AS TOLD TO BC PIRES

Because Trini to the Bone is an individual feature, all six members of Freetown Collective will appear one by one over six weeks starting on May 30 ending with the co-founder, Muhammad Muwakil, on July 4.

Their bass player and DJ is the only person ever to have appeared in Trini to the Bone twice, having first appeared in January this year.

My name is Jayron Remy, aka DJ Rawkus, and I am one-sixth, or at least one part of Freetown Collective.

I also produce our concerts and events.

And this is my second time around for Trini to the Bone.

I don’t have to give any information about where I’m from because BC Pires put all my business in the papers last January already!

But I went to Boston for school for two years and lived by my aunt in Cascade for a couple months and, other than that, it’s been Simeon Road, Petit Valley, my whole life.

My wife, Jadelle Holder-Remy, and I have a five-year-old daughter, Jaleia.

If more come, I will not be opposed. But I’m cool with one child.

I don’t believe in religion but I do believe in God.

Religion is a control mechanism for society. God is in everything and all of us.

People who say they have a deep personal relationship with God scare me a little bit. It’s difficult to believe there’s a man in the sky controlling everything.

I came to Freetown through a gig they had in the stadium. When they were doing their first album, Born in Darkness, they called me into the studio to give them a DJ’s honest feedback – which I think they took on board, when I heard the final version.

And then they called about a stadium gig. It was a big stage. Instead of just the acoustic guitar and the vocals, they wanted to add a DJ element, to keep the big sound of the album. We worked out a set and then the event was cancelled, so we never got to perform it.

I really liked the set we had worked out and I thought we should do a Freetown show.

So we did two nights at Black Box that sold out and the people really reacted.

And then they just kept calling me back for gigs until eventually they told me, “All right, you are part of the band.” I couldn’t name a start date.

Music is one way people find to relate to each other. Just talking s--t is another. And both are equally important in Freetown.

We think fairly similarly and it’s a good thing.

I am very aware of how difficult it is to keep six separate personalities together.

This is not my first band. I've been in bands where you work with musicians based on who is available at which time and that is just about work.

Being in Freetown is less about work and more of an experience.

Even if we disagree, we know everyone else's intentions comes from the same good place.

Freetown is very definitely a family. And family does quarrel. And then they get back together