What better place to celebrate the king of reggae than at the El Rey (which means "the king" in Spanish) Theatre in Los Angeles? I tell you the place was pulsating with "positive vibrations" from the moment I walked in the door. I knew I had to stake out my front stage spot early because the crowd had encircled the floor. I, again, made new friends in my front stage spot...actually, we recognized that we stood next to each other the last time Groundation played the El Rey in August. With no Raggamuffin festival this year, L.A. was ready for a Bob Marley tribute...and they were going to get a great one.
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| Roger Steffens |
I was a little nervous because sometimes at L.A. events, some people are "too cool" to let loose and enjoy themselves. But L.A.'s truly "cool" were at the El Rey that night. When renowned reggae archivist Roger Steffens came out on stage to introduce Groundation, the electricity in the air intensified, and I knew we were in for an exciting ride. This crowd recognized each Bob Marley and Groundation tune in two notes or less and went crazy each time they started a song. I knew I was amongst die hard fans because they (we) were singing every lyric to every song, both Bob's and Groundation's.
This tour has made me realize that one of the things I love about Groundation is their similarity to Bob Marley and the Wailers. Bob Marley and the Wailers' music was made for the bass and horns, and Ryan Newman (bass), Kelsey Howard (trombone) and David Chachare (trumpet) definitely accentuated that fact. I mean really, who doesn't know "Sun is Shining" from the first three notes which come from the bass? Ryan Newman put the stank (technical term for so funky it's smells...ok, not really) on the crowd.
The roof was bouncing at the El Rey that night and I could literally feel the crowd reverberating behind me. It was no surprise then when an over exuberant fan jumped on stage during Mingo Lewis Jr.'s conga drum solo. I told you he calls out queen Nyahbinghi herself, and this young lady must have been possessed by her. Thank goodness for my brother the tour manager/bouncer Hossein Attar who acted with the swiftness and power of a lion on an antelope and swooped her off stage before Mingo and Harrison got caught up in her frolicking. I can't blame her though. I've wanted to jump on stage and dance with them many times.
Groundation does the best Bob Marley tribute other than the Marley offspring themselves that I've ever seen or heard. I'm a purist and very particular about how Bob Marley's songs are played and sung. If I felt Groundation didn't do Bob's music justice, trust me, I'd tell them. But they do, and this is why I keep recommending you see them. I love this group and each individual in it. That's why I'm spending Valentine's Day with them at The Independent in San Francisco, CA. It's the last show of the tour, so if you can make it, you should. Bob Marley + Groundation=LOVE. Peace, blessings, and music.
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