Interview with Moni Lujan of Dub Wize
Moni Lujan
We were able to grab Moni Lujan of Dub Wize for a quick interview at Giovane’s in Salinas before their show tonight, here’s what he had to say.
What exactly does DubWize mean and where did it come from?
Dub Wize is a style of Reggae Music, Dub Music is the style, its pretty much back in the day in Jamaica, the engineers would get into the music, add effects, add reverb, take the vocals out, its all about drum and bass, that’s the rhythm in a Dub band, Dub Wize, we’re wise of the dub, but we mix it up with a lot of flavor, Latin flavor is one that we bring in a lot. We mix it up a lot.
Have you ever changed the bands name before, or was DubWize your first and only choice?
Dub Wize was our first and only choice.
Who are your major influences?
We have a big range, of course Bob Marley, Bunny and Peter, Steel Pulse, Roots Raddicts, and also Bayanga which is a Latin band, and Skatalites. We have a horn section and like to bring that sound, the horns are crucial to what we do.
How long have you all known eachother? How did you all meet?
This is our tenth year, most of us from high school, drummers always been around backing us up since we were youngsters, basically everyone is from our neighborhood.
When did you form your band?
We formed around 97 and 98, that’s when we first formed up.
What inspired you to make music together?
Just reggae music in general was our inspiration, we used to go to concerts, and we just knew what we wanted to do, what we wanted to play and what we wanted to be, it influenced us a lot in our life and keeps us on the righteous path.
What can you tell me about your instruments? Are you subject to brand or store loyalty, or do you buy them based on price or looks?
Its a persona preference to each musician, each person has their own setup and gets what they like. I prefer Steinburger bass guitars, its the best for reggae music, Korg and Rolland keyboards, that’s the style we like to use. We’ve got a trumpet and a sax player, sometimes trombone, but we usually keep it as just two, its a good blend. We have Skinner who plays melodica, which is a key part of our band, its a big part of dub music in general. The originator was Agustus Pablo, definitely a big one of our influences.
What are some of your favorite places to perform? Largest?
Some of the largest has been the Koral Amphitheater, Ventura Mystic Theater, The Catalyst, we’ve headlined The Catalyst 7 times, and Avalon Ballroom in San Fransisco, we did that. The Ventura Theatre was probably the biggest one. We opened for most Reggae artists out there, Tony Rebel, Burning Spear, Culture, Isreal Vibrations, the Waiting Souls, there’s just so many, we’ve been on tour in Puerto Rico a few times, that’s always a good tour, lots of friends and good vibes there.
What songs do you play the most?
I’d say Father Freedom, In a Time Like This, Love, Two Hearts, Bring them Home, that’s what we usually play a lot.
Do you do any covers?
We add in a Bob Marley tune in one of our own songs, No Woman No Cry, we cover Barrington Levy, and Exodus.
Who writes your songs?
Lyrical, I write them all. Musically, we all work together. I do a chord progression and we all work on adding our own flavor to it.
Do you have a record label or are you a member of any music organizations?
I have my own im starting called Yard Stylee Records, http://myspace.com/yardstyleerecords
Any upcoming shows?
Yeah, we’ve got the Monterey Bay Reggae Festival, and on August 15th, The Community Arts Festival.
How has your music evolved since you first started?
When we first started we weren’t as good as we are now, but our music has definitely evolved in the dynamics area, when we first started we were really beginners, but after 5 years of playing together we developed a tight sound together and we keep going on that. Everyone in the band is definitely skilled.
How can fans-to-be gain access to your music? Do you have a CD?
We only have live CD’s and we have a demo with half live, half studio stuff, we usually give the demo out at concerts and sell it for 5 bucks, or you can check out music out on our MySpace or DubWizeMusic.com
Is there anyone you’d like to acknowledge for offering financial or emotional support?
Our fans, family and friends, they’ve always backed us up and stood by us, they are the kind of people that don’t wanna be on the guest list, and WANT to pay to get in, which really helps us out.
Any last words? 
I wanna thank the fans and everyone for their input, and for responding to the email on what songs that they wanted to hear for this show, and for supporting us. I hope they can all make it out because tonights show is definitely for them. For sure.
