Sadeke Brooks, Staff Reporter

Reggae and dancehall music are not dominant in the United States but it drew Caucasian brothers Chris and Josh Mundahl so much that they had to form a group, Roots Revealers.

The Texas-born artistes explained that although they were surrounded by other popular genres, they had a stronger love for reggae and dancehall music.

"We used to collect old 45s and old records and we had, like, a sound system, and we used to play dancehall and reggae. We used to sing over the tracks. There is reggae in the clubs and people play reggae on the radio. It's not an off-the-wall thing. We have been hearing it our whole lives," Chris told The Sunday Gleaner.

Josh added, "I don't know. It's just the music that we gravitated to."

So involved were they in the Jamaican culture that both brothers used to sport locks and joined the Rastafari movement.

"It was the Rasta part that drew us in it first, like Bob Marley, Culture and Burning Spears. The message is what we liked. We used to burn a lot of weed. We loved everything about Rasta," Josh said.

Chris further explained that this was done at a point when they were doing a bit of soul searching.

Personal religion

However, he said they cut the locks in 2001, as it was becoming merely fashionable for some people and real Rastafarians were being misrepresented. Hence, the religion has become more a personal thing for him and is not based entirely on his outward appearance.

"We still live the same life. We are still vegetarians. Still Rasta, but no locks," Josh added.

In 2005, they decided to start recording music on a professional level. And, since then, Chris said it has been a learning experience.

"It was like a learning process - learning how the music is recorded, how it is mixed, and how to actually make a song sound good," Chris told The Sunday Gleaner, adding, "It is something I always loved. We're still here and still pushing forward with it. Maybe we chose it, maybe it chose us, maybe it's a mutual thing."

Josh, on the other hand, described the music business as "very competitive and cut-throat" but also a good teacher.

Their manager, Judia Manning, added that it is very difficult for new artistes to break into the music business.

Since their musical journey began, Chris and Josh have released several tracks, like No More Killing, No Easy Life, Goodbye and Sweetie, which features Chaka Demus. They are currently putting much focus on Sweetie, which reached number seven on Hype TV's top-10 chart.

Along the way, they have also done songs with local artistes like Vybz Kartel, Fantan Mojah, Turbulence and Sizzla. But their album Sweet Jamaica, which was released in June, has very few collaborations.

Immediately after releasing the album, the brothers toured the US with Etana and the Abyssinians. The tour included over 20 club dates and appearances at the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival and Reggae on the River in Northern California.

They have other major appearances to their merit, as they performed at the (then Air Jamaica) Jazz and Blues Festival in 2008, Spring Break in Negril in 2007 and 2008, and Beenie Man Sizzle in August.

The response to their music, Chris said, has been generally positive.

"It has been overwhelming. I think black audiences like us more than white audiences. People always say we don't sound anything like we look. Some people tell us that we sound like we are from Jamaica when we sing, but we are not really trying to go for that, we just sing," he said.

Jamaican acceptance important

Josh also said that it was very important to be loved by the Jamaican audience. "If Jamaica doesn't accept you, it's hard for you to get accepted out into the world," he told The Sunday Gleaner.

But for Chris, being accepted by all markets will not happen overnight. However, he believes that getting the exposure is more important than being accepted.

And exposure is what they are trying to get while in Jamaica. Their time spent here will be filled with interviews as well as appearances on shows like March Out, Teensplash and Original Dancehall Jam Jam.

Early next year, they will release some more videos and they are already confirmed for tours in Europe, South America and North America. They also have plans to get on some major shows in Jamaica next year.