Monthly Archives: August 2012

Socal Reggae Spotlight:
Piracy Conspiracy

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Piracy Mel C and Scooter Maier with Scott Clayton of On Point Promotions

Piracy Mel C and Scooter Maier with Scott Clayton of On Point Promotions


Piracy Conspiracy came to be in 2009/2010, down in Chula Vista, when Mel C teamed up with Scooter Maier to produce the album Lost at Sea. Shortly after that, they decided to form the band, and found them in the South Bay Wailers with Mikey on Bass, Jeremy on Guitar, and Sammy Dread on the Drums. Eventually, they improved their sound by adding the Brassholes: Jeff and Carlos on Trombone and Trumpet respectively.

Mel C has a very unique DJ Raggamuffin Style where she delivers some hardcore spoken word with a flavor of “Sister Carol”. The band will be playing at the Summer Splash Reggae on the Bay this Sunday, September 2nd at the Pier Port Pavillion in Downtown San Diego, where they plan to Debut their 2012 EP “Alpha and Omega”. For more information and TICKETS CLICK HERE

Tribal Seeds, Stranger and Hi Roots at the Wavehouse in Misson Beach

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This show was highly anticipated by all to have loads of positive energy, and to no one’s surprise, it delivered. SoCal Reggae was on hand with Mason Proud Productions to film the show for Stranger. We have filmed quite a few shows up until this point, however none have compared to the magnitude and overall amount of people that this one had.


We never got a full count on attendance but based on what people told us, a sellout crowd could be anywhere from 1000 to 1800 people. This crowd of people was very class “A” typical-very polite and well behaved…must have been the ganja. We didn’t take too many pictures, as we were there to film mainly, however there were several opportunities, so we got what we could.

Kara Lyn was there representing the SoCal Street Team. She organized a large group of dedicated fans to help promote this show and the results speak for themselves: SOLD OUT!

 

Lucky for us, we were able to go to the top secret Green Room and snap off a few pics. Everyone was super chill, relaxed, and very accommodating to SoCal Reggae.

It was a genuine privilege to have this opportunity to take some candid photos, and as we prepared to get to work (and contrary to what you think-it was work), we took a little time to suck down a few beers and get our frame of mind set to capture the excitement that was to come. There was quite a bit of preparation as we had to record 24 channels of audio on Pro Tools, and film with 7 separate camera angles, but we were up to the  challenge.

DJ Carlos Culture in the House!

DJ Carlos Culture was filling the role of “Master of Ceremonies”, and as usual he provided a spark of enthusiasm to fire up the crowd (yeah they fired up alright). As always, he provided a wide variety of styles and mixes, giving everyone plenty of fill through the spaces.

Please enjoy these pics. We would write more about the live performances, but there is plenty of Stranger video to edit, and that is where the energy must go. First and foremost we wanted to share these pics.

Hi Roots

 

 

 

Stranger

 

 

Tribal Seeds

 

 

Stephen Marley Comes to Belly Up October 6

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This October, Belly Up (San Diego) will welcome international reggae sensation Stephen Marley. Born April 20th 1972 in Delaware to Rita and reggae superstar Bob Marley. Stephen played for years with his older brother Ziggy’s band the ‘Melody Makers’ before blazing his own trail. I would consider Stephen the “Dr. Dre” of the Marley brothers in that he produces a lot of his brother’s work. On top of Stephen’s Grammy wins with the Melody Makers he has been credited with Grammys for Damian’s albums Half-Way Tree and Welcome to Jamrock. He has found Grammy success in his own music winning Grammys for both his ‘Mind Control’ album and his ‘Root of Life’ album. Stephen’s blend of roots reggae, blues, and soul with a twist of Marley defines his sound. Stephen gives great performances of his father’s music taking the listener back in time. This is not a show you want to miss!

Stephen Marley’s band is composed of some amazing musicians. So Cal Reggae will be featuring Stephen’s drummer, Squidly Cole in an interview at the Belly Up. We also hope to catch up with Erica Newell, (Stephen’s back up singer) who is working on some projects of her own. Squidly is son of Ska legend Stranger Cole and is nick-named the singing drummer, also working on his own projects. His ‘Babylon Days’ album kicked off his singing career. He has even backed up SOJA on stage. Squidly Cole’s amazing reggae drumming skills can be seen at the Belly Up in October!

Buy your tickets here

-Tom Searcy

Sidney Mills Speaks with Tom Searcy

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Sidney Mills is one of the busiest names in reggae music. Grammy award  winning band, Steel Pulse has been lucky enough to have him on the keyboards since 1988. He is founder of the New York based record company Living Room Records producing artists like Dennis Brown. And has even performed with the Smashing Pumpkins. Sidney has also produced for many artist’s albums including Ziggy Marley, Toots Hibbert, and Shabba Ranks to name a few. The Steel Pulse bass player Amlak once told me ” Everyone wants to work with him!” Sidney is not only heavily involved in music production but takes time to participate in charities he believes in.

SoCalReggae.com’s Tom Searcy was lucky enough to catch up with Sidney in one of the back offices of the Belly Up. He spoke with us a little bit about his work in Steel Pulse, other projects, and charity work he is doing with Sister Carol.

-Tom Searcy

Project: Out of Bounds – Music an International Bridge

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Over the last few years, North San Diego County locals have been coming out to the Sun Set Market in Oceanside on their Thursday nights. The air is full laughter, freshly cooked food and an energetic buzz of people enjoying the beautiful Southern California summer evening.

On Thursday August 16, a local San Diego band, Project: Out of Bounds blasted the stage for all of the masses to enjoy. Typically only a few brave souls will hit the parking lot dance floor and move to the music, while the rest in attendance just mill around, content on enjoying their street food fare while sitting in their chairs and bobbing their heads. Nothing could be further from that on this particular evening…

A lively, acrobatic and energetic group from Ethiopia happened to be at the market and gripped the dance floor. This group of guys went from snakeskin’, to dance circles, back flips, front flips all while singing along and without missing a beat! This not only energized the musicians on stage, but also the people in the crowd. Suddenly the audience came to life; a blur of bodies and smiles meshing seamlessly to the sounds.

Before P.O.B. ended their set, the lead singer Kris asked them how to say “thank you” in their native language, in which they gleefully responded with “amesege’nallo’!!”  as they continued to dance to the music.

While I am always impressed by P.O.B.each time they hit the stage, I have to say this performance was just as impressionable with a young group of travelers. As I watched them dance and truly enjoy themselves, all I could think was “that is how I want to feel each and every day!” With good music in my ears, a smile on my face and a dance in every step I take! So a HUGE amesege’nallo’ to that group of guys and Project: Out of Bounds for making this a night to remember.

Check out Project: Out of Bounds on Facebook at:

www.facebook.com/profectoutofbounds

Shows are always being added to their calendar, so stay tuned, and keep dancing!

 

SoCal Summer Weekend – August 17 – 19, 2012

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This weekend Southern California will be rocking with live, local reggae music in and out of the sun!

Friday August 17th:

Ease Up, Bad Apples and Tommy Dubs will be jamming at The Lighthouse Cafe in Hermosa Beach, CA. Drop by Hensely’s Flying Elephant in Carlsbad, CA and see the Carlsbad natives, Stone Senses, rock you with their six piece instrumentally eclectic style. Head south to San Diego’s Typhoon Saloon and catch Tribal Theory with special guest Kahi Lofa. If you are in the Downtown San Diego area, Project: Out of Bounds (P.O.B.) will be putting on an epic show at Eastern Village Tavern and Bowl from 9:30-11:30 P.M.

Had enough? Nope, didn’t think so!

Saturday August 18:

The Tilted Kilt in Long Beach, CA will host The Simpkin Project on their Summer Solstice Tour along with special guest Ezzrah. This show is FREE and all ages are welcome, so bring the kiddies and save on a sitter. Ocean Beach’s finest beach club, Winstons, will be raging as So-Cal Showcase presents High Tide, Jah Perry and Mad Traffic. Music starts at 5:30, and as the night continues at Winstons you can check out the CD release party for Tommy Dubs! Performing alongside Tommy Dubs will be Ease Up, and introducing KNG MKR. The Roots Factory in San Diego will be fundraising for Revival along with DJ sets by DJ Rizo, Danny Dread and Rudy Roots. Come out and show some love! 710 Beach Club on Garnet in Pacific Beach San Diego will kick off at 10 P.M. with Stranger and DJ Dash Eye from Tribe of Kings!

 

Tired yet? Heading out to the beach? Perfect!

Sunday August 19:

Sunday Funday indeed as Shoreline Rootz takes the stage right on Moonlight Beach in Encinitas, CA from 3 P.M. – 5 P. M. If you have never seen this 9 piece reggae band “with crisp horn lines, female backing vocals, hypnotic bass-lines and driving keyboard and percussive syncopation,” here is your chance! The show is free and the sun will be shining, so pack up the sunscreen, get a surf in and then jam out with Shoreline Rootz.

Be sure to check out the SoCal Reggae event calendar for more information about all the shows and artists mentioned above, and upcoming events.

Happy Days from SoCal Reggae!

Shoreline Rootz playing the Encinitas Street Fair

 

http://www.shorelinerootz.com/

Photos courtesy of Aubree Jean Images

http://www.facebook.com/AubreeJeanImages

 

 

Hazmatt CD Release Party-Belly Up

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Wednesday, August 8th at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach was jamming with local San Diego sounds from Boom Snap, Oceanside Sound System and Hazmatt. Between sets Clint Westwood from the Whiskey Avengers kept the vibes and dance floor alive as DJ. Letting the music inspire him, Al Scholl was on hand producing live art that set the stage for a fun-filled night of blended artistic and musical talent.

 

The night kicked off with Boom Snap and this high-energy, 3 piece band from Pacific Beach stole the stage. They brought a funkadelic sound reminescent of a Chili Peppers style groove that got everyone off their seats to dance.

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The middle act featured an unusual combination of Ska, Punk Rock, and Reggae that meshed seamlessly for a unique sound straight out of O’ side. Oceanside Sound System lit the house up with lead singer Skillet and his 8 piece band who merged from other North County bands Irieside and Wanted Dead. O.S.S. delivered a ton of rambunctious fun as people were mashing it up on the floor, spilling drinks and getting down to the eclectic sounds.

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The end of the night sealed the deal as Hazmatt took the stage to promote their latest CD. An electrifying performance. Thanks once again to On Point Promotions
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Sister Nancy speaks with Socal Reggae

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Socal Reggae’s Tom Searcy sat down with Sister Nancy after her performance at the SoCal World Music Festival in San Diego. She talked about her views on Rastafrianism, The 50th Anniversary of Jamaica, and the overall direction that Reggae is moving towards.
*Filmed by Roy Pinedo Jimenez

Mike Pinto, Cisco Adler and Tribal Theory Deliver at the Belly Up

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Saturday Night at the Belly Up was off the hook, as On Point Promotions once again brought together 3 bands of magnificient talent. The night started off with Tribal Theory putting out some sweet harmonizing vocals.

I think it’s a safe bet to say that we will be seeing more of this band in the future as they were quite impressive. The middle act was indeed interesting as Cisco Adler (from the Hip Hop band Shwayze) performed with a DJ and a hard hitting drummer.

Ciso Adler


The main attraction, of course was the Mike Pinto Band. Mike had some special guests as Donny (from Stranger) and Carlos and Jonny (from Shoreline Rootz) sat in on several songs to provide horns. We at Socal Reggae were very pleased to have the opportunity to film this show with Mike’s film and sound crew.

Mike Pinto at the Belly Up


Mason Proud (from Boom Culture/Sunny Rude) set up Pro Tools and recorded the show on 16 channels, and we filmed from 6 (possibly 7) camera angles so stay tuned because I think that a DVD will be coming out soon.