Haitian musician Wesli – born Wesley Louissaint in Port-au-Prince – is based in Montreal, where he works as a songwriter, guitarist, producer and bandleader.
On the heels of his seventh and latest album, "Tradisyon," he brings his band to Milwaukee perform as part of Lake Park's free Musical Mondays series on July 22 from 6:30 until 8 p.m. on the summer stage, just south of the playground.
The much-awarded Wesli's latest video, "Blackman Samba," has gotten over 1 million views.
We caught up with Wesli to ask about his music and his trip to Brew City...
OnMilwaukee: Surely Haitian music is a very diverse ecosystem, tell us a bit about the music you play?
Wesli: My music is a mix of folkloric Haitian traditions with African roots: Voodoo, Rara, Petro, Rada, Congo Dahomé, Troubadour etc, with Black "United Nations" sounds like Afrobeat, funk, reggae, hip-hop, blues and rock to make it a unique Black diaspora sound.
Lyrics are in Creole and Voodoo languages like Yoruba, Minan, Fon and Ewe.
How does that fit into the larger world of music in Haiti? Can you talk a bit about the bigger picture?
In Haiti the music I play always existed as traditional global sounds with deep roots from Africa (as exemplified by artists such as) Ti Paris, John Steve Brunach, Emmeline Michel, Azor Rasin Mapou, Wawa Rasin Ganga, Boukan Ginen and Bookman Eksperyans.
While Kompa (Haitian popular music) talks about love, we talk about the reality of the Haitian people: education, Haitian values, reconciliation, the first black nation on Earth where we come from, the bad political and economic situation and how to solve it, therapy and love for our nation, family and the children of Africa, and end to violence and how to turn this ecological disaster to a green country in the Caribbean.
We are all about well-being meditation and sending good vibes.
In your experience, are American audiences pretty open to Haitian music styles or does it take a little time for them to get accustomed?
It takes a little time for them to get accustomed in some places but they always end up dancing so that's a good sign. We have a lot in common with black Americans.
Most of the time they recognize some similarities in the Voodoo blues and folklore. Haitian culture is a continuity of New Orleans culture and vice versa.
What can the folks who come to Lake Park for your gig here expect?
We are seven musicians on stage. It's traditional sound, dance and groovy Haitian and African music with Afrobeat, funk, reggae, hip-hop. We'll play mainly material from the last album "Tradisyon," along with some songs from "Immigrand," "Liberté Dans le Noir" and "Rapadou Kreyol."
Generally it will be a festive show with positive energy, sending good vibes to the Haitian people wherever they are.
Have you performed in Milwaukee before? Any thoughts?
Not yet, but I'm ready for that new experience. I prefer waiting to get the beautiful surprise.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
