Delson Stokes just wants to see his people "shine" and has dedicated the past 20 years, alongside his brother Boyd, to encouraging them to do so through music.
Key points:
- Yabu Band is a desert rock reggae band formed by brothers Delson and Boyd Stokes in the mid-90s in WA's Goldfields
- The band's music touches on challenging topics such as substance abuse and domestic violence
- The brothers hope their music will encourage their people to "rise up" and "shine"
The brothers have played together since high school, but it was the formation of desert rock reggae group the Yabu Band in the mid-90s which saw them win four West Australian Music Industry awards and a Deadly Award in 2009.
The band is yet to make it to the national stage, but its members have created a name for themselves in the Goldfields region where they have spent years playing in remote and regional communities.
The Yabu Band is not afraid to shy away from challenging topics, with a single released in 2012 called 'Petrol, Paint and Glue', a song about people struggling with substance abuse.
Delson Stokes said he used music to encourage people to "rise up".
"You can say anything when you've got drums, bass, rhythms and lead.
"Music is a good way of talking about all issues, whether it's about safe sex, or health awareness, or living on a community with petrol, paint, glue sniffing, substance abuse and domestic violence.
"We've written about, 'Why do my people live unhappy? Why can't we just rise up, speak out and be the best we can and shine?'."
Songs reinforce kinship connections
Tjuma Pulka Media Aboriginal Corporation manager Debbie Carmody is dedicated to amplifying Indigenous musicians from around the Goldfields, recording their music through Gravel Road Studio and playing it on Tjuma Pulka radio.
Ms Carmody says Yabu Band's music plays an important role in showing the relevance of history and culture in a contemporary context.
"Music of course plays a very important part in culture and music's quite significant as a carrier of information," she said.
"Song and music was used to identify your geographical region where you come from, it identifies family connections to land, special sites when we travel.
"With Yabu, too, I think there's a really strong kinship connection within their music and it identifies very strongly, family relationships and ties and, of course, the connection to land and to community."
The Stokes brothers are originally from Kalgoorlie but also have roots in Esperance.
They sing songs in a combination of English, Wongutha and occasionally Noongar, the dialects of their family in each area.
Mr Stokes says singing songs in language brings him a sense of pride.
"It's like every culture right around the world, when you speak your native tongue or your first language, you feel proud and warm in your spirit," Mr Stokes said.
"You feel like you're eating the food that's been prepared from generation to generation.
Better understanding
Ms Carmody says for the majority of Aboriginal people living in remote communities, English is their second or third language and people connect strongly with music sung in their native tongue.
"We don't fully understand English and some of the meaning within the language, but of course when you hear it in your own language, it gets spoken about properly and you can interpret it in a much better way than hearing it from a foreign language," she said.
All of the musicians Ms Carmody records at Gravel Road Studio sing songs in language, which she says helps keep culture strong.
"Music is an excellent way to keep language alive," she said.
"It's common knowledge that if you get rid of a group's language then you destroy culture."
Mr Stokes wants to see more young Indigenous musicians breakthrough the industry.
"It's important that we encourage a lot of generations," he said.
"If you like R'n'B and hip hop, sing it in language."
The Yabu Band have recently released a video for their new song A Cry in the Wind, which they filmed on country in the Goldfields, significant to their family.
Like all of the Yabu Band's music, Mr Stokes said there is a message behind the lyrics he hoped would inspire people to move toward their culture in troubled times.
"Go off the bitumen onto a dirt track, go out in the wild, go out in the bush, the great outdoors and just sit and have silence and have peace because silence is golden.
"Listen to the wind in the trees it's why I called it a cry in the wind."
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2020-12-28 22:11:00Z
CBMiamh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIwLTEyLTI5L3lhYnUtYmFuZC1zaW5nLWluLWxhbmd1YWdlLXRvLXJlYWNoLXN0cnVnZ2xpbmctY29tbXVuaXRpZXMvMTI5MTQ4MTTSASdodHRwczovL2FtcC5hYmMubmV0LmF1L2FydGljbGUvMTI5MTQ4MTQ
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