The King, the Queen, and Groundation

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.

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.

Groundation: The Prequal

I'm getting excited as my "reunion" with Groundation (my favorite roots reggae band...if you didn't know) is coming up in seven days. I know I've mentioned them a lot in my blogs, but it's because their music has had a profound effect on my life. I can't really say that about many artists' music. I will say that their music's effect  on me was akin to Bob Marley's.

Groundation fell into my lap out of nowhere. I had only heard one song, "Groundation Chant," on my Bob Marley station on Pandora.  The first thing that got my attention was the one two beat of the drum that I've heard so often at Nyahbinghi* gatherings. Then I heard the words "Please believe me when I say, there will come a day when everyone shall see unification." Now, I tell you, at this particular point in my life, I felt like everyone around me was bent on separating and distancing themselves from one another, so they had me at "unification." This is conscious music that uplifts...a rare commodity these days.

A few months later, I saw them for the first time at the Raggamuffin Festival, which is a Bob Marley celebration in the Los Angeles area. I admit, I was a little skeptical at first because I had only heard the one song, and not everyone can do Bob Marley justice. Those of you who are Bob Marley fans know that there is nothing worse than someone destroying one of his songs. Nevertheless, I was front and center ready to give them a chance. I was encouraged (and impressed) when I saw Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace sitting on drums. Mr. Wallace has played with many of the great reggae artists and was in the movie "Rockers."

Mr. Wallace boosted my confidence in the group, but they still had to play Bob's music. I was surprised (and relieved) at the musicianship of the band. The music was as tight and clean as a recording. Harrison Stafford delivered the tunes in his own personal style without muddying up the original sound. You see, that's where many artists go wrong when singing Bob Marley's songs. They want to put so much of their own personal touch that the songs don't sound the same...or the musicians just don't play very well. The only disappointment of the performance was that it was too short. It was, however, a festival with other artists still to perform including Bob Marley's son Stephen.

It will be a treat to be able to hear Groundation perform more of The Legend's songs, and some of their own, including songs from their album to be released in March. I love being able to chill with this great group of people...but the music is the thing. It's like I'm plugging myself in and I'm fully charged and renewed when I leave. I'm going to try to blog after each show. Perhaps Mr. Stafford will even bless me with a short interview? (Are you reading this Harrison? Someone forward this to him please) If you're in northern or southern California, I hope you decide to see a show so you can experience what I'm trying to express. You can see the schedule here. For those of you wondering, no, I don't work for them...yet.  More to come...Love, light, and

music.

*A Rastafari spiritual gathering with drumming and chanting