DUB SIDE OF THE MOON FEATURES

PAST FEATURES
Claire Torry
Dub Side Of The Moon set for feb 18 release
The Easy Star All-Stars

THIS WEEKS FEATURE

DUB SIDE OF THE MOON ON THE ROAD

It’s Sunday morning, July 20th, and by now, all of the Easy Star All-Stars should be safely tucked in their beds, sleeping late after driving through the night to return home triumphantly after a wonderful three-day tour of Virginia. Give thanks to all of the fans, friends, and family that came out to support the All-Stars on their inaugural outing beyond the Hudson River. It was a resounding success!

The band left New York early on Thursday morning, headed for Charlottesville, Virginia, the home base for Easy Star partner Lem Oppenheimer and his wife Jen. The touring band, which formally played their first gig last month at B.B. King’s in New York, consisted of 9 musicians, including music director/producer/guitarist/vocalist Michael G. Also along for the ride were Ivan Katz on drums; Jeremy Mage on keyboards and vocals; Ras I-Ray on bass and vocals; Kirsty Rock of TruMystic on vocals; Ruff Scott on dj vocals; and the Chronic Horns, Jenny Hill (sax) and Buford O’Sullivan (trombone). The group was completed by soundboard operator extraordinaire Dave Hahn (of Dub Is A Weapon), who tweaked knobs and played with people’s heads all weekend.

That night’s show at Starr Hill was incredible. The club sold out and was forced to turn people away for an hour. The first set featured some great original tunes and covers, including Ras I-Ray’s “Until That Day” and “Pray Without Ceasing,” Kirsty’s “Current Master” and “Got a Friend,” and Ruff Scott’s “Roots & Culture” (on the Full Up Riddim) and “She Me Want” (on the All-Stars’ original Cool Down riddim from Easy Star Volume Two). The band kicked some wicked dub workouts, including a version of “Fighting For The Right Thing” (from Easy Star Volume One) and “Dub Fire” by Aswad.

After a short break, the house packed to the gills, and the All-Stars made their way to the darkened stage to begin Dub Side of the Moon. The set was intense, as the crowd of 550 people sang along to every word. The band was joined by special guest (and Charlottesville resident) Corey Harris, who sang “Time,” just as he does on the studio album, which brought more cheering from the audience. Finally, after Dub Side ended, the Starr Hill massive demanded more music and were treated to a three song encore, including an extended workout of the Stalag riddim, which had been worked out on the spot. They were joined briefly by local deejay Culture Biff.

Thanks were due to Scott Shisler, a.k.a. Goldfinger, who spun loads of Easy Star tracks before and between the sets; Bryan Holmes, who lent the band a Wurlitzer and a keyboard amp; Mike Bullock, who ran lights during the show; Jen and Marlena, who held down the merch booth; and all of the local sponsors who helped make the show happen.

The next night found the All-Stars traveling an hour east to Richmond for a show at Canal Club. Though there were fewer people there, those in attendance again were treated to two strong sets and a two-song encore, and danced happily in front of the stage throughout the night. The All-Stars were happy to share their hotel with the Ohio Players (who had been playing across the street).

Saturday brought the crew to Norfolk, Virginia. The beach traffic was heavy, which forced the group to arrive an hour behind schedule, so they jumped into setting up upon arrival. Within half an hour, they were playing for a large festival crowd in Norfolk’s Nauticus Park, right beside the lovely waterfront downtown. This one hour set featured Dub Side in its entirety, along with “Fighting,” “Current Master,” “Roots And Culture,” and “Until That Day.” The group was happy to cross paths with Soldiers of Jah Army from DC, Jim Fox (engineer and owner of DC’s Lion and Fox Studios), Quino, Kevin Batchelor, Jerry Johnson and the whole Big Mountain crew, Native Wayne Jobson of XM Satellite radio, and members of Cali Roots from Montreal, Quebec.

After some delicious food from the festival vendors, the van was packed up and the whole crew headed back home. Lem returned to Charlottesville, while everyone else drove 8 more hours back North. Everyone was excited at how well the band had come together in such a short time and was looking forward to getting back out on the road to do more gigs. Keep your eyes peeled and your ears open, because the Easy Star All-Stars will definitely be coming around again in the fall.

PHOTOS TOO COME!