Gary ‘Nesta’ Pine revisits his Roots

‘Back To Roots’, the former Wailers Band lead singer’s third album, is scheduled for release on September 30. It is produced by Paul Kastick, a veteran drummer who has recorded or toured with Big Mountain, Maxi Priest and Diana King.

‘This Song’ recalls Pine’s informative introduction to music during the late 1970s. Spear was still building the foundation for a mythic career and visited Portland frequently to jam with brothers Anthony (guitar) and Devon Bradshaw (bass) at a spot called The Axx.

“In the mid to late ‘70s, Devon and Tony link up with Burning Spear through a next Portland drummer called Nelson Miller who was already playing with Spear. So one day, I see this Rastaman drive into the yard and lo and behold it was The Spear himself!” said Pine. “I already knew his music and knew what he looked like. I was the dude that anything Spear wanted, I run to get that…water, tea, etc. I was in all of those rehearsals inside the Axx, and what I heard when they started to rehearse changed me from that time.”

‘This Song’ was released prior to ‘Back To Roots’ which is the long-awaited follow-up to ‘Revelations’, Pine’s second album, which came out in 2016. ‘From Jahmaica to de World’, his first album, was released in 2015.

Pine hopes his reggae take on ‘She’s Gone’ — originally done by Hall & Oates and made popular in Jamaica by soul group Tavares — does well in crossover markets. That is a scene which he is familiar with, having scored a sizable pop hit in 2006 with ‘Love Generation’ with French producer Bob Sinclair.

“It gave me a whole host of fans across the planet and I still have them up to this day. It also gave me a chance to tour on my own; to places in the Middle East, South America, Africa, Europe, the Caribbean and just about every country,” Pine stated. “I recently performed two shows on Beatstock, the freestyle dance tour in New York and New Jersey in August! I’d like to thank Bob Sinclar and his team for the opportunity.”

Pine’s recording got going in earnest during the late 1990s. He was a member of The Wailers Band from 1998 to 2005, touring alongside the legendary bassist Aston “Familyman” Barrett, keyboardist Earl “Wyah” Lindo and guitarist Al Anderson.

Based in the United States, Pine said it “would swell my heart very well” for ‘Back To Roots’ do well commercially.

“I would really love for the people to hear this album and know that the roots are still strong and it keep spreading like wildfire all over the planet and out there in space,” he added.

(Photo contributed)