No War

These three talented artists BZ Bwai, Adam Willis and Alex Puente are on the path to set a new musical standard once again. They are Cali Treez, a fusion of Reggae, Rock, Hip-Hop, and RnB. These talented musicians have been formulating a new wave of music called ‘Mash-Up.’ Combining the elements from each artist, they bring together a continuous movement into a newly formed empire. Welcome to The Faded Republic!

Adam Willis
Already considered by many to be an extremely gifted guitarist, his ability to span the musical spectrum of explosive to soulful has earned him the nickname ‘Baby Hendrix.’ Whether it’s playing lead guitar for Nas or showcasing his talents in Kendrick Lamar’s music video ‘I,’ Baby Hendrix’s melodious prowess shines through with every note he touches. 

BZ Bwai
This Belizian vocal dynamo is well known for his diversity, including working with groundbreakers like Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Matisyahu. Traversing all styles, this genre-bending singer expertly raps, reggaes, croons, hips or hops his way to make any project a musical dream. 
 
Alexander Puente
Unifying all the elements that are Cali Treez, drummer Alex has also been producing with Far East Movement and T-Lopez. He masterfully asserts his bold and unique rhythms to seamlessly stitch together rock, pop and latin soul into an exquisite cacophony of sound.

Ese Daz
The Hip Hop history books cannot be written without mentioning one of the hottest Latin Fusion lyricists, Ese Daz (aka Daz.) Daz has been rocking mics all over the world and has made a significant impact in the game for over a decade. A member of Spanish F.L.Y. (aka Foolish Loco Youngsters), he has collaborated on radio hits like ‘Lil Rob’. He’s had a cameo appearance along with his fanbase in the song, ‘Summertime’. He’s also been a major part of many Latin Hip Hop Mixtape projects that include features with Daz Dillinger of the DPG.

Over the last few years, Daz has moved on to more mature international music projects, joining his nephew, Alex ‘Toonz’ Puente, as a member of Cali Treez aka ‘The Faded Republic’. His role is that of an MC and DJ. His signature hard-hitting yet conscious message fits amazingly alongside BZ Bwai and Adam Willis.

Cali Treez have performed in festivals such as 311 Cruise 2013 and California Roots 2014, as well as Kubana Festival 2013 and 2014 alongside such greats as Rebelution, 311, Ziggy and Damian Marley, Wu Tang, System of a Down, Matisyahu, Tech 9 and more, which has firmly established their rightful place on the big stage.

Cali Treez are very thankful for the opportunity to live their dream. Everyone in the group has lived through the struggles of being an independent band. Their goal is to show their appreciation to all those that have helped them get to where they are. What’s to come can only be described best by the group’s words: “The BEST is yet to come!”

They are also releasing a bonus track ‘No Losin’ that can be downloaded through their partner and merch platform MusicOnAShirt.com with the purchase of any item of their signature brand ‘Faded Republic.’ Their new single ‘Find A Way’ is a free download to all that watch their ‘Cali Treez Is Here’ video on Youtube.

The guys want everyone to enjoy a preview of their music for free and this is what they had to say: “Even after all the festivals and great experiences that we have lived, we know our fans understand that we are 100% about the music.”

Cali Treez is here to stay, hitting the big leagues with humility even after all their world travels and accomplishments.

“We hope you enjoy the ride with us!”

CALI TREEZ

The Interview

IRIE. How did Cali Treez come together?

Cali Treez. We were originally in a band called Krooked Treez. We were always close, touring together, creating music, always looking out for each other. When we made the move to separate from our previous band, we went into the studio and just started working on creating music and within two to three weeks, we came up with a whole album. We all agreed to push that album and so we then focused on a name for ourselves. We wanted to keep Treez in our name because we created something very big with it. And since we are from California, Cali Treez became our new identity.

IRIE. What is Treez symbolic for?

Cali Treez. It’s symbolic for our music… which to us, is like planting seeds and growing it into something positive.

IRIE. Who are your influences?

Cali Treez. Our music influences include Jimmy Hendrix, Bob Marley, Gregory Isaacs, Steel Pulse, Tupac, Joe Satriani, Sade, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, Rose Royce, Earth Wind & Fire, Parliament and George Clinton, as well as the oldies, heavy metal music, Spanish rock, Afro-Cuban bands, jazz and funk (the list goes on). It’s a variety. That’s what makes this group so special. There are so many different influences that help us create our own genre.

IRIE. Why the name, NO WAR, for the title of your debut album?

Cali Treez. We came up with the name, NO WAR, for the album title because we feel like the world is so screwed up right now with greed and poverty overtaking our society. We feel that these are the reasons for the wars we have. We feel like our music is a way to destroy the idea of war.

Our instruments are the weapons against these wars. We are soldiers with our music. There are a lot of people in this world that are so lost. We shouldn’t be suffering as a people. There is too much selfishness that continues this negative trend.

We are discovering that our music is impacting those lost souls while also opening up the minds of our youth. The other day at a festival, a guy came up to us and said “My mom talks about you guys. If my mom talks about you guys, then I have to come shake your hands!”

We had no idea that our music was touching the lives of others. We found out that our music helped someone get through the loss of his dad. Listening to our music helped him cope with the loss of his dad. That’s big, real big to us!!

IRIE. What is your ultimate goal musically with your debut album, NO WAR?

Cali Treez. Our goal with NO WAR is to take our individual wars and bring them together through our music so that we can reflect on them. We are all in the same boat. NO WAR for us is a storyline of our life. It isn’t intentional; it’s reality. And people forget about reality. You can make so many songs and tell so many stories. That’s great in all but then, at the same time, that’s what makes it artistic for us.

We want to make something where people can listen to our music and feel like, “Hey, they’re going through that too?” Or, they feel the same way we felt when we wrote this song, or how we played on stage. You can definitely see that.

IRIE. You refer to your music as being Mashup Music. What is Mashup Music?

Cali Treez. Mashup Music is anything mashed up. In our music, you hear a little bit of Jazz, a little bit of Hip Hop, a little bit of R&B, Rock, Reggae Rock and Roots Reggae. You’ll hear everything in one song. Our love for all different types of music is reflected in our own music.

IRIE. What do you expect your fans to feel when listening to your music in NO WAR?

Cali Treez. We want them to feel healing from our music to help them in their own struggles. We want them to feel motivated to make a positive change in our world. We really want them to join us in making this world a better place. Use our music and let’s address the issues that plague our world. We want our music to touch them positively. This motivates us every day!

IRIE. Is there anything you would like to say to the IRIE Audience?

Cali Treez. Music is the universal language we use to express our diversity. A diversity that we embody by mashing up all our genres of music that reflect our many struggles. We want the people to know that we want to inspire positive vibes , motivation and most of all unity. Boom!

IRIE. Nuff Respect!

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