SHREDnews

Steph Mirsky: Where does the name Rebelution come from? Clearly it is a synthesis of the words rebel and revolution, but is the band name related to a set of beliefs that the connotation of the term Rebelution creates?

Wesley Finley: The term rebel has kind of had a negative connotation associated with it and we wanted to change that. We believe in the positive aspects of rebelling, fighting for things you believe in and challenging misconceptions. Other than that, we welcome our listeners to have their own interpretation of what Rebelution means to them.

Steph Mirsky: Your band is often credited for your ability to create socially conscious music with extremely intelligent lyrics. Is there anything in particular that drives you to write this way? Or does it simply come naturally?

Wesley Finley: For us it’s about putting out a positive message.  We’re in a position where a lot of people look up to us and we want to make an impact on peoples lives with uplifting lyrics.

Steph Mirsky: Rebelution has always been seen as this “grassroots” band that has fronted the cali-reggae scene.  Do you feel that image has changed with a major national tour that features multiple high-occupancy venues?

Wesley Finley: Cali Reggae was a term we were using when we first started and were trying to define our sound. Since we’ve toured nationally we’ve used that less and less but it’s still part of our heritage. Even though we’re playing bigger venues the grassroots movement is still at work. We have some very dedicated fans that really believe in what we are doing and take it upon themselves to spread the word and share our music with their community and abroad. In addition to that, we continue to operate as an independent band which is a great position to be in these days.

Steph Mirsky: Speaking of the tour you are currently on, how is that going? What is it like playing a tour of this magnitude?

Wesley Finley: This tour has been amazing! SOJA and Zion I have been killing it and the crowd has really been amping. This is the biggest headlining tour we’ve done yet so we’re playing at some pretty nice places. The majority of shows have been sold out too which is always exciting.

Steph Mirsky: Are more major headlining tours in Rebelution’s future? Or will you try to achieve a higher mainstream-level by opening for bigger names? What are the plans for Rebelution coming off this tour and entering into the summer months?

Wesley Finley: This summer we’ll be dipping into festival season – you’ll find us at Wakarusa, Bonnaroo, and a few other festivals. We have ideas for fall but no solid plans. We may try to open up for some bigger acts doing amphitheaters but another headlining tour is not out of the question either. This is where the mastermind of a booking agent comes into play, knowing what’s best for the band at this stage in their career. Immediately after this tour we’ll be returning to Hawaii and Guam for some island love and then off to France for the first time. We’re really excited to go to Europe seeing as none of us have ever been there. We’re going to cover a lot of ground in the remainder of 2010.