A dub reggae band based in Athens, Georgia, Dubconscious played some skankerrific beats last Friday at Crossroads. Not as many people showed up as the last time the band played in town, but the weekend before exams tends to suck some of the warm fuzzies out of the air. The people who made it out did get to hear a good example of the classic style of dub reggae. This type of reggae accentuates the drum and bass and is drenched in echo and reverb. It is usually applied to existing songs and most of the vocals are cut out, except for the chorus.
Dubconscious seemed to be a cross between dub and the traditional reggae structure. While they emphasized the drum and bass, most of the songs had verses and a chorus instead of a chorus repeated over and over. The instrumentation was what one would expect for a reggae sound. Solomon Wright was on the bass and trumpet, Jerry Hendelberg played the keys and melodica, Matt Woolley played the drums, James Keane and Adrian Zelski handled the guitar duties, and Scott Pridgen played all manner of percussion. The entire band sang, with Adrian on lead vocals. The trumpet and melodica really gave the music that reggae edge. When Solomon went to the trumpet for a few songs, their soundguy came up and held down the bottom end with some nice bass playing. The melodica is one of the most unique sounds in music and especially crucial to dub reggae. Jerry Hendelberg did a great job with the melodica as with the organ and keyboard parts.
This is a good, danceable reggae band. Dubconscious is one of those types of bands that switch between background and the central point in the bar depending on what each individual in the audience wants the music to do for them. They don’t get too spacey and they keep they’re jams pretty focused. It’s pretty cool to hear reggae in a bar and it’s not the same, tired rotation of Marley covers or the dancehall reggae of today. Check ‘em out at www.dubconscious.com.
~From the Couch, Buckaroo Bob
Check out Bob's Recommendations for Huntsville Nightlife
More Huntsville Articles
Free Huntsville Newsletter
Huntsville Events Calendar
