Roots reggae returns!

Saturday (tomorrow!) we’ve got one of our favorite roots reggae bands at our little Greenwich Village venue. Groundation is a nine-piece ensemble currently touring behind their seventh studio album, Here I Am. Their current batch of shows is in tribute to the late, great Bob Marley (whose birthday was last weekend): in celebration of Tuff Gong, they’ll be covering a number of his famous tunes in addition to their own exceptional catalog. Opening the night are Brooklyn’s Lee “Scratch” Perry protégés, Dub Is A Weapon. dj I, STORM will be spinning before and in between sets.

In today’s new music scene, where the radio’s version of reggae is alt-rock acts in the Sublime vein, Groundation is refreshingly back-to-basics. Taking their name from the Rasta word “Grounation,” meaning a musical gathering aimed at producing positive vibrations, they have distilled a very pure form of reggae informed by social messages and delivered it across the world. They also have burning instrumental chops, which they have no problem showing off in extended jam segments at their shows (check the video below).
Few bands out there today can stake as strong a claim to roots reggae authenticity as these guys can. The show is going to be very, very worth checking out… trust us.

The show starts with at 8 p.m. on Saturday, the 13th and features Dub Is A Weapon, with dj I, STORM spinning before & between sets. Tix are $20 in advance, or $22 day-of-show.

If you’re not a reggae fan, but you want to get out and celebrate this Saturday, check out this awesome show Nolafunk.com is putting on.