Nectar Lounge is well known for being the epicenter for World Music in North Seattle. This Thursday they will be expanding that reputation by bringing world class reggae outfit Tribal Seeds to their stage. Tribal Seeds have been steadily making a name for themselves over the last few years, but things really started picking up in 2008. That year the band won Best World Music act at the San Diego Music Awards. Also that year, their self-released freshman album, The Harvest, made its debut on the Billboard reggae Charts at number five, and was selected on iTunes as a “Best of 2008,” and was one of the top reggae albums of the year.
Their music is a rootsy kind of reggae with a little bit of rock thrown in every now and then just for kicks. The track “Warning,” featuring P.O.D front man Sonny Sandoval, buries the standard reggae upstroke and pushes the drums up front for a sound that borders on hip-hop. For the most part Tribal Seeds just plays good old fashion, straight up reggae. If that’s your scene, you won’t want to pass up this chance to see such an accomplished band play such a cozy venue. These guys have played much larger venues and rocked much larger crowds, it should be a rare treat to see them at Nectar. If it were possible, you would definitely want to buy tickets in advance; or maybe should just try to win some from us! Click here, or e-mail contests@seattleshowgal.com with the words “Tribal Seeds, straight up reggae!” in the subject line for your change to win a pair of tickets. Don’t forget to have the name +1 that should appear on the guest list!
Tribal Seeds have toured heavily in the states, and internationally, including Mexico, Guam, and Aruba, sharing the stage with the likes of Matisyahu, The Wailers, and Stephen Marley. This Thursday they will have the Northwest Sons opening up for them. Be ready to stay for the long haul, both have been know to play extended sets. Check out the video for ” Vampire ” if you want to get an idea of the magnitude of this band. The footage was shot on their 2009 tour, and I bet anyone in it would kill to see these guys at such an intimate venue.
Written By: Ace
Categories: Bumbershoot, Previews, Reviews
In honor of Bumbershoot 2009, .S.S.G. went the extra mile to review one of Bumbershoot’s performing artists, Adrian Xavier. In the realm of event previews, you can’t be more thorough than this. ::Brushes shoulders off.::
Adrian Xavier is a renowned regional reggae artist who is scheduled to perform at 2:15pm on Saturday, September 5th at the Fisher Green Stage. I am excited to give you a sneak peek on what to expect.
BAND MEMBERS:
Adrian Xavier – Lead Vocals, Percussion and Guitars,
Lennox Holness – Bass Guitar
Davee C. – Drums
Sting Shark – Lead Guitar
Mark Cardenas – Keyboards
Geoffrey Castle – Violin
Listening to Adrian Xavier speak for the first time, it is hard to believe a man with such a thick Jamaican accent resides in Seattle, and grew up on the west coast; Xavier exudes authenticity. From his mid-length dreadlocks to the over-sized cargo jacket that drapes his smaller frame, Xavier has every external attribute you would expect from a picturesque Rastafarian.
With it being a Sunday night, the crowd was sparse. It didn’t seem like Xavier deflated by the small crowed. From the onset, Xavier’s energy and good vibe music carried his set. Mid-way through the first song, the crowd began to feel the groove and started to wander out onto the dance floor. By the kickoff of the second song, nearly everyone was in front of center stage slowly winding their bodies. The dancing wasn’t limited to just the audience. On stage, Xavier and his accompanying band continued to frolic around as they seamlessly transitioned from song to song.
Instrumentally, Xavier had a wide array of tools at an arms length away. The core of the band consisting if Lennox Holness, Davee C. and StingShark, held tempo exceptionally well. They played a key role in maintaining the energy at a maximum considering the conditions. Keyboardist, Mark Cardenas, added the traditional island sounds you would expect from Reggae without being a distraction. The biggest surprise added to the mix was a violinist, Geoffrey Castle; he was remarkable. During Castle’s vast solos, the audience would gaze upon the stage when his whole body would retort into convulsions as the bow glided from one side of the violin to the other in rapid succession.
Musically, Xavier’s beats are often bouncy, upbeat, and of a thick consistency that resonates with a definitive Afro-Caribbean/tropical texture. Besides adding a twist with the violin, he blends in a bit of hip-hop, soul, and funk. By doing this, he is able to satisfy the tastes of a wide range of music lovers from all different backgrounds.
Lyrically, Xavier is flatly poetic and righteous. He is straight to the point, but too often it felt redundant; some the meaning of the songs are drowned out by the catchy melodies. Xavier’s songs focus heavily on social and spiritual issues that tend to leave you with a positive vibe. However, the constant song subjects of love and unity within mankind come off as attempt to fit within the common theme of reggae than being genuine and inspired. Xavier has very good voice that fits well within the reggae genre, but at times it is perceived as melodramatic and forced.
Overall, Adrian Xavier plays a great live show that will get anyone to swivel their hips a bit. Although not cutting edge, his music does appeal to anyone looking to get away from the negativity of the world and become showered with the worry-free positive energy that Xavier provides. I very much look forward to seeing what this Dreadlock Rasta brings to Bumbershoot. See you there! In the mean time, please enjoy clips from his August 6th Show at Nectar Lounge.
UPCOMING SHOWS:
September 5th – 2:15pm @ Bumbershoot – Seattle WA
September 6th – 3:00pm @ Schweizer Ski Resort – Scheweizer, WA
I know I’m shocking you with my quickness with a review being posted next day when i have other reviews in queue, but when an event is playing consecutive nights in one city, it serves the people and the artist if I give a review ’skip the line’ privileges.
This post is also a special feature because the content is written by none other then our Bahamian Wordlush aka Jonathan Cunningham, music editor of Seattle Weekly. We were enjoying the evening together so we figured, why not cross post? He is more of an authority on this genre of music so I wanted to give my readers the special treat of his expertise.
Without further adieu, I give you Collie Buddz!
“Seattle audiences are starved for good reggae music. I’ve noticed this trend on numerous occasions since moving here from South Florida several months ago. There’s not nearly enough reggae coming through town on a consistent basis, and crowds are hungry for quality artists to play in this market. Last night, Bermudian reggae star Collie Buddz played Nectar and eager fans come out ready to soak up some of his island culture and reggae grooves.
I first met Collie (real name Colin Harper) a few years ago when I did a feature spread on him for FADER and he’s really a good dude. Despite his gimmicky appearance on the surface (yes, he is yet another white dude singing reggae) the truth is, Collie’s a real talented singer and producer. He’ll probably always be plagued by people thinking he’s a “fakin’ Jamaican” but the twang in which he talks is real and the subject matter he sings about is genuine. Now the patois in which he sings is exaggerated a bit, but that’s mainly because no matter what part of the Caribbean island chain you’re from, the dominant sound for reggae music is Jamaican patois and Collie’s just following suit.
For awhile, he used to just play shows with a DJ behind him, which was alright, but he’s much better with a live band as Seattle audiences got to see last night.
From the moment he took the stage with the New Kingston band playing behind him, that gave his sound a whole other element. With drum, bass, keys, and vocalists on the stage accompanying him, the music was much more rich than I last remember. The only problem was that Colin and his band have been on the road for 2 1/2 months and they were notably tired yesterday. They did their best to have fun and Collie was full of energy in spurts, but the show lacked that umph that audiences often require to fully be satisfied. Well, maybe I should speak for myself because plenty of people there looked like they were having a great time.
There’s definitely an element to his fan base that come out because he talks about marijuana in his music. That’s always going to draw out the hippie crowd who were there in full force last night. And Collie didn’t let them down at all. When he started singing his biggest ganja tune, “Come Around” the whole club was chanting “finally the herbs come around!” and you could feel the vibes in the place moving in a positive direction. Despite the fact that his voice was a little shot, he didn’t hold back on songs like “Herb Tree” or “Mamacita,” or one of my personal favorites, “Tomorrow’s Another Day” produced by Supa Dups of Black Chiney.
The best part of the show was during the encore when Collie played a kick-ass version of the anti-hater anthem, “Blind to You” and everybody had to get a little frustration off of their chests. It’s the type of song where you can think of those who hate on you and just sing, “I’m blind to you, haters, can’t touch me war instigators” with a smile on your face. It wasn’t the group’s best show, true, but I think with a good night’s rest, and 21+ crowd (last night was all ages) he’ll be able to come back much stronger this evening for the second part of his two night stand at Nectar.”
Seattle Show Gal is in hot pursuit of undiscovered talent! How many great bands are out there that are slipping through the cracks? Seattle is saturated with so much music, it would be nearly impossible to sift through it all to find the good stuff. The Seattle Show Gal staff is not so proud to think that we can bring you all of it, but we are actively pursuing all different types of acts to give you a pulse on what is going on--right here in Seattle! (See more in "About")
