(rock music) (crowd cheering) - [Narrator] Ocean State Sessions features performances by New England musicians and brings you the stories behind the songs.

Coming up on Ocean State Sessions, Becky Bass shows off her steelpan Caribbean soul.

(Caribbean steelpan music) (Becky singing in foreign language) Becky continues to find success with music as a career, touring with bands across the country.

While Grammy award-winning reggae producer, Andrew Moon Bain uses his Brown Bones project to turn personal history into acoustic pieces.

♪ Black magic charade took us all for a ride ♪ ♪ Piercing the veil ♪ ♪ While the blood rushes to your head ♪ - Hi, everyone.

My name is Becky Bass and I'm originally from Saint Croix in the US Virgin Islands, but now my home is Rhode Island, so still an island girl, see?

(chuckles) So I'm so excited to be here today with you all.

Thank you so much for coming.

I do something called Caribbean soul music.

So it entails, as you can see, this beautiful instrument called the steelpan and I'll talk more about this instrument a little later, but I do music not only reggae or soca, dancehall, like the typical Caribbean musical genres, but I also do jazz, blues, R&B, different kinds of musical styles, but with a Caribbean twist.

So this next song, or this first song that I'm doing is called "My Love is Real" and I wrote this song when I was a teenager.

I'm like, "I knew about love, see?"

(chuckles) And so back in St. Croix, how I guess this kind of came to be, my dad and I, who is also a musician, he plays the steelpan as well, so he passed it on to me.

And so we were working on, I guess, my first album ever.

He wanted to, he's like, "You know, I want you to start doing your thing at a very young age."

And so we were working on a whole bunch of songs that I do and he's like, "Well, you should at least have one original."

I'm like, "Okay."

So I started with this simple like motif that you'll hear in this song.

♪ Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ♪ And then I'm like, "Okay, let's work with that."

And I went to a producer friend of his and we kind of started putting things together and then I started writing some lyrics to that.

And so this song, "My Love is Real," talks about how you know that don't be afraid of love 'cause I got you.

My love is real so you don't have to worry about all the pain and heartbreak that you've been through because I will support you and I got you, so that's kind of like how this song started.

And again, "My Love is Real," what did I know as a teenager?

Ha, I thought I knew everything, but clearly, you know, being now a 30-year-old (chuckles) love is very different, but this is my first song that I've ever written, "My Love is Real."

(jazzy blues music) ♪ Love should be real ♪ ♪ Not this flakey stuff ♪ ♪ Love should be strong ♪ ♪ And withstand all things tough ♪ ♪ But I know you've been hurt ♪ ♪ By the one who really cared ♪ ♪ So please let me in ♪ ♪ And I'll show you I'll always be there ♪ ♪ Love can painful ♪ ♪ And I know we had our share ♪ ♪ But I promise you ♪ ♪ You don't have reason to be scared ♪ ♪ Just hold my hand tightly ♪ ♪ And listen to me close ♪ ♪ I will lead the way ♪ ♪ I won't let you fall ♪ ♪ My love is real ♪ ♪ My love is real ♪ ♪ You can count on me ♪ ♪ My love is real ♪ ♪ My love is real ♪ ♪ Please entrust your faith in we ♪ ♪ My love is real ♪ ♪ My love is real ♪ ♪ I'll never break your heart ♪ ♪ My love is real ♪ ♪ My love is real ♪ ♪ And we'll never be apart ♪ ♪ Everyday of the week is real ♪ ♪ Monday, Tuesday you can feel me ♪ ♪ I'll always be there ♪ ♪ Be there on Thursday and Friday ♪ ♪ I take it to the weekend, ha ♪ ♪ You know I'll see you through ♪ ♪ Because my love is real ♪ ♪ My love is real ♪ ♪ You can count on me ♪ ♪ My love is real ♪ ♪ My love is real ♪ ♪ Please entrust your faith in we ♪ ♪ My love is real ♪ ♪ My love is real ♪ ♪ I'll never break your heart ♪ ♪ My love is real ♪ ♪ My love is real ♪ ♪ And we'll never be apart ♪ ♪ This love is real ♪ ♪ And it's here to stay ♪ ♪ And I know it ain't easy ♪ ♪ But my love will set you free ♪ ♪ My love is eternal and everlasting in my heart ♪ ♪ So please let it be you ♪ ♪ 'Cause I've been here from the start ♪ ♪ Every day of the week is real ♪ ♪ I told you Monday, Tuesday ♪ ♪ Even Wednesday all the way to Friday ♪ ♪ Whoa, you can feel my love ♪ ♪ It's tender to your touch ♪ ♪ Because my love is real ♪ ♪ My love is real ♪ ♪ You can count on me ♪ ♪ My love is real ♪ ♪ My love is real ♪ ♪ Entrust your faith in we ♪ ♪ My love is real ♪ ♪ My love is real ♪ ♪ I'll never break your heart ♪ ♪ My love is real ♪ ♪ My love is real ♪ ♪ And we'll never be apart ♪ ♪ My love is real ♪ ♪ My love is real ♪ ♪ My love is real ♪ ♪ Whoa ♪ ♪ My love is real, you can count on me ♪ ♪ And my love is real ♪ ♪ My love is real ♪ ♪ I will never break your heart ♪ ♪ My love, my love, my love is real ♪ ♪ My love is real ♪ Yay.

(laughs) (audience clapping) Thank you.

Thank you so much.

(phone ringing) - Hello, AAA, you're home for travel planning, ocean and river cruises.

My claim to fame, that everyone's like, "Oh my gosh, you're on TV."

It's AAA.

I was Pam on AAA.

(laughs) My name is Becky Bass and I'm originally from St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands, but I am now living in East Providence, Rhode Island, so it's my second home.

I am a professional musician, vocalist, steelpanist, actor and teaching artist.

So at the age of two years old, my father taught me how to play this instrument called the steelpan and so I started learning at a very young age, and ever since then, music has just been a huge part of my life.

(upbeat percussion music) Being born and raised in the Caribbean, reggae, calypso, soca, dancehall, those are very, very popular Caribbean musical genres, so, you know, I grew up listening to that a lot and it wasn't until really after college is when I really started to dive more into the jazz world.

So I started learning more about Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughn, so some of the really great jazz artists so I kind of take influences from all of these different powerful voices and kind of meld it into one that has come together in one package that I call Caribbean soul music.

(jazzy Caribbean soul music) (Becky singing in foreign language) When I'm feeling some kind of way, I start to just write, I just start to write things down.

I don't necessarily try to put 'em into lyrics per se, and then sometimes a melody will come to me or sometimes like I'm hearing like some chords and some different things and then I'm like, "Okay, what kind of vibe is that?"

Let me go back in my journal of stories and lyrics and see if I can attach it to that.

I feel extremely blessed to be where I am now.

I've had the opportunity to play in Florida.

I've had the opportunity to play in Chicago.

I had the opportunity to be the featured vocalist with the New Jersey Symphony in front of 100+ musicians and in front of two to 3,000 people every performance.

(performers chatting) Teaching brings me joy.

What makes it all worth it is to see the faces of the students that you're working with.

You can see that they're working so hard to follow their dreams and to fulfill their passions and that's what matters.

All right, CPR Warriors, picture this.

So recently I've been in "Space Oddity" and Kyra Sedgwick directed that.

"Kevin Can F Himself" on AMC.

Even though my dad's a musician, at first he was like, "You will not do music.

(laughs) You will not be a musician.

You will be like a teacher or a business person, a doctor."

And it wasn't until I started really doing my own thing when he was like, "Okay, I'm proud of you, like you did it."

(upbeat steelpan Caribbean music) ("Te Le Lay") (upbeat steelpan Caribbean music continues) (upbeat steelpan Caribbean music continues) (upbeat steelpan Caribbean music continues) (upbeat steelpan Caribbean music continues) (upbeat steelpan Caribbean music continues) (upbeat steelpan Caribbean music continues) (upbeat steelpan Caribbean music continues) (upbeat steelpan Caribbean music continues) (Becky singing in foreign language) (upbeat steelpan Caribbean music continues) (upbeat steelpan Caribbean music continues) (upbeat steelpan Caribbean music fades) - Good day, PBS viewers, thank you for having us.

This is Brown Bones, I'm Moon Bain.

This is my partner in music, Cinamon, Cinamon Blair.

She's accompanying on the vocals and bass.

First song that we're gonna play for you today is a tune called "Piercing the Veil."

It's a song I wrote while I was playing in my soul and rock band called Boo City.

It's a Providence-based band.

And it was a moment in time where the band, it was more a party band and the party after the show kind of started taking over the music and there was a lot of people coming into the fold and I was writing a song a bit about that person who wasn't in the band, but felt like they were in the band and they were like the life of the party and so this song is dedicated to that character.

("Piercing the Veil") (bluesy guitar music) ♪ My liver's like lead ♪ ♪ I don't wanna drown ♪ ♪ The ghosts in my head ♪ ♪ Keep trying to get out ♪ ♪ Just a piece of bread ♪ ♪ To put in my mouth ♪ ♪ Soak up these spirits ♪ ♪ 'Cause I'm 'bout to drown ♪ ♪ Piercing the veil ♪ ♪ While the blood rushed to your head ♪ ♪ Let's make a deal ♪ ♪ Don't dance with the devil ♪ ♪ Lord, it's a fire no one can put out ♪ ♪ When I retire, I'll still be your clown ♪ ♪ Spill out of my grave with ashtrays and wine ♪ ♪ Put on my tombstone "Here lies a good time" ♪ ♪ Piercing the veil ♪ ♪ While the blood rushes to your head ♪ ♪ Let's make a deal ♪ ♪ Don't dance with the devil ♪ ♪ Demons stole my pride like a thief in the night ♪ ♪ Tried to replace it with something that shines ♪ ♪ A new carburetor, a blue neon sign ♪ ♪ A red ruby necklace like blood on a vine ♪ ♪ Nothing much matters after a time ♪ ♪ I already committed this terrible crime ♪ ♪ I'm so sick to my bones deep down inside ♪ ♪ Black magic charade took us all for a ride ♪ ♪ Piercing the veil ♪ ♪ While the blood rushes to your head ♪ ♪ Let's make a deal ♪ ♪ Don't dance with the devil ♪ (bluesy guitar music continues) ♪ Piercing the veil ♪ ♪ While the blood rushes to your head ♪ ♪ Let's make a deal ♪ ♪ Don't dance with the devil ♪ ♪ Now your soul's not for sale ♪ ♪ Don't dance with the devil ♪ ♪ Now your soul ain't for sale ♪ ♪ Don't dance with the devil ♪ ♪ Don't you wait till it's over ♪ ♪ Before you realize you ain't the one ♪ - I'm from Seattle, Washington, that's where I grew up.

I didn't really fall in love with the East Coast right away.

When I got to Rhode Island School of Design, there wasn't a lot of diversity.

There was a lot of prep school culture that I didn't really relate to.

I took a year off of college.

That journey of leaving college after freshman year ended up taking me to Jamaica at like 18.

I worked in Alaska for a summer and then hitchhiked back to Seattle, worked a little bit there, and then hitchhiked out to Chicago, caught a bus to Miami and flew to Jamaica with just a backpack and a flute (laughs) and a sketchbook, which was just totally bonkers.

I don't know who didn't stop me.

Definitely was spiritually inclined and so Rastafari, reggae was a calling, it was a calling like connecting with like a Rasta family that was farming carrots and ganja on the side of the mountain outside Mandeville, but also just seeing how important and healing music is for people who have less than, you know, that just kind of iced it for me and sent me on a trajectory that changed my life.

♪ It can't hurt too long ♪ ♪ It's breaking through ♪ Kid who was writing songs in the college dorm room, I continued to write personal songs and that's what happened with Brown Bones is to create this project that was a outlet for my personal songwriting and personal experiences, my own joy and pain and struggles.

I had it on the back burner.

I kept saying, "I'm gonna do it, I'm gonna do it," you know.

And then boom, 15 years go by, it's still not done.

♪ Listen, we'll be just fine ♪ I had my fun band, my soul rhythm and rock band, Boo City and Providence for many years, which are songs that I wrote and that are personal.

(jazzy blues music) It was a collaborative effort with my good friend Ti Aloaju and she and I wrote material together.

She would bring songs, so then there's this, because I'm singing harmony to her songs or vice versa, there's an element of detachment from it that's fun and it's good, it's great to do.

It's almost like going to a party and you dress up Brown Bones standing on the stage isn't difficult at all, but then when you are singing and saying stuff that maybe difficult to remember because it was a hard time, that's where it can feel a little like terrifying, but it's really healthy.

That's one of these things that I just, I feel like I could do until the wheels fall off, you know?

All right, the next song is a tune called "Tectonic Plates."

This is a cool song, a love song.

For all the adults in the audience watching, this is a XXX offering from Brown Bones.

This is an interesting tune the way this came up came about.

It was a songwriting kind of pass around in Providence in the community of a bunch of different singers and songwriters.

Sean Kennedy, Sarah Asrael, Ian O'Neill, John McCauley, a bunch of people that were sending around one piece like one or two pieces at a time, like a guitar track and then I'd write to it or I created a synth line and then to pass it to the next person who put a drum track on it and that would go to another person who might write lyrics, and then another person would sing harmonies or and play guitar so it was a collective community effort that birthed this song in a cool way.

("Tectonic Plates") (slow blues guitar music) ♪ Your finger tips brush my skin ♪ ♪ In this crowded ghetto bar ♪ ♪ Arresting all my senses ♪ ♪ Taking me so far ♪ ♪ To delirium of sweat, heat, light, skin and tears ♪ ♪ A million miles away from everything I fear ♪ ♪ Tectonic plates of tension even shared ♪ ♪ Beneath the sheets ♪ ♪ Building up into a beautiful release ♪ ♪ An earthquake, I'm weak in the knees ♪ ♪ I can hardly speak ♪ ♪ It's just you and me, yeah ♪ ♪ I'm delirious from your touch ♪ ♪ Just can't shake it off ♪ ♪ When it's only you and me ♪ ♪ There's a little line to cross ♪ ♪ Pulsing tormented passion, we walk that crazy line ♪ ♪ Here I am, let's make it happen ♪ ♪ Now it's time ♪ ♪ Tectonic plates of tension even shared ♪ ♪ Beneath the sheets ♪ ♪ Building up into a beautiful release ♪ ♪ An earthquake, I'm weak in the knees ♪ ♪ I can hardly speak ♪ ♪ It's just you and me, yeah ♪ ♪ I become a wild beast ♪ ♪ Now, I've got you in my claws ♪ ♪ Baby, it's you and me ♪ ♪ Ain't no more line to cross ♪ ♪ Ain't no more line to cross ♪ ♪ Ain't no more line to cross ♪ ♪ Tectonic plates of tension even shared ♪ ♪ Beneath the sheets ♪ ♪ Building up into a beautiful release ♪ ♪ An earthquake, I'm weak in the knees ♪ ♪ I can hardly speak ♪ ♪ It's just you and me, yeah ♪ (slow blues guitar music continues) (slow blues guitar music continues) ♪ It's just you and me ♪ (slow blues guitar music ends) (audience clapping) - Thank you.

(upbeat music) - [Narrator] For more Ocean State Sessions, plus all your Rhode Island PBS favorites, visit RIPBS.org.

(upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues)