Now that we have that all squared away, it's that time of year again: the Bob Marley "Reggae Legend" Birthday Bash. There's only one way to forget that it is BELOW zero out: sink into the velvety old-school goodness of Kalamazoo's best venue, kick back with a Red Stripe or several and bob along to some steel drums and scratchy, syncopated guitars; skulk in the shadowy back rows of the main floor with your crew, or jam by the speakers where reggae throbs at skull-vibrating volumes. Either way, kick back and just watch and pay homage to everyone's favorite Aquarian rasta. One thing I love about this festival is that it knows no demographic; I've been several times and it's really just a bunch of people who want to chill out and have a good time together, and a reggae show is really conducive to that. No politics, no drama, no race boundaries or dress codes or age limits-- all things that should never be synonymous with live music, but are all too common at shows.
My mom said one time that all reggae sounds the same. Defiant teenage arguer-for-the-sake-of-arguing that I was, I scraped what I could from the bottom of my humble reggae-knowledge barrel, pointing out nuances of styles and sub-genres like dub, roots, dancehall, ska (but you already know that spiel if you've ever actually hung out with your weed dealer [how IS your glaucoma these days?] or your token bohemian sibling [which in my family... is me]), citing everyone from Burning Spear to Peter Tosh to Wyclef Jean to Matisyahu to the godfather of reggae, ol' Tuff Gong himself. And to be fair to my 17-year-old incense-burning, corduroy-pants-wearing self, there really is a wide array of reggae sounds, or other Caribbean sounds which are sometimes mistakenly called reggae (like reggaeton).
However (and life is a series of "howevers") it's kind of true: reggae is definitely a very specific-sounding genre. But maybe that's why you can go to a show and dance with people who look like Jerry Garcia dancing with people who look like Questlove dancing with people like me, and we're all having the time of our lives. Reggae has a magical universality to it which makes it such an amazing, fun, and listenable genre to so many people.
So... I've said it once and I'll say it a million more times: it's about the music, not the scene. Even if you think it's not your thing, don your best hippie duds (i.e. your worst regular duds)-- and your dancin' shoes-- and get your (slow mo) two-step on.
Well anyway, the lineup of Bob Bash this year is... well, what is always is: Zion Lion's headlining. If you live in Kalamazoo you've probably seen them at Island Fest, Art Hop, Mixer On The Mall (whatever the fuck that is) or any other of Kalamazoo's lame social gatherings that are sadly the highlights of our year as a town. Even if you haven't, I'm certain you've heard of them; if you really haven't heard of them, I'll spare you the suspense: mostly Bob Marley covers, no matter the occasion. And, hey, while I will sure as hell be jammin' along to the obligatory "No Woman, No Cry" cover (which I'm anticipating will be covered by every band who plays tomorrow night; just go with it; your cries of monotony will be drowned by a chorus of inebriated singers-along) I'm kinda hoping ZL will bring it with a crunchy reggae jam sesh (yes, I only say "sesh" now)-- or something-- because, frankly, in the past when I've seen Zion Lion, it's been a little pedestrian. Played-out; sleepwalky; predictable at best. But like I said, it's reggae; it's not going to matter. (If you want a preview, check 'em out here; and no, don't bother with MySpace. Damn the
But what I'm really stoked for is Dread I Sound, an experimental dub reggae DJ from Kalamazoo. Dred I Sound concocts amazing dub remixes-- some with the ambient, spacey trippiness of classic dub reggae, some a little more clubbish/ dance-oriented; some are delightfully both. I've never seen this guy play, so I'm not really sure what he's about or what to expect, but after checking him out, I'm thinking it's going to be a good show.
There's a third band on the bill, "Indika," but when I searched for them all I found was an Italian dance-indie band ("Istintivo, sporco... cantano i Depeche Mode." FYI, "Depeche Mode" in Italian is Depeche Mode!) and I'm thinking it's not the same band. So we'll see what's up with that. (Although this Indika is kinda good!)
So, in researching for this post I came across exactly one other reggae-oriented act in Kalamazoo: Lake Effect . I'm disappointed to say that Lake Effect is not playing at State Tomorrow because they are the best local band I have heard in awhile; I know I say that from time to time, but I am refreshingly impressed by this band. Singer Terrell Thompson's silky vocals call to mind Umphrey's McGee's Brendan Bayliss, but with more soul and a feel that is even more free and effortless. Lake Effect is a little more island-inspired pop/rock (think G Love, Jack Johnson, the Meters et al) than "reggae," but the soul is there, the flavor is there and I dig it.
I found them on their ReverbNation page (the best site ever-- make an account and find me!) which, I thought, had better music than what was posted on their MySpace; check out "Reggae 1" and my personal favorite, the funky freefall "Stand Up" (not a DMB cover, as I momentarily feared).
So... I'm thinking we're in for a decent show on Saturday (but Lake Effect, where you guys at?!). And, it would be an injustice not to raise the question: where the fuck are the reggae bands in Kalamazoo?!
See you guys there (and buy a sister a beer [I like Red Stripe]),
-thejunkie
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