27 Lights

“Danceable and contagious. This band is destined to be one of the great modern jam bands of our era. If you enjoy musical elements of Bob Marley, Pink Floyd and modern-rock band Incubus, you should very well enjoy this latest release from 27 Lights.� - Radioindie.com

“Think relaxing and yet somehow energizing and catchy at the same time.� - TeenTakeOver Blog

"The Dub7 E.P." is a three-track prequel to an upcoming full-length release from reggae rock outfit 27 Lights. All three tracks feature the calculated upstrokes of the traditional reggae sound, though there are clear alternative and psychedelic elements within these songs. One aspect of their sound that makes 27 Lights stand out is their ability to disperse jam sessions throughout the EP that are fresh, listenable, and danceable. The reggae inspired vocal performance, combined with the arrangements, sound similar to Bob Marley, Incubus, and RX Bandits. The production quality of "The Dub7 E.P." is perfect for this type of recording. It's not too overproduced and focuses on the natural rawness of their sound. "Flat a Dub" begins with a seventy-five second reggae-inspired jam then introduces 27 Lights' vocalist with the repetitive line, "Where did you go." "India" has some great rhyming verses and a sound you can't help but dance to. "Pakalolo" has a psychedelic bass opening, some more great rhymes, and nice solo guitar work. "The Dub7 E.P." certainly wets the appetite for things to come from 27 Lights with its three original and memorable tracks. Fans of reggae rock, give this EP a listen.
-Chris & the RadioIndy.com Review Team - RadioIndie.com

Bowling, jambalaya and music by 27 Lights and Wizmar to benefit the Uganda Education Project
by Sheila Stroup, Columnist, The Times-Picayune
Thursday July 30, 2009, 3:42 PM



Nansana School in south central Uganda.
When Melissa Cochran and Zach Stewart went to Uganda as volunteers in June 2008, they had no idea what they'd find there.

"Before we left, people told us, 'Don't drink the water,' but there was no water," Stewart, 19, says. "We took special electric plugs, but there was no electricity."

The two friends, who graduated from Ben Franklin High School last year, got a different kind of education when they spent part of their last two summer vacations at the Nansana School in south central Uganda.

"This year, I was there so long I saw kids getting sicker and sicker," Cochran, 19, says. "And I saw kids I knew really well last year dying."

More than 400 children go to the elementary school in an area ravaged by AIDS, and 75 orphans live in the school building as well as going to class there.

"Their lives are just shocking," Cochran says.

Although AIDS is the worst disease they face, many of the children also get malaria. The treatment is inexpensive, but there is no money for it -- or for pain relievers, fever reducers and other medicines they need. And their water comes from a swamp and has to be boiled before they can drink it.

NANSANA SCHOOL BENEFIT

What: Bowling, jambalaya and music by 27 Lights and Wizmar to benefit the Uganda Education Project.

When: Saturday, 4 to 7 p.m.

Where: Rock 'n' Bowl, 3000 S. Carrollton Ave.

Cost: $25 for adults, $10 for students. Donations can be made out to the Uganda Education Project and sent to 3315 DeSoto St., New Orleans LA 70119.


"They don't drink enough water because there isn't enough water," Cochran says.

For all the poverty and sickness they have seen in Nansana, though, that isn't what the young volunteers really want to talk about.

Together, they tell me the story of a bright young man who has a scholarship to attend secondary school: When his father died, his uncle took him in, but made him work from 7 in the morning until 10 at night every day. Finally, he ran away and enrolled in school.

"He would go to school until 5 and then haul water to make money," Stewart says. "Now, he's 18, and he's the soccer coach. He's like the father to all the little kids."

His dream is to make enough money to go to advanced school and continue his education.

They tell me about Segawa Ephraim, who started Nansana School and devotes his life to helping the hundreds of students there, doing everything from staying up much of the night with a sick child to getting up before dawn to prepare for the schoolday.

"He's like an angel," Stewart says. "He's around 30, but he's very wise," Cochran adds.

They tell me about the children, who have so little but are so full of joy.

"I was just surprised to see how happy they are," Cochran says. "They're so easy to please, and they take care of each other."

They tell me about the pregnant cow the two of them bought and how the children named her "Melski," their version of "Melissa." The cow will provide milk for the students and supplement their diet of corn porridge and mashed bananas.

"We spent a lot of time building a shelter for her," Stewart says.

Most of all, they tell me how much they've come to love the children and the country they live in.

"It's really hard to go there and not go back," Stewart says.

"It's like home to me. It's more of a home to me than where I go to college," Cochran says. "I already miss it so much."

On Saturday, Cochran and Stewart are hosting a benefit at Rock 'N' Bowl to raise money for scholarships that will allow some of the students to go on to the secondary school that's being built in the village. It costs about $200 a year to send one child to secondary school, and they want to send a lot of them.

"Once you go there, you feel connected to the kids, and you have to keep helping," Stewart says.

Stewart and Cochran both want to make another trip to the school as soon as possible. The village is included in their long-term plans, too.

For Stewart, a premed student at LSU, his experience in Uganda has helped him know for sure he wants to be a doctor.

"I want to go back over there and treat the children for free," he says.

Cochran, an engineering student at Washington University in St. Louis, who is minoring in public health, wants to put her education to good use for the people of Nansana, too.

"I'm going to figure out how to get them clean water," she says.

When they first went to Uganda, Stewart and Cochran had no idea what they'd find there. They found 400 smiling children who stole their hearts. They found purpose. They found hope.

Columnist Sheila Stroup can be reached at sstroup@timespicayune.com or 985.898.4831. Comment or read past columns at nola.com/living.
- Sheila Stroup, Columnist, The Times-Picayune