Outside of the mainstream
By logging thousands of miles crisscrossing the country over the past decade, Rebelution has become one of the most successful festival bands on the summer circuit. The Santa Barbara’s group’s latest album, “Count Me In,” not only premiered at No. 14 on the Billboard Top 200 chart this year, but it also gave the fiercely independent band its third consecutive No. 1 album on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart. Rebelution (not to be confused with the Pitbull album of the same name) headlines Saturday at UC Berkeley’s Greek Theatre. We spoke with singer Eric Rachmany at his San Francisco home.
Q: You live in San Francisco but you’re on tour so much, why bother paying rent?
A: Actually, I have my stuff stationed at Mom’s house so I don’t pay rent. People think I’m a millionaire and everything, when in reality I’m 30 and live with my mom. Q: How many shows do you typically play a year?
A: Anywhere from 120 to 150. Q: So how long can you sit at home in front of the TV before getting the itch to go back out on the road?
A: It’s pretty limited these days. Just when I think there’s a break, there’s a new opportunity to play
somewhere else. Q: When I was previewing all the summer festivals this year, I noticed that your name kept reappearing on pretty much every bill.
A: Yeah, sorry about that. Q: When you play so many festivals, is it kind of a letdown to play regular shows?
A: There are some bonuses to playing the intimate shows, just because it’s fun to be able to connect eye to eye with your fans. But festivals are great because you’re outside and you can wear flipflops and shorts and make a lot of new fans. There are perks to both.
Q: What are some of your summer tour survival tips?
A: Don’t eat pizza late at night. I think staying hydrated is also important. In order to do this every day, you also really have to get along with the band you’re with. I’m fortunate to be in a band with four of my good friends. I see them more than I see my girlfriend and family. Q: What’s your favorite moment of the show?
A: The very first moment you get onstage. That’s what we live for. Q: How often do confused Pitbull fans come to your shows?
A: Yeah, that was confusing for a little bit. But nobody gets confused any more.