Ryan ChartrandWorld-renowned Bay Area band Groundation will return to San Luis Obispo Tuesday night to showcase its blend of jazz, reggae and dub.
The group will play at The Graduate for the second time this year, accompanied by three new female backup singers.
“Groundation is a unique band,” said Bruce Howard, president of Otter Productions, Inc. “They’re a way-high energy reggae band, which is atypical in my opinion. Their shows leave a lot of room for improvisation.”
Presented by Otter Productions, Inc. and Good Vibez, the show is for those 18-years-old and older. The doors open at 7 p.m. on Sept. 25 at 990 Industrial Way. Advance admission tickets are $15 plus a handling fee and are on sale now at all Vallitix Outlets, including Boo Boo Records in San Luis Obispo and Grover Beach, the Mustang Ticket Office at Cal Poly, the Mid-State Fairgrounds in Paso Robles and at the UC Santa Barbara campus. General admission tickets are $20 at the door.
Show officials expect at least a couple hundred people to attend.
“We usually have a pretty good turn out,” said Amy Shapas, a publicist with So You Can. “It’s a not-to-miss show.”
Supporting bands include Hawaiian-based groups Humble Soul and THC, as well as Morning Rise Sound on the ones and twos.
Groundation, which has toured the Central Coast for several years, will begin its set around 10 p.m., Howard said.
“It’s a really unique show,” Shapas said. “(Groundation) never does the same thing twice, so fans never know what to expect.”
The group was formed in the fall of 1998, with the name stemming from an attempt to create an open forum for speech and education, officials said.
Longtime musicians Marcus Urani, Ryan Newman and Harrison Stafford formed the core of Groundation’s pioneering sound, and were later joined by trumpeter David Chachere and trombone-player Kelsey Howard in 2000. Drummer Paul Spina joined the group in 2001.
Tuesday night’s show will include familiar songs from previously released albums, as well as tracks from their latest release, “Upon the Bridge.”
The album marks the group’s first world-wide release and has received rave reviews, officials said.
“Tomorrow night’s show can expect two sets,” said Daniel Sheehan, who is working promotions for the show. “Groundation has been touring Europe a lot now, and are really polished. I mean, they were polished before, but the show has definitely changed.”
The band played at The Graduate last April, and toured 14 countries spanning four continents in two years.
They played for more than 45,000 fans in Morocco, 10,000 people in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and 15,000 during a headlining spot at SummerJam in Germany, officials said.
For more information on tonight’s show, call Vallitix at 888-835-5484.