World rhythms, world beats

Storytellers love Sacramento. Period. And the band’s collective respect for the city they grew up in is something you can’t mess with, especially since they’ve been reppin’ this city hard for a decade-plus. They’ve been there, smoked that.

Still, all Storytellers really wanted to talk about during a recent interview was their latest tour in Japan. And themselves. Because when it comes to talking to Storytellers, these guys (and girl) are a shock to the senses. Crack open the 40s and light the dutchie, because you’re about to hear epic chronicles of hardship, lessons learned and once-in-a-lifetime experiences that simmer like a warm keg of Black Death just waiting to be punctured.

OK, back to Asia: The band returned from a month-long stay in Japan this spring with a deeper respect for world culture and a clearer determination for achieving their goal to become Sacramento’s premier reggae act. Oh, and they got some sweet new tats, too.

“We’re always playing our hearts out, but we went to Japan with the intent to represent Sacramento,” begins soft-spoken drummer Matt Rodriguez, who’s the wise man of the group. Also a professional skateboarder, Rodriguez has been to Japan more than a few times. But this was his first jaunt as a musician.

Rodriguez, bassist Reggie Drew and guitarist Jake Moss form the band’s foundation; they’re the ones who lay down the songs’ sonic structures, the backbeat.

“We weren’t just representing Sacramento; it felt like we were almost ambassadors from the United States,” Moss explains of the visit, noting that he felt an obligation to portray America in a positive light.

“I ate at this restaurant and this guy was surprised that I ate all my food. His impression of Americans is that they are very wasteful,” Moss remembers.

Storytellers all agreed that Japanese crowds are die-hard. Trombone player and vocalist Marcus Faccini recalls playing at a skate park in Osaka: “Just when we were about to play, it started raining, like really coming down. And guess what? No one left. You think that would happen in America?”

When traveling, Faccini and saxophonist Bryan Plummer often take to the streets of whatever city they’re in and bust out some horn jams on a random corner. And the locals often show their appreciation.

“Some old woman came up to us in tears; we couldn’t understand her,” Faccini remembers of Japan. “She was just feeling that we were feeling the music and the vibes of that place. We gave her a CD; she was so happy.

“We’re not your regular three-piece band; we’ve got something to excite your senses. There’s something in our music for everybody.”

Again, stoked they are.

Trumpeter and vocalist Antwan Bashay noticed that the Japanese are very in sync with their self-worth and dignity. “When they see you respect yourself and the work you put out, then they respect you,” he says. Bashay says that bands would help clean up a club after the show, not just smoke cigarettes outside or leave. There’s connectivity between the people, a trust. No one even uses bike locks.”

With full-length CD due to be released in the fall and a U.S. tour in the works, the band has little time to rest now that they’re back in town. “We’re trying to bring the scene back. Right now, Sac has a lot of scattered bands and a lot scattered scenes,” Moss argues.

“We just want a movement of world rhythms, world beats,” he adds. And can you visualize it: A Sacramento where no one locks their bikes?

A likely story.