New Kingston (Stephen Suckarie): "Health is wealth! Never forget!"

Courtney, the backbone of any reggae band is usually its bass player and that's no different in New Kingston as you're not only the bass player of the band but a proud father playing with his three sons. For you it all started in Jamaica and before there was New Kingston, you already played in a band called Kingston Crew. Could you talk us through that whole story? Courtney 'Fadah P' Panton (bass): "I'm originally from Kingston, Jamaica and basically grew up playing music from a young age. I started out playing some percussion, switched to the guitar and eventually ended up mostly playing bass. It was when I migrated to the US back in the beginning of the nineteen eighties that I eventually started this band called Kingston Crew, and for the past few years I've been supporting my sons as the bass player and mentor of New Kingston."

It's one thing to dream of forming a family formation like New Kingston, but it's another thing to put into practice. At which point did you start feeling your sons might have inherited your musical talent? Courtney 'Fadah P' Panton: "It just started out as family bonding at first; just playing a little music together. I was still playing with Kingston Crew at that stage, but some of the guys in that band often proved unreliable, so in reality we were just soldiering on but it was quite though. I still remember Tahir (keyboards/vocals) came along to a gig one night and told me he wanted to play as well and after that we gradually started taking things more serious."

How did you guys figure out who was going to play what? Was it your dad who assigned you an instrument or did you just gravitate to the one that called out to you? Countney Panton Jr. (drums/vocals): "It was a bit of a race to be honest… (laughs) I still remember those first rehearsal or jam sessions, if that's what you want to call them, when our father called us in, we would always  run as fast as we could towards the instrument we wanted to play, and that kind of morphed into the line-up we've got today." Courtney 'Fadah P' Panton: "Some things also just clicked… Like when Courtney Jr. first started to play the drums, it was as if he'd just met the girl of his dreams! (laughs)"

Courtney, I think it was also through your connections in the music business in New York that you were eventually signed to Easy Star Records. Courtney 'Fadah P' Panton: "Yeah, Michael Goldwasser, one of the label's founders and its musical director, was kind of a family friend and used to come and hang out at our studio from time to time. We had a nice vibe going from the start."

Would you agree when I say that when Easy Star started distributing your albums, this also opened doors for guys internationally? Courtney 'Fadah P' Panton: "Definitely, and they have certainly been instrumental in bringing us over to Europe for example, allowing us to tour places we hadn't been able to explore before." Courtney Panton Jr.: "I'd say a label like that helps you connect the dots. As musicians we're mainly focused on our music, and they're excellent in taking care of the practical side of things, making sure our albums are getting the right distribution everywhere, that we were on all the streaming platforms and so on."

In recent years a lot of artists and bands have gone the DIY route, but you guys still feel there's a role to play for record labels like Easy Star Records then? Tahir Panton: "Oh for sure! As long as they keep evolving with the changes the entire industry is going through, they can still have a significant role to play. That being said, going the independent route and doing everything yourself has definitely become a lot easier than it used to be. As an artist, working with a record label just allows you to focus on your art without having to deal with the business side of things. I guess there's pro's and con's whatever path you choose."

How does the songwriting process work in New Kingston? Do you each write your own songs? Courtney Panton Jr.: "It's mostly a collaborative process and that's exactly why I like the dynamic of this band. Basically anybody of us could wake up tomorrow with a fresh idea and we will all embrace it as our song. We might have individual ideas, but the message we want to put out there with our music is something we have in common." Stephen Suckarie (vocals/guitar): "Sometimes the music will come first, at other times the lyrics but general theme of our music will always be the same, no matter who wrote or composed the song in question."

Is it always the person writing the lyrics to a song who also takes lead vocals? Courtney Panton Jr.: "No, on the contrary, we always have a feel of what might sound best. I might wright something, but if when playing and singing it we notice it suits Tahir or Stephen's voice better, we just switch it up. The only one who doesn't voice is our dad, he just sticks to his bass! (laughs)."

Because you are a family unit, because you dad's involved and because you're from New York, there's just no avoiding a comparison with Morgan Heritage. How do you feel about that? Tahir Panton: "Well they're like our extended family, you know. Our pops grew up with them and we've worked with them over the years as well, so the comparison feels kind of natural to us." Courtney 'Fadah P' Panton: "They've endorsed and supported us a lot over the years, so we have to give credit to them for that." Courtney Panton Jr.: "Their support has really been a blessing to us. I still remember playing their music in the dance when I was still doing gigs as a DJ and really looking up to them, so having them now almost as equals and an extended part of our family is just great!" Courtney 'Fadah P' Panton: "My grandfather's name was Morgan, so for all I know we might even be related in some way! (laughs)"

It's a well-known fact that Denroy Morgan instilled the Rastafarian doctrine on his sons and daughters. Is that also true for Fadah P in New Kingston? Courtney 'Fadah P' Panton: "I've always seen the Rastafarian philosophy as one of the greatest and most universal levities out there and I've always embraced it." Courtney Panton Jr.: "I can only concur; it's about living a healthy lifestyle, living righteously and unity. You can't get more universal than that."

Let's talk music for a bit… On your latest album, 'A Kingston Story: Come From Far', there's only one guest vocalist in the form of Pressure Busspipe. Why did you decide to invite him to collaborate with? Tahir Panton: "We always think carefully about the people we invite, and usually that's people that we actually know in person. When you invite a random artist you haven't met before the chemistry you want the song to have might not manifest. We've known Pressure for the longest time and rate his music to the fullest. We felt that 'Starlight' was in the vein of his of his song 'Love And Affection', and he really brought that same passion to our son, so it was simply a perfect match. Pops realy digs the tune!" Courtney 'Fadah P' Panton: "Definitely! I couldn't be more pleased with the effort he put into the song and it just shows the kind of person he is."

There's another guest appearance on the album, which even though it might not be a vocal contribution, is maybe even more impressive as we're talking a true reggae veteran here. I'm of course referring to Glen Browne who can be heard playing bass on a short interlude fittingly called 'Browne's Interlude'. Courtney 'Fadah P' Panton: "Glen Browne is one of my main inspirations as a bass player and I can still remember him doing amazing stuff on his bass when I was still very young. He works and tours with Tarrus Riley these days, so he's still very active."

Tahir and Courtney, you guys are second generation Jamaicans who grew up in New York. What about you would you say is still typically Jamaican and what's more American? Tahir Panton: "Growing up I would always have people come up to me saying: "I really can't understand your dad at all!", but to us it was just natural to hear him talk the way he talks as we grew up surrounded by that accent. What's also very Jamaican and is a tradition that our dad passed on through the family is telling stories. He told us so many stories about his life growing up in Jamaica, that I can now almost play them as a movie in my head whenever I want to. Outside the family, the Caribbean diaspora in Brooklyn is just all around you, so you just can't avoid it. The American side of things you just get from growing up in the US. I'm not completely sure how I would define it, but it's definitely something that musically speaking has created an ideal blend for Courtney Jr. and myself and New Kingston in general." Stephen Suckarie: "Well, my story is a bit different as I spent the first half of my life in Jamaica, but still New York has a borough in Queens called Jamaica, so even living there I've never really felt that far from home."

Translated into music, who or what are the Jamaican influences that shaped the music of New Kingston and what have you adopted from the music you grew up on living in the US? Courtney Panton Jr.: "If we're talking reggae I guess I'd have to say Steel Pulse, but they're kind of like New Kingston as they're second generation Jamaicans from the UK." Stephen Suckarie: "I would agree there, but having grown up in Jamaica I definitely want to mention the great Bob Marley, Third World has also been a major influence as well as another UK band called Aswad." Courtney 'Fadah P' Panton: "If we're talking US influences, when I grew up I listened to stuff like Earth, Wind & Fire, The Commodores and Curtis Mayfield; the same things that influences Bob Marley and so many other Jamaican musicians. I even played some of their tunes when I first started out as a musician. There's always been a huge influence from American rhythm and blues in Jamaica."

Apart from music, with Stephen there's at least on member in the band who has a passion for cooking as well. Stephen Suckarie: "(laughs) Yeah well, I grew up living with my great-grandmother you know, and that's where a lot of my passion for cooking comes from. She would start cooking around 6 am in the morning and would stop at 8 pm in the evening, providing us with three home cooked meals every day! She taught me to prepare a whole range of Jamaican dishes. Food is just all abundant in Jamaica, so like it or not it will quickly start forming a large part of your daily life. I passed on some of my skills to my two brothers now, as I think it's important that as an independent adult you should know how to cook a decent meal for yourself." Courtney Panton Jr.: "I agree food and cooking are a major part of life. It's just not healthy getting takeaway all the time, so we cook and try to keep it as clean as possible." Tahir Panton: "Let me just quote Sammy Bravo (Brooklyn native DJ and longtime friend of the family, red.) who said: "Why let anyone delegate your diet, when you can?", meaning you're the one controlling what you put into your own system. We care about our health, so we take care of our food ourselves as much as possible. When we're on the road it's not always easy, but we still try to take care of one another." Stephen Suckarie: "Health is wealth! Never forget!"