The three brothers from Brooklyn, NY have been touring non-stop following the release of their third album, Kingston City. We caught up with proud father and New Kingston bass player Courtney “Faddah P” Panton, Sr. in Portland, Oregon on the last leg of the America’s Most Wanted Tour with Common Kings for his first interview.
They have just released the music video for “Today” which was filmed entirely on Jamaica and can be viewed below.
Courtney Sr. worked long and late hours to support his boys when they were very young. He recollected, “One day I came home early for some reason and they were sitting out front” heads down with boredom. He took them into the house, put instruments in their hands, and that is where their musical journey started.
Faddah P served as a guide while Courtney Jr., Stephen, and Tahir practiced with various instruments. Having different tastes in music allowed them to bring something different to the table while they enhanced their skills.
[Related: Album Review – New Kingston – Kingston City]
“Their music comes from each of their individual experiences,” explained Faddah P. “They come from playing Top 40 stuff and there’s a lot of fusion in their experience.” He says a lot of their influence comes from the bands they have been fortunate to be on tour with such as Rebelution, Tribal Seeds, The Green, and Common Kings. “I would like to see more Jamaican bands doing that,” he continued, “The way they support each other.”
People who have brothers somewhat close in age might find it hard to believe that they can spend so much time together without bickering. Since different tastes in music can cause a clash in writing, Faddah P. tells them to sit back and think about what they have created. “If you don’t feel this way in three months, don’t put it down. They must be able to stand by what they say twenty years later.”
Easy Star Records co-owner and producer, Michael Goldwasser has seen the boy’s progression over the years from amateur musicians to nailing their three-part vocal harmonies. He had the pleasure of welcoming New Kingston to the Easy Star family and the band is looking forward to recording new material with producer extraordinaire, Michael G.
“They’re getting to the point where they understand what’s involved,” Courtney Sr. says with a proud smile on his face. “The group is really just them, I’m just the old guy. It’s a blessing.” Not many people get to spend that much time, let alone tour the world, with their sons.
In February of this year, they invested some of the band’s resources for a productive trip to Jamaica. “It was a wonderful experience. When we were down there we tried to do as much as we could.”
Upon their arrival, they met Morgan Heritage at Tuff Gong Studios. New Kingston performed the final event of the Reggae Wednesday series for Reggae Month called Reggae Run Whey at the Ranny Williams Entertainment Complex with Christopher Martin, Serena, Dalton Harris & D’Major, and Dubtronic Kru. They hit up the club scene by performing at Redbones Blues Café in Kingston as well as an appearance on TVJ, “which is something everybody in Jamaica watches. It’s what everybody wakes up to… at some point everybody saw it.”
They took advantage of being in the home of reggae music by taping footage for the music video. New Kingston takes us through the streets of Kingston, giving us a glimpse of the scenes not often seen in the postcards. They conveniently missed their flight on the last day and were able to film important b-roll for the video. Surprisingly, that night was the first time they were actually able to make it to the beach.
Check out the latest video for “Today” and be sure to catch them on their current Kingston City Tour where they have shared the stage with Through The Roots, Kimie Miner, and Arise Roots. This is one family who is just getting started and it might be the last chance you see them intimately in a small venue before they start selling out amphitheaters.
View the dates and music video below and you can pick up their new album Kingston City on iTunes by clicking HERE!
Related Links:
New Kingston Website
New Kingston Facebook
Watch TVJ Live
Article by Blake Taylor
Photo by Bill Colbridge
Watch: New Kingston – “Today”
