Blameless Sings Their Own Redemption Song
a. kenyatta greer
PHOTO: Blameless--front, Dr. Z Tyte; center row left, Stevo and center row right, Joules; back row left, AKing, center, JP The Great, and far right Kaj.
There’s hip-hop. There’s rock. And then there’s freedom music. That’s how the members of Jacksonville, Florida’s Blameless describe their song stylings. No category. Diverse. “We’re so open to each other’s ideas, that we could cross over genres from song to song,” band member Kaj explains.
When readers visit the band’s colorful MySpace page (www.MySpace.com/blamelessmusic), they will discover that Kaj is telling the God’s honest truth. The spiritual theme of their music is not lost on the listener as raw, vulnerable voices swell from underneath sizzling keyboard and impressive percussion. And the guitar? It sneaks up on you, in a really good way.
Vertical Fix caught up with these budding hit makers as they finished a sound check, and we held on to them just long enough to find out what Blameless is about.
As they gathered to chat with us, the band was charged—giddy, even—at the prospect of sharing their music with the throngs of people expected for their upcoming local event.
Vertical Fix spoke with the group by phone, and the excitement was contagious, even across the telephone lines. As they shouted their input from the background, the group chose “Kaj” (born Kirwinn Mike) as their spokesman for the interview.
VERTICAL FIX: How long have you been together?
BLAMELESS: We’re approaching one year as a group, but some of us have known each other for years. God gave Stevo the vision. Then we spoke to Mike Damewood—who is kind of like our spiritual father. He helped set everything up. We started as Blameless Ministries. We’d do music, skits, dance … anything and anywhere. We’d perform in the street, in churches, on rooftops (Kaj laughs).
How did you decide which six members would be part of the band?
It was sort of the right people at the right time. We didn’t deliberately choose six. It had to be ordained. We just jammed together and it worked.
Who is your audience?
Any open-minded listener. There is no particular demographic. Some people might say “young people,” but who defines “young?”
Have you all recorded anything yet?
We recorded a promotional CD with all of our most requested tunes. We’re finishing a full-length album now, which we expect to be out at the end of spring or early summer. It’s not titled yet, but it will have 12 or 13 tracks.
Everyone in the group seems to have several different talents. Was that deliberate?
It just happened. JP can play almost any instrument. I heard him working on the harmonica earlier. Z plays percussion and is a great writer. I’m a songwriter and I play keyboard, Stevo is a great choreographer. Aking’s a great writer. I mean, we put on a show. We incorporate all of our talents in everything we do.
I know you say your music is unique, but is there anyone you’d at least compare your work ethic to?
We want to stand out and revolutionize music like others who changed the game: Stevie Wonder; Phil Collins; the Beatles; Earth, Wind and Fire … yeah, innovators.
With six different people in the group, how do you deal with so many different personalities, ideas, plans?
Well, Z knows karate? Just kidding. We communicate and respect each other. We are six people with the same vision. Two visions by definition are just di-vision. We talk, we set a course and go after it. Plus, we’re very honest with each other. And we take votes.
How do you hope to affect people with your music?
We want to inspire people to make better decisions and stir hope. We want people to see that they are blameless in the eyes of God. We want to touch people.
Do you think that you’ve done that?
Definitely. We have an example on our MySpace page of a lady who heard us and was touched. She was thinking of committing suicide and changed her mind because of the lyrics of our song “Blameless.” Now she has her own ministry. That touched us big time. We put our heart and soul into that song. What she felt when she heard it was what we felt when we wrote it. We bridged a gap.
“CAN YOU FIND ME BLAMELESS?”
The young men of Blameless have a message to share because of the changes they’ve seen in themselves.
From watching friends get accidentally shot in the back, to losing a parent, to facing divorce and disappointment, these musicians snapped back. From selling and taking drugs, to watching all their friends get carted off to prison, to dealing with spiritual uncertainty, to being stabbed, these guys are more than just talkers. They are walkers. They know from whence they speak, and they scream their message from the mountaintops. Watch out below, because if Blameless has anything to do with it, redemption is falling down from heaven. And a piece of it belongs to you.
Can you find me blameless?//Search within my heart//Convict me when I’m wrong//I apologize for all I’ve done.
THE GROUP...
Kaj, 24, (born Kirwinn Mike) is a keyboard player and singer who was given his nickname because of the casual attitude he had about life as a youngster.
Joules, 26, (born Mark Taylor) writes songs and plays the guitar. He’s called “Joules” as a shortened form of his middle name, Julius.
Stevo, 23, (born Stephen Schnepel) plays the bass when he’s not breakdancing and choreographing steps for the group.
JP, 22, (born John Paul Fuller) is called “JP the Great” by his band mates. In addition to being a singer in the group, JP plays several different instruments.
Dr. Z TYTE, 26, (born Derrick Hillard) says TYTE stands for Teaching Youth Through Enlightenment. People in his neighborhood gave him the moniker years ago, and it’s stuck. He’s a drummer for Blameless.
Aking, 24, (born Akeem Brailsford) says his grandmother gave him the name as a child, and he’s been called Aking for as long as he can remember. The rapper says so many people followed him as a child that his grandmother commented that it was almost like he was a king.
A. KENYATTA GREER is a feature, news and advertising writer born in Atlanta. She ascribes to Mark Twain's belief that the difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightening and a lightening bug.
©2008 VERTICAL FIX, LLC
