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Riders Against the Storm (RAS) come bringing greetings of divine love and power. After several years of performing as local (Providence, RI) solo artists on the theatrical and performance stage, Tiger Lily (Ghislaine Jean and Jbro (Jonathan Mahone) came together in the summer of 2003 to create music. Since their first performance (opening for dead prez in Providence, RI), the duo has been working hard to manifest music and poetry that reflects a spirit of resistance to the prevalent and dominant "storm" of music and art that exist today. Riding Against the Storm means to break free or fight against whatever mainstream media and culture offers the masses today. More than just making music, jbro and Tiger Lily, are consciously reaching out for the hearts and minds of the Black community through their triumphant lyrics and passionate reggae/latin/hip hop-influenced rhythms. RAS' musical influences range from Ella Fitzgerald to The Fugees (with whom they are compared on occasion) - at times rocking as hard as The Furious Five at a South Bronx Block Party, while at others, smoothing things down to an easy soulful groove reminiscent of artists that make up the current neo-soul music scene. In fact, it is the soul's desire for peace and liberation that is at the center of their premiere, Everybody Dig. Unlike most new independent artists, RAS took a full year to produce an album that is much more than just a collection of songs. Each track on Everybody Dig flows coherently into the next, as if telling a story to the listener. The album's introduction includes a group of children (jbro's younger cousins) chanting for "justice and freedom" as jbro conducts and directs them into a harmonized and unified cry. This cry then leads directly into the title track, Everbody Dig, in which jbro states we should not stress about "mistakes we made in the past, but not forgetting/the future lies in what we teach our children...the time is very real/but we can't go nowhere/we gotta stand right here/together have no fear/our feelings we must share/because you know the deal/thas right we know the deal." From this point on, the album's tone is set, and RAS comes forth with a non-stop flurry of music and poetry about love in its infancy (Love Joint), the illusions of the American economic system (Amerikkkan Dream), fighting against external forces that corrupt the soul (Spirtiual War), Black pride, (wegods), having fun and being free (Old School Joint), listening to your mama (Mama Said), embracing the beauty of Black women and their hair (Hairpeace), honoring your elders (Elder), the sometimes desperate moments of love (Sunset), and the difficulty of expressing your true feelings towards a loved one (Brother), Released on August 4, 2005, Everybody Dig is already receiving praise from fans of music from all genres. There is something on the album for everybody. Whether the listener enjoys straight-up hip hop, soul, poetry, reggae or rock, s/he is guaranteed to find something to relate with on this album. Jbro and Tiger Lily are proud to be performing live with a dynamic four-piece band. Abdul Mateen, co-producer of Everybody Dig, serves as lead guitarist and band leader. After playing locally, RAS now looks to expand its audience base to reach a city near you. Check out the artist's website: http://www.againstthestorm.com Track List: 1. intro 2. everybody dig 3. old school joint 4. hairpeace 5. spiritual war 6. mama said 7. willis and tameka 8. love joint 9. brother 10. sunset 11. amerikkkan dream 12. elder 13. wegods 14. outro Other Genres: |