Alley Katz and County Line Productions hosted a reggae concert last Thursday night. Soldiers of Jah Army and Richmond Dub Collective put the “Jah” in Jamaica with their Rastafarian beats.
The evening started slowly with a few dozen people on the floor, a handful sporting the colors of the Rastafari flag (green, yellow, and red) on hats and T-shirts, and wearing hemp necklaces and dreadlocks. By the end of the evening, Alley Katz was packed.
Richmond Dub Collective, who played at the annual Richmond Vegetarian Festival in September, opened the show. This 8-person band, which has been performing since 2003, mixes hip hop and jazz into their songs.
Bassist Sam Krivanec began playing music that was heavily influenced by metal and rock in the early ’90s. As the years went by, reggae to Krivanec “represents who I am” and can help “express more of what I feel.” He studied jazz at the VCU Department of Music.
For those of you who don’t know what exactly reggae is, it is defined as a style of music originated in Jamaica. It is distinguished by offbeat rhythms, chanted vocals and a strong bass. This style of music, made famous by Bob Marley and Burning Spear, is often associated with Rastafarianism, a Christian African-American religious movement. Rastafarians believe that Africa is the birthplace of mankind and that the Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I, whose was also known as Ras Tafari, is the modern day manifestation of God, or Jah.
Reggae songs usually promote peace, legal marijuana-used to spiritually connect man and Jah-and “one love” or one God.
“Reggae is about everyone being together…realizing no matter who we are, we are all the same,” Krivanec said. One of Richmond Dub Collective’s songs, “Life Goes On,” includes the phrase “I and I,” which traces to the Rastafarian belief that all people are equally bound together by Jah.
Hafiza “Yellow Moon” Wade, the flute player and backup singer, said that reggae “just motivates me inside.” When not on stage, Wade can be seen prepping vegan dishes like hummus at the Field of Greens section at the Shafer Court Dining Center. Eating I-tal foods, meaning organic and natural, is important to Rasta.
Richmond Dub Collective is in the process of recording its first studio album, which is expected to be released in March 2005. They will perform at Mojo’s on Cary Street on Nov. 27. Check their Web site www.richmonddub.com for more information about the band, tour dates and downloadable music.
Since reggae can be tied into hip-hop music, it was appropriate to have the next two performing artists, Illa Tungs and DJ Redemption, bring their hip-hop beats to the stage. “Illa” is a root word that means “source” or “godly” and TUNGS is an acronym that stands for Thoughts Unify N Group Sound. Elliot Harrington also known as DJ Redemption spun hip-hop tracks and sang reggae over it. Inspired by bands such as Turbulence and Chucky Star, Harrington wanted to “share artists that people aren’t familiar with” like Gentleman, Turbulunce, Daweh Congo, and Dancehall. Harrington is also the tour manager and booking agent for Soldiers of Jah Army (SOJA), and has booked 150 shows for SOJA.
SOJA has been playing music and touring not only the United States but internationally since 1997. Based in Northern Virginia, SOJA has released three albums through Lion and Fox Studio and has had songs played over MX Radio. Percussionist Ken Brownell has this to say about reggae: “Love and music are two most powerful forces on Earth. When you put the two together, the possibilities are endless, you know?”
To find more band information, free music and tour information, check Soldiers of Jah Army’s Web site www.sojamusic.com. Information about DJ Redemption is also on SOJA’s Web site.
Visit www.alleykatzrva.com for upcoming reggae concerts.