This band has travelled all the way to Brazil and back and are bringing some of their worldly vibes to the stage at The Espy in Melbourne. Check out the reggae tunes of Rasta Unity this Saturday, August 2nd for round one of Emergenza Festival Australia. While you’re waiting to jam out with the band, check out this pre-show interview where they talk to us about their reggae roots what makes them so unique.

HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE NAME RASTA UNITY?
About seven years ago we were all living in a house beside the Merri Creek in Coburg. We were very inspired and were playing and listening to reggae music and embracing the Rastafari culture in our daily living. During that time we had a vision of working with different people from different parts of the world. We chose to use the word unity because we wanted our music to bring unity and we are also Rasta, so the name Rasta Unity felt right.

WHO PLAYS WHAT IN THE BAND AND WHAT KEEPS YOU INSPIRED TO PLAY MUSIC TOGETHER?
On lead vocals is Sistah Candice, on the bass is Jahwise, on the keyboards is RiccaRiddim, on the drums is BrotherMan, on Backing Vocals is Sistah Adriana and lead guitar is Eddie Von Guzman. Aside from being a band, we are also like a family here in Australia. Our band members are from Brazil, Australia and Chile, and we also play with other people from all parts of the world… We have played in Brazil, Melbourne and Sydney. We are all committed to spreading the message of conscious reggae music and we love the vibe that we have between us.

IF YOU COULD DESCRIBE YOUR SOUND IN THREE WORDS, WHAT WOULD THEY BE?
Word, sound, power.

WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR MAJOR MUSICAL INFLUENCES?
Third World, Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Luciano, Black Uhuru, Chronixx, I-Threes, Dennis Brown, Burning Spear, Etana, Jimmy Cliff.

WHAT'S THE CRAZIEST THING YOU'VE DONE TOGETHER AS A BAND?
We quit our jobs, sold most of our possessions and went to live together for six months in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The craziest thing we did in Brazil was we played in a town called Sao Tome Das Letras. There we stayed beside waterfalls and met amazing people! We played one show in a bar with a big rock escarpment behind it and the other show in a town hall on one of the biggest sound systems we've ever played on. The event was called CarnaRoots Reggae Festival. It was a very blessed experience. The other crazy thing we have done, is people have moved countries to play music together… one of our members remains on a student visa here! Many of us also had babies in the same year a couple of years ago… that was pretty crazy!

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO MOST ABOUT YOUR SHOW AT THE ESPY?
Spreading Rasta Unity's message and the opportunity to participate in a worldwide festival like Emergenza.

WITH OTHER BATTLE OF THE BANDS COMPETITIONS AROUND, WHAT MADE YOU CHOOSE EMERGENZA?
The professionalism. The Emergenza team is proactive and very well organised, and that stood out from other band competitions. Also, the international aspect of Emergenza is very good.

For more details on the show at The Espy, August 2nd, click here.