She Wants to Save the World, Dammit!: Dub Mandi (Music Is A Weapon)

She is an electrorockin’ Rainbow Brite.  Neon yellow fishnets.  Sometimes pink mini-braids, sometimes blonde and blue.  Her electric presence is sure to blow a fuse or two.  Dub Mandi is lightning and heart blended with will and vision.  She wants to change the world.

It began with a candy-coated vision: Music and somehow making life better for people around her. Over the course of a few short years, Dub Mandi and her Miami-based musical family, Music Is A Weapon, have progressed at light speed.  But, hey…she saw this all happening from the start.

Originally from Potomac, MD, her preteen resume reads like a enrollment form for charm school:  Trained on violin at age 9 by an Air Force Chief Master Sergeant, theatre, honor’s chorus…you name it.  But she isn’t the charm school type.  She is the in-your-face and kick-some-ass with positivity type.  Get in the ring.

“It (music) is to me, the most absolutely fuckin’ amazing thing in the world. The universal language, indeed…and the words being sung are becoming clearer to mankind, more than ever these days.”

Coming off of a whirlwind tour with Music Is A Weapon in Amsterdam, the band has recently released a catchy dance-a-licious tune called “BAM Amsterdam.”  Check out their website to hear the track for yourself at www.musicisaweaponband.com.

1. Name: My full ‘legal’ name? I think it was Amanda Ettlin…that person doesn’t hang around much anymore though. She was cool, but Mandi came one day after a good trip and never really left…
2. Nationality: Father’s side is Russian, Mom is Irish and German
3. Age: 23 years old
4. Profession: Musician/Activist
5. Dream: To make a living off of generating positivity & helping others through music
6. A place you can’t miss while traveling in Amsterdam: RASTA BABY COFFEE SHOP!! It’s become quite the little tradition! Also, definitely couldn’t miss out on any of the WIHH (“What Is Happening Here”) parties thrown by our Dutch brothers, Job Reuten and Joris Jan.
7. What is the one song that you can’t get out of your head? Right now, funny enough, it’s actually “Bam in Amsterdam” by MiAW! There you go, There you go, There you go again…I mean, really?! DAMN!!! IT!!! I’ve been singing this shit in my sleep mon! Hopefully it will be as mentally infectious for others as it has been for me.
8. What super power would you like to have and what would you do with it? Ah, I would love to have the ability to heal suffering. I think I would keep busy for quite sometime.  First stop would be Africa. I’m yet to know the logistics of the plan, but I’ve known for quite some time that the boys and I have major work to do there…and everywhere for that matter!
9. What is the most random fact you can think of? The average vegetarian saves close to 100 animals a year and reduces their risk of early death in association to eating meat by 50% … go VEG already people!!
10. What can make everything better? Love
11. What is the first image that pops into your mind when you think of Miami? Oh, la playa! No doubt.  When I first moved down here – alone might I add – I unknowingly set foot out onto lovely Haulover Beaches nudist-territory. Now, anyone who’s been has the visual in their mind already; 99% male and well, for the most part, not exactly the kinds of people you’d see basking in Europe or Brazil! Though I must say that I didn’t let it effect me too much! The beach is my hearts home and will be forever more. It was one of the only things that brought me to this town and kept me here these past couple of years. (Though I totally lucked out and found some little sparkling treasures & radical distractions along the way..)
12. What would be the title of your autobiography? Dub Mandi … “The Girl Too Lazy To Be Crazy” … Yup, it’s truth. Yano, I just don’t get all these people running around stalking each other and expensing their time & energies into being nutjobs..? Wouldn’t they just rather just kick back, relax, chill & enjoy their downtime? I know I would. Looking back on question #2, I really do think there was a Jamaican thrown in the mix somewhere, for sure.
13. Do you obey traffic laws? Yeah! I mean more often than not…at least I think I do …uh oh I think I may have some pending tickets.
14. What is one aspect of your journey that you are most proud of? The fact that I stopped going to college but continued working towards a very specific goal.
15. One thing in your closet that you can’t live without: My hats & misc. head scarves! Ok, well I’m pretty sure I could go on living without just about everything in my closet but I would most likely be a little irritated on a bad dread day!
16. Something that makes your skin crawl. When a random persons hair brushes against me. Hate that!
17. If you had a motto, what would it be? Live, Love, Endure. I have these three words tattooed in an adjoining triangle on my left arm. By what other lyrics of life should one sing?
18. Do you hold grudges? Man, these days I really try my very hardest not to. Losing six friends this past year alone was a total slap in the face reminder that our journey here on this plane could come to an end at any given moment. If we all were to channel and transform the energy that we harbor inside thinking negatively and put it together for a good cause? We could very easily move mountains.
19. Three things you are most thankful for: My Family & Fellow Soul Mates, My Partner/Animal Family and all of the opportunities that have presented themselves to me. Everything I have asked for up until this point is in front of me right now, at this very moment, and more greatness is to follow – so you can understand why I feel so anxiously inclined to start giving back.
20. Finish this sentence. The only thing we have to fear is….losing the battle. We have a lot of work to do but together we can make this dream an F’iNG reality!!!

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