"We went with bands that either had a really big underground following, like The Disco Biscuits, or bands that were incredibly talented, and that's them."
Today, the group has a nucleus of almost 20 musicians, but the concept of Antibalas was originally the idea of saxophonist Martin Perna. While involved in the recording of an Afro-beat record in 1997, Perna decided to form a group dedicated to the style, in the same fashion as Nigerian Afro-beat godfather Fela Kuti.
By the spring of 1998, Perna had some songs together and began performing them as a band with an ever-growing group of musical friends from the New York area. Since then, the Antibalas family has continued to expand.
"I think a lot of our strength, chemistry and friendship is related to expanding with people we know," Perna said. "It's a very unselfish approach, very collaborative. For this style of music, everyone has a very specific role. But when they all come together, it's unstoppable."
But just as the percussion section must lay down the beat and the horns must harmonize the melody, the musical message must ring clear. Although the United States today is different from the Nigeria that inspired Kuti to speak out through his music, problems still exist within our society, and the political activism of Afro-beat music is still significant, Perna said.
"It's essential to the music. If the message isn't there, that would be like playing gospel without singing about Jesus, or being at a frat with no beer," he said with a laugh. "The music and the message are inseparable."
Even the group's name is a kind of political statement -- the Spanish "Antibalas" can translate to either "anti-bullets" or "bulletproof."
Perna said that this double meaning reflects the group's sound as both peaceful and aggressive.
Fans should only expect to see about 12 or 13 members of the large group at Sunday's performance. Perna explained that the group's lineup changes frequently, usually swelling during shows in the New York area; but once a musician is part of the band, he is never shut out, and the constant rotation is a benefit to this kind of collaborative group.
"It gives us a lot of flexibility as far as other financial obligations and pursuing other musical things are concerned," he said. "And it keeps it interesting. Different guys when paired up do things differently."
With so much going into the creation of the music, though, Perna never feels limited by having his band stick to just one genre.
"Afro-beat is an enormous universe in and of itself, and we're still stretching the limits," he said.
New York native Bobby Kendes (junior-media studies) said he has noticed that the band plays regular gigs in the Brooklyn area and described its sound as memorably energetic.
"People that have heard them or seen them are affected in a positive way," he said.
"They're like a breath of fresh air."
Schreiner said the Orchestra has him the most excited for Sunday's concert.
"They're a very high energy group," he said. "They cross many genres and many audiences. We're proud to bring a not-mainstream group to a mainstream event at Penn State."
"If passion could be translated into music, that's what they'd do."
And the passion is where the fun comes in.
"The best gigs are the ones that everybody has energy for, when the audience comes prepared to give as much energy as we give to them," Perna said.
