The Daily Gamecock, the student newspaper of the University of South Carolina, sat down for an exclusive interview with frontman Danglin and opener Duane Stephenson. Just hours prior to their Greene Street concert, the two discussed their recent European tour dates, their work with the United Nations’ World Food Programme, and the evolution of their sound. Says Danglin, “The Wailers is a source for reggae music, for roots music, in its traditional sense. So anytime anybody want ... that feel they gotta get it here. We are the nucleus of reggae music. So you want some reggae, come to the source.” The two also addressed the timelessness of reggae music:

DG: Why do you feel that reggae is still going strong while other movements in music, such as punk, disco and other generational waves of music have fallen by the wayside?

Danglin: Well, the thing that’s special about reggae music is that the message stays the same. See when somebody is consistent, any element that is consistent, you can always rely on. So you can always rely on reggae music to give you that kind of positive vibe, that kind of upliftment. If there’s, you know, a great message in the music, people always want to search for that message. It’s always in reggae music. It’s never changed. So I think that’s why reggae music has maintained. But I won’t say that the other genres haven’t maintained, I say that they have evolved different to match the different audience, while reggae pretty much, it has different branches, but when you’re talking about traditional roots reggae, it pretty much maintains the same kind of message, the same kind of vibe. I think that’s why people gravitate toward this music, because of the consistency of the music.

Stephenson: In reggae music, people are always looking for the essence of it, in terms of equality, empowerment of the people, world unity, you know what I’m saying, that kind of vibe. It’s always been a positive vibe ... They always say that reggae music is musically the conscience music of the world and it does never change. So I guess that’s why, when people are searching, they come and look for it. That’s just how it is. We’re trying not to go too far and look for them, because then you get lost. It’s easier for them to come to us.

Read the full interview here.