Drive to Cleveland, OH to see a reggae concert? A white, non-drug using couple? Why? Well, I discovered Rebelution about 5 years ago when talking to a girl in Hawaii about music. They were always on my iPod, just sitting there never being listened to. Last year, the wife, a friend and I went to the Dave Matthews Band Caravan tour in Atlantic City, NJ and among the 40 bands there, there Rebelution was. Their set, though short, was incredible. They had everyone moving and rocking in minutes. That being said, Rebelution has been on heavy rotation for me since then and were worth the 2 1/2 hour drive.
The members have great chemistry together. Eric, an Aziz Ansari looking fella, is the leader who is an amazing guitar player, Marley the bass player moves around the stage waving his bass getting the crowd pumped up and still hitting every note and groove. Jesse, the keyboard player keeps everything together with his synth riffs and organ grooves, Wesley the drummer keeps songs moving and full of fills and Khris, the sax player adds the element that Rebelution has among most reggae bands, a solid sax player.
They keep the crowd totally involved and entertained the whole show. Sharing their lyrics, singing along, heavy guitar solos, great sax melodies, they really have it all and they'll be around for a while making great music for everyone to hopefully get some peace of mind and enjoy life.
Peace of Mind, their 3rd album, came out in January. It is a triple disc-er! One full band album, an acoustic version and a dub version. Someone for everyone.
With that little background, lets get to the show. After a first opener who was pretty ok, and The Green, who completely rocked their set, it was time. The House of Blues is a pretty nice venue, small, new club feel, lovely $5 beers, haha. Opening with Attention Span and finishing with Lazy Afternoon, the setlist was full of old and new stuff. The heavy green lighting and forest feel set a great mood for the show.
The members have great chemistry together. Eric, an Aziz Ansari looking fella, is the leader who is an amazing guitar player, Marley the bass player moves around the stage waving his bass getting the crowd pumped up and still hitting every note and groove. Jesse, the keyboard player keeps everything together with his synth riffs and organ grooves, Wesley the drummer keeps songs moving and full of fills and Khris, the sax player adds the element that Rebelution has among most reggae bands, a solid sax player.
Some of my favorite songs of the night were Safe and Sound, Good Vibes, Feelin Alright and Outta Control. All of their lyrics are just positive and moving. They keep you upbeat with their love songs and songs about life.
"There's nothing like a clear peace of mind, to overcome the hardships in life, to sort out the wrong from the right."
I'd see them
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