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July 14, 2008 – Malibu,
California
David Hinds: On Tour, On the New
Album, on the United Front for Africa
Interview and Photos by Jan Salzman / Edited by M. Peggy Quattro
Steel Pulse has been one of my favorite bands for about 25
years. In 1985, the popular band from Birmingham won the coveted Grammy award for their album Babylon The Bandit.
More Grammy nominations came for Victims,
Rastafari Centennial, Rage and Fury, Living Legacy, and African Holocaust. Steel Pulse has recorded 16 albums throughout
their illustrious career.
 David Hinds - Malibu Inn
Jan: Tell us a little
about your new DVD, Door of No Return.
David: It’s a DVD that’s a collection of inserts of different
scenery, but the body of it was filmed some seven or eight years ago, when we
made our first exodus to Senegal.
There’s an island off the coast of Senegal called
Gory, [where the Africans were shipped out to face slavery] and that’s what the
video has been based on. Hence the term,
door of no return.
Jan: You have been
known for your socially conscious lyrics and your stand on socially conscious
issues. At what age did this start for
you, and is there any particular incident that triggered it?
David: I would say
that my socially conscious or politically conscious age began when I was about
fourteen years old. It was all to do
with the “Free Angela Davis” campaign that was happening in England and throughout the United States’ black
community… and, the actual incarceration of George Jackson and the killing of
his brother, Jonathan Jackson, who was trying to free him at the time, from the
court house. I think that is when I got introduced
into the whole realm of being politically active.
Jan: You are also
known for such beautiful spiritual songs as “Chant a Psalm a Day.” At what point did you reach this kind of
enlightenment?
David: “Chant a Psalm” was written about 1980. It was at a time when the band was at rock
bottom…in regards to its career. We had
teamed up with Island (Records) two to three
years before that. Then, all of a sudden,
we lost the contract with Island. It was our first time venturing into the United States;
also, certain band members within our infrastructure were going through a lot
of domestic problems at the time. So,
with that, and not having the second half of your corner to help you sort through
your problems when you’re out on the streets…it brought about the whole aspect
of putting a song together that’s all about praising God, and having something that
can [act] as a ritual to help you go through a positive day.
Jan: What kind of music do you
listen to when you are on your own?
David: I listen to
all kinds of music. You would be surprised
what I listen to.
Jan: What was the last CD you bought?
David: The last CD I
got…what I literally bought in my hand was a reggae CD. I think it was Stephen Marley’s Mind Control album. I think it is a very vibrant album. It didn’t hit me at first. That was the strange thing about the album, it
never grabbed me at all initially. But,
after the third, fourth listening…I think it is one of the best albums that’s
out there on the market right now. It’s
very underestimated because of the nature of the music…which, well you know,
when it comes to the acts that are out there…the ones that are making it in the
mainstream…your Sean Paul’s and your Shaggy’s…I think Mind Control is a very technical album. I think it is something that is a spin off and
[in the] progressive direction, as what Bob Marley would be doing, in so many
different ways. I think all the sons, as
a matter of fact, are contributing in a very big way towards how the music
should be going, as far as I’m concerned.
 David Hinds - Steel Pulse
David: There’s an
artist called Umojah that was passed on to me by one of my associates here within
the camp, Rootsman Kelly, which is a new act out there trying to penetrate his
reggae vibe. I don’t know much about
him. This is what I’m trying to say to
you. I listen to unknown acts and I
listen to people who are up there. Then
I go diverse and I start listening to guys like Papoose and 50 Cent. Trust me. You nah mean.
I just jump from different artists to different artists.
Jan: What makes you happy?
David: I think what
really makes me happy, when I look at the nitty-gritty, is meeting people with
positive spirits, people who are intelligent, and have good ideas to share. When I look back on it…that’s what really
makes me happy.
Jan: What would be a perfect day
for you?
David: I find is a
perfect day is when I manage to get through all the chores that I’ve written
down the night before, which includes if I can get a nice song written or half
written. I think that becomes a perfect
day for me, because that gives me my greatest high of all… when I have a song
that I know is really in the pocket. It
just gives me a buzz that nothing else does…to be honest with you.
Jan: Is there a new album in the
works that we can look forward to?
David: There is a new
album in the works. as far as being written. The other band members haven’t heard any of
the tracks as yet. We’re putting ideas
down, we’re putting subject matters together. I don’t like throwing any old song out there. I don’t like throwing any old groove out
there. That’s one of the reasons why the
band takes such a long time to put music out. ‘Cause once we put it out, then it’s the whole
idea of touring for quite a long while. ‘Cause
that’s what usually happens. I don’t
like putting dumb lyrics together. I like something that is constructive and
has meaning to it. It makes me feel good
about what I do, and I think it pays off when I see people come back and
compliment the bands’ legacy.
Jan: Yes, I think your work is brilliant.
David: Thank you very
much. We’re absolutely jet-lagged right now. I’m talking to you on auto-pilot.
Jan: Thank you very
much for the interview. I bought the DVD and look forward to watching it.
David: There’s
another DVD that’s coming out
shortly. It’s gonna be in two parts
basically. It’s a show that we did in Anguilla, which commemorates the 30th
anniversary since Handsworth Revolution.
We’re also putting together a DVD that is a documentary of the video of the Door
Of No Return video that we did in Senegal. We actually did a video for the song itself. What’s going to encompass that video is a
history of the band, which has never been out there before. Told in our version, as opposed to anybody
else’s point of view of what happened. Also,
all the little things that we participated in…such as the punk rock era. We are just gonna be digging up old footage,
and amalgamate it with new footage and put it out there. So, you should be looking forward to that one
as well. There’s not a title for it as
yet…but it’s gonna be out there shortly.
 Selwyn Brown - Steel Pulse
David: Yeah, we are
going to be vamping up our website. We’re
not happy with the way it is at the moment. Never been actually, but we’ve never had the
time to address it, now we’re finding the time. We want to also launch an organization that we
are putting together, via the sales of our merchandise…and that’s called
UFFA…United Front For Africa. It has to
do with raising and distributing the funds in various parts of Africa, which need that kind of money. It might sound like an old story but it does
ring true. It’s all about offering as
little as you can or as much as you can. Either which way of what you can afford. You would be surprised that little can do so
much. Like the purchasing of mosquito
nets, for example. And any other kind of
medicine. Mosquito nets work out to
about eight dollars each, which saves a life, and it minimizes the whole spread
of malaria. It doesn’t cure it but its
gonna minimize it until there’s actually a cure and a treatment. Haffi clean up the polluted and stagnant water
that’s out there. So, these are the
things we want you to know about when it comes to launching the new website. We want people, and especially our fans, to be
supportive of that particular organization. It’s UFFA…that’s U-F-F-A…United Front For
Africa.
Jan: Are there any songs from your vast repertoire
that are favorites of yours?
David: Wow, there are so many favorite songs of mine.
Sometimes I listen back to tracks like “
Nyabinghi Voyage,” “Door of No Return” …there are certain songs I can’t believe
I wrote. Something possessed me at the
time. I look back on it and I sort of
wake up and realize …Hey, where did these lyrics come from? Those are the songs I feel pleased about. “Soldiers” is probably my all time
favorite. Obviously there’s “Rally
Round”…there’s so many of them. “Drug
Squad,” I like that. When it comes to
songs, it’s not only the song itself…it’s how it comes into being in the first
place. It had to be an excuse of some
kind that brought that song into motion. I’m enjoying putting together the new sets of
songs right now. Taking my time with it.
See what happens. Let’s hope that the grooves are strong enough
to stand up to what the songs are gonna contain.
Jan: Thank you so much for this wonderful interview and for
taking time on your jet-lagged body to talk to us.
David: Thank you, as
well, for all of the support you’ve given us over the years and all those
wonderful photographs. I hope to be
sifting through some of those for the new website. I’m telling you…I’m serious as a heart
attack…Boo Boom!
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