born in 1967, in London , England , of Jamaican parentage.

JESSE: Okay. And what is your full name?

ALPHEUS : My full name… my actual name is Neil Martin. My father's name is Alpheus . So that's the stage name I took because of so much respect I have for him.

JESSE: Yeah, I actually noticed that on the CD liner notes… it says you give praises there to him, and there's another person there you pay respect to…?

ALPHEUS : Yes, that's my son, who unfortunately passed away a couple of years ago. Y'know, those two people were so important to me, they most certainly did have to be, somehow, on my album in some way.

JESSE: Right. That's very nice. And when did you decide you wanted to be a reggae singer?

ALPHEUS : Wow. I think I've always wanted to be a reggae singer, y'know what I mean. But I never really started to take it seriously until I came to the United States about 7 years ago.

JESSE: Okay. What brought you to the states?

ALPHEUS : England is a beautiful place, but the economy was getting me down a little bit, and I wanted a change. And I just headed over to the United States… came over to New York and everything just stated like that.

JESSE: Okay. So what interested you in reggae in the first place.. why is that the music you're doing now?

ALPHEUS : Well ever since I was a kid… obviously my parents are Jamaican, and the only thing we ever listened to at home was reggae, y'know. So every Sunday when she would cook the rice and peas, and chicken and stuff, she'd be playing like.. pure Studio One y'know. It was kinda born into you… it's always been there.

JESSE: Right. It must be a great thrill for you now to be a part of that same Studio One that you listened to when you were a kid.

ALPHEUS : Believe me - it really is a sweet splendor Jesse! It feels really good to be there, and to really be around a great producer like Mr Dodd. It really is a sweet splendor man.

JESSE: Right, well, I first noticed your name on the Studio One Dancehall Selection that Heartbeat put out last year. Of course, produced by Coxsone Dodd. How did you come to hook up with him in the first place?

ALPHEUS : Yeah, um… I had a good friend in Florida , who had a sound system called “Don One Musical Showcase”. And, I was down there, and he knows I can sing a likkle bit, so he says “go, try and sing”. So I did, we went to the studio, and I was voicing some dubplate specials for him, and Tony Brevett was actually in the studio at the time, who is a member of the vocal group the Melodians. And he said, “hey rude bwai! You sound wicked, you sound good!” so I said hey thanks a lot, y'know. So then he goes “Alright. As soon as you come to New York , make sure you call me.” Cause he was staying in New York . So I called him, and then he took me to Mr Clement Dodd for an audition. And it started from there Jesse.

JESSE: Okay. It's like the old days, when you audition with Clement Dodd.

ALPHEUS : Yeah man, it's a serious one too. He really puts you through it.

JESSE: Right, okay. But of course, you didn't start there. The first break… I mean you were singing reggae before that on the sound systems… what was the first sound you sang on? Were you singing in London before you made it over to the States?

ALPHEUS : Yeah, yeah. I was actually like a deejay. At the time we used to call it toasting, y'know. When you would chant… and I used to chant on this sound called “Trenchtown Rockers” from Wilsden (?) in London . And then I moved on to another sound called “Kenyetta” because at the time, everybody was trying to be like Saxson sound. I'm not sure if you've heard of Saxson though Jesse?

JESSE: Yeah, yeah, I know them.

ALPHEUS : They're really a great sound, and a lot of sound systems really model themselves around them. So, due to that, y'know that gave us whole inspiration to really just go ahead and try these things out. So that's really how I did start, it was on the sounds in the early eighties.

JESSE: Okay, and now you've just released the brand new album “Quality Time”, on Studio One again with Heartbeat. All of those vocal tracks are laid over the original vintage Studio One riddims, right?

ALPHEUS : That's right, that's right. Straight out the vault, the original tracks.

JESSE: So how do you feel about recording over music which is about 30 years old?

ALPHEUS : Wow! Tell you something… first of all, I am really chuffed that Mr Dodd would let me do that. And so for him to let me do that, just means that I do have a voice, and that makes me feel good. But to hear those original tracks in your headphones while you're actually recording… it's so much inspiration. It feels so good because the riddim is licked properly. Y'know, you can hear the guy on the guitar, you can hear the liveness of the drums, and the liveness of the bass, and it just gives you that full inspiration to really sing as perfect as you can. It feels good.

JESSE: So do you feel you really enjoy those riddims more than the digital riddims being made today?

ALPHEUS : Most definitely, most definitely. Ever since I've had to actually study Studio One riddims – cause that's what we have to do, we have to study them – so when you study them, and you get back to hearing quite a few of the riddims that are licked today… there is no comparison. There's no comparison to the actually quality of the musicians.

JESSE: Right. Tell me about the recording process you go through. When you're writing your songs do you have a particular riddim in mind?

ALPHEUS : Yep, yep, I do. I usually get an actual dub of the riddim; sometimes Mr Dodd lets us take that. And I have a lot of Studio One dub CDs that are on Heartbeat, that are on Heartbeat label. There's quite a few nice ones. And I take them home, and I just run the riddim on a four-track machine, and I lay down all of my vocals, and I write a song like that. It normally takes about a week to write a good song. So I really study a song real hard.

JESSE: That's great. Yeah, I know your music fits these riddims just like it was perfectly… y'know, like the riddims were built for the music, it's great.

ALPHEUS : Thanks Jesse, thanks man, thanks.

JESSE: I noticed, the CD comprises mostly love songs, but you've got a few strong reality tunes in there as well. How important do you think reality tunes are given reggae's history as a sufferer's music?

ALPHEUS : Oh, man. But the thing about it is… I mean, reality is reality. Everybody, every day, is going through something. And a lot of us are going through the same things… white, black, green, yellow, it doesn't matter what color we are, or what kind of race or creed, it doesn't matter what kind of level of <?> we are. We're all going through things. Other songwriters.. we all have to make sure that we are making universal chune. Y'know what I mean? So… I mean… those reality tunes, like track one, it's called “Nothing Can Stop You”. That song is about somebody trying to infiltrate my vibes y'know. They were trying to make me feel low, and I wouldn't let it happen, I just say “no, I'm going to believe in myself and I'm going to go forward, and nothing can stop me”. And I no a lot of people feel like that everyday, so therefore I just put it onto the musical vibe. And y'know, it feels like it works.

JESSE: Yeah. I also noticed that… A lot of music in reggae is obviously laden with the Rasta message, but yours isn't overtly religious at all. Do you think that will help you reach a bigger audience?

ALPHEUS : Wow. You are an excellent listener Jesse. You really are man, you're really deep! Um… how can I say… I don't know. Um. I feel that I… that there is an actual audience that is out there, for something that I feel is very very neutral. I wrote the songs neutrally. I wasn't pointing at a certain sector of people, a certain class of people, a certain type of religion. Nothing like that. It's just universal chune. And this world is full of universal people, so therefore I really do feel that there is a market for that.

JESSE: Yes. Most definitely.. I mean, it's great, it should connect with everybody I think.

ALPHEUS : Yeah man, yeah man.

JESSE: Are there any tunes on the album which stand out as being particularly memorable for you?

ALPHEUS : Wow. Y'know, that's a serious question Jesse. I'm feeling strong about track number one, which is “Nothing Can Stop You”, cause I really feel that it's just a positive vibration. Because we all have to believe in ourselves, because every day we are facing a fight. You know what I mean? So we have to believe in ourselves, and go through for everyone that we love. So I think that song, and the love song “Let's Take The Vows” which is track two. They both mean a lot to me, y'know.

JESSE: I've got to say, one of my favorite tunes on the album already is “We Shouldn't Have To See This”. I think it's a fantastic one, excellent message there. Very well written song.

ALPHEUS : Oh, thank you very much Jesse! Yeah, y'know I forgot about that one. That one is great, yeah! That's true, and I got that song because one evening late.. I came in late from the actual Studio One, and I was watching the news, and I was seeing so much horrible things man. Kids with no food, and you know what I mean… man just shooting man for nothing. He doesn't even know why he shot the guy, but he shot the guy. And I think, “why, why, why do we have to see this?”. Y'know what I'm saying? We shouldn't have to see this for real! And then that just kinda gave me the inspiration to write that tune.

JESSE: So what do you think about the state of reggae music generally today?

ALPHEUS : I think it's in a pretty good state. There is a lot of cultural music out there right now, and that is good. Cause y'know what I mean, it's making people look into themselves. And, it's making people try to stay righteous. Um.. I think that the dancehall music is great, y'know what I mean, but there's not just dancehall. Um, y'know sometimes we come in from a hard week's work, you and me, y'know what I mean Jesse… and sometimes you just want to sit down, and listen to something kinda soft, softer reggae. There is a chance for all kinds of reggae. Right now it seems to be a lot of dancehall culture, which is great, because I really love that… but we have to still look for these nice softer tunes, y'know.

JESSE: Yes I. Yeah, I think there's definitely universal stuff happening in your music, and we'll really be appreciating it over here. Do you have any last words for the reggae fans over here in Australia ?

ALPHEUS : Yeah man, just keep... keep the vibes up. And believe in yourself, look in the mirror, and love that. Believe in yourself and keep your vibes completely up. You know what I mean?

JESSE: Yes I. Respect. Many thanks for taking the time out to speak to us today Alpheus, it's been fantastic.

ALPHEUS: Thank you Jesse, thank you for having me. And big up everybody in the area, just keep the vibes up.