Q & A with Mena Suvari

Actress Mena Suvari may be known for her roles in films such as American Beauty and American Pie, but it's her love of Jamaican music that led her to executive produce the recent release Future Sound of Reggae, Vol. 1. The forward-looking compilation brings together artists inspired by Caribbean styles like dub, roots, and dancehall, as well as hip-hop, electronica, and rock, including Tami Chynn, Rootz Underground, and Rebelution. Mena was kind enough to answer a few of our probing questions:

How did you get into reggae?

I think it's mainly about how connected one can feel to a particular style of music and the mystery that lies in that. Of course, Bob Marley would have been my first "reggae listening experience," and I obviously fell in love with the sound. For me, it is a feeling that is truly indescribable. I would say more than just reggae, it is the beat, it is the rhythm, the drumbase that excites me within. And probably around my early teen years I started to reach out for more literature, etc. on reggae music, Jamaica, Ethiopia, etc. and dive deeper into the scene as a whole.

Who are some of your favorite artists, both classic and contemporary?

I remember growing up listening to Peter Tosh and Bob Marley, the two signatures. Later on, I became more involved in the scene and fell in love with so many others, including the greats from U-Roy to Gregory Isaac to Barrington Levy, Yellowman; many of the classics to now-a-day performers like Cezar, Rootz Underground, Million Stylez, Stephen, and Damian Marley.

If you had to compare reggae as a musical style to a genre of film, what would it be?

I would say definitely documentary, art-house.

Comments

[fred]

If Mena is so into Reggae and African culture then why is she marrying a tiny little white guy. Don't think Mena's ever dated a black man.
Right. Look, but don't really become involved with the black man.
Typical white girl wannabe.

[YardEdge]

For more about Rootz Underground and many other up and coming young Jamaican artists, check out...

http://www.yardedge.net/music/rootzunderground/rootz-underground-upcoming-tour-dates