Capturing Nicaraguan Spirit With Reggae

Raymond Myers knows that when things get as ugly as they often have been in his native Nicaragua, it’s vital to hold on to pride and hope in order to keep the spirit alive.

Myers, 31, is a reggae musician from Bluesfield, on Nicaragua’s Atlantic coast. He has seen unemployment, crime and political unrest engulf his war-torn homeland. Like many before him, Myers has used music as an outlet for both his anger and longing for peace.

“It’s still a bad situation over there,” Myers emphasized recently during a phone interview from Culver City, where he is living. “We have a lot of problems, man, but we’ve got to hold tight, remain positive, and let music help soothe us from some of the stress and problems. I believe music can educate people . . . it has the power to reach out and touch our souls.”

Influenced by reggae legends Bob Marley and Peter Tosh (“They took simple little folk music and made it a worldwide phenomenon”), Myers has forged a style reflecting his culturally diverse native land, which is inhabited by English-speaking Creole, Latin/Mestizo, Amerindian and Afro-Caribbean peoples. He blends reggae, salsa, soca (soul/calypso) and rock strains into his own mix, with lyrics in English and Spanish.

He and his 10-piece band performed Wednesday as part of the Long Beach Museum of Art’s Summer Concert series. John Delafose and his Eunice Playboys, a zydeco band, launched the annual series June 22.

Myers focused on reggae with political overtones during his years as the lead singer, guitarist and composer of the Soul Vibrations band from 1986-’93. But creative differences within the band prompted Myers to pursue a solo career. He just finished recording new material at Jackson Browne’s studio in Santa Monica.

Myers met Browne about eight years ago in Managua, Nicaragua, at the Sandinista Assn. of the Arts. Touched by Myers and his music, Browne said he would try to help Myers.

A sampling of his new songs finds Myers in strong voice, physically and metaphorically. The infectious “Aviva El Corazon” (“Lively Up Your Heart”) is an ode to Marley’s “Lively Up Yourself” and dances on a bed of catchy rhythms. The pulsating, horn-driven “Shame Guys” is a light-hearted knock at men who lag behind women on the dance floor. But it is “Latino Soy” (“I am Latino”), sung with immense pride and joy, that highlights Myers’ new work.

“It’s a salsa song about Latin culture and our heritage,” Myers said. “I just wanted to express the richness and humility of the Nicaraguan people, and that there is a unification between us. Not everything is as negative as portrayed by the media and outsiders.”

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Myers said he is optimistic about his new opportunity as a solo artist.

“I want to keep a musical tradition alive, but with a variety of roots reggae that is danceable, more commercial and less overtly political than the Soul Vibrations material,” he said. “On my own, it is more challenging, but it’s also more pleasing and comforting to me.”

Myers, who is married and has three children, is a believer in the notion of making the world a brighter place for his descendants. In that vein, he led a five-week music class last year for the Willie Gault Youth Enrichment Program at Jordan High School in Long Beach. About 80 disadvantaged inner-city youths received free music, dance, voice, art and drama instruction.

“It was a great cultural experience for these kids,” Myers said. “Man, you have to keep going to school . . . you have to have an education today. I mean, these kids are prone to drop out, so we’ve got to urge them to continue and not give up.”

Through the power of his music, Myers hopes he also can be a positive force for adults.

“I just try to express my feelings through my music,” he said. “If I can capture the spirit of the people--right at that moment--it brings me such great joy. It reminds me of how I felt when I first started singing in the church choir when I was 14 years old.”