Avalanchee
From the struggling yet culturally rich settlement of Eight Mile Rock, Grand Bahamas emerges Avalanchee, a lyrically hard-hitting Gospel dancehall duo. Born in Nassau, Bahamas, Siblings Mario and Marco Gibson were inspired to give their lives to God after attending a church revival. Despite their presence in the church, however, for several years, they strayed from the call of the Lord, entering into a life of rebellion. Mario remembers this time stating, “As the saying goes, ‘idle hands are the devil’s play things.’ So, during that period of time, we were idle, and had very little focus on God’s purpose for us.”
One Sunday evening, after returning from church, the brothers received a call that their mother had died in a tragic car accident. This untimely death of their mother marked a turning point in their lives, and it was during this period that the brothers returned to their spiritual roots and simultaneously became interested in dancehall reggae. Influenced by such lyrically impressive artistes as Beenie Man and Bounty Killer, Avalanchee describes their Music as “traditional dancehall in style and flow, coupled with the life-saving message of Christ as the foundation of all things.”
The origins of this duo can be traced to their schooling years where Mario formed the group, which initially consisted of five members. When the other three group members disagreed with the duo’s vision of creating Music based on God as its foundation, the brothers set forth on their own to realize their vision of praising the Lord through dancehall reggae.
Asked often how the name Avalanchee came about, Marco explains, “The name “Avalanchee” is derived from the word “avalanche” which means ‘a mass of snow falling rapidly down a mountainside.’ Like the great force of an avalanche, our Music is unstoppable.” And like the tumbling snow, no obstacles have kept this duo from achieving their goal of using Gospel reggae to uplift the masses, while instilling knowledge of Christ over hard-hitting dancehall riddims.
In 2002, Monty G, C.E.O. of Lion of Judah (L.O.J.) Sounds realizing the young brothers’ enormous musical potential, took them under his wing, and helped them further their musicology. “Education” became Avalanchee’s first hit song under L.O.J. Sounds.
Their highly anticipated debut album, “Hard 2 the Core“, was released in the summer of 2006. It is an exciting collection of lyrically powerful songs that deliver upbeat flows and explosive beats. This musical powerhouse, which includes notable influences of R&B, hip hop, and culture, is sure to endure in the Gospel reggae arena for years to come.
Avalanchee continues to advance musically, making history by being the first non-Jamaicans to win at the 2006 Caribbean Gospel Music Marlin awards, the Dee-Jay Vocal Performance of the Year-Duo/Group for the song “Blow Out” (Riddim Invasion 4 CD). As they continue their international ministry, Avalanchee expresses their intention to “continue reaching the hearts and minds of all throughout the world, so that souls might be saved through the saving power of Jesus Christ.”
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