Reggae Consciousness
An impressive array of musicians in the reggae and dub traditions–from Jamaica and Belize to the UK, and a strong contingent of local musicans–will take the stage this weekend for an ambitious two-day lineup in celebration of Bob Marley’s birth. While Rootz Underground, one of the premier present-day reggae outfits from Jamaica who were to perform both days of the festival, just canceled their appearances, there’s plenty of artists to make the festival, at a pretty affordable $30, worth checking out.
It’s the Sunday show, which includes Norma Fraser, a contemporary of Bob Marley who, in her heyday in the late ’60s, did this soaring rendition of “The First Cut Is The Deepest,” that intrigues me most. Disillusioned with the music industry, she slipped out of the public sphere and is re-entering 40 years later as a sharp counter to what she calls: “the overt chauvinism displayed in reggae in the past and even today. There seems to be this culture of acceptance, i.e. ‘God made man to control the world and women’ and they end with the phrase ‘Jah Rastafari’ as if that seals and explains it away.”
Headlining Sunday night is British reggae star Lloyd Brown, who will be backed by the One Drop Band out of Eugene, Ore.; another local band, Publish the Quest from Seattle, performs that night as well. But perhaps the most exciting name on the lineup for those dedicated to a truly excellent live music experience is Scientist, the undisputed top dub engineer whose signature style is described as “playful and very psychedelic, loaded with echo explosions and blasts of feedback.” He’ll be running sound for both nights, and I’m impressed by Culture Yard, the presenters of the festival, for placing such star power both on stage and behind the sound board to ensure a world-class live music experience.
Reggae Conciousness will be held at the King Cat Theater down in Belltown–it’s all-ages (and free for young people under 12), with a slew of local DJs spinning in the lounge area until 2 a.m. For more information on performers and tickets, visit Culture Yard’s Web site .
