Ryan ChartrandPeace, love, togetherness and marijuana smoke were all in the air last week when Bay Area reggae band Groundation took the stage at The Graduate.
The band, which has toured the world playing to large crowds, such as the crowd of 45,000 they played for in Morocco, moved a packed floor to bounce, sway, dance, or at least nod as they dropped their blend of reggae, dub and jazz.
Arriving an hour late and not saying a word to the crowd, the band took the stage and began playing. Two minutes later, when they had finished jamming, lead singer and guitar player Harrison Stafford addressed the crowd in his half-Scottish-half-Jamaican-sounding accent, “This is Groundation if you don’t know, let’s have a nice evening.”
And with that, the band played two flawless sets totaling two and a half hours and shifting between uptempo, bouncy reggae and downtempo dub that would often erupt into a chorus with horns blaring, back-up singers wailing, and Stafford singing protests and appeals.
The band’s solos, where their jazz influences bleed through their reggae and dub beats, were on point. One song in particular had a swing to it like a jazz song, upbeat guitar licks like a reggae song, and a keyboard solo like a Doors song.
Trombone player Kelsey Howard and trumpet player David Chachere were solid as they traded off solos, sometimes in call and answer form, and keyboardist Marcus Urani was unstoppable playing a stacked pair of keyboards.
Stafford’s singing walked the line of monotony at some points, but his charisma could not be denied.
During a breakdown he said, “There is a heaven upon Earth, I have been there in the music.”
Groundation’s set didn’t seem to lull until right before the climax. Before it, every new song had another tight, often walking bassline that grooved so well with the drums that standing still was impossible.
The climax of the set came as Stafford appealed, “Marcus Garvey, great African leader. Marcus, Marcus, we need you Marcus!” Stafford then explained, “Marcus Garvey is not only important for the black person, but the white person too because we believe in equality and freedom for all people.”
The last song was slow moving and catchy. It ended with the words, “People, if I had just one more day, I’d live my life right I would,” and Stafford addressed the crowd; “You are not alone you who want love and togetherness; you are not alone,” to which an audience member responded, “Spread the love!”
The band left the stage to enormous applause. While waiting for an encore, Stafford said, “I love the crowd. I love the people. We do our music for the people.”
After a couple minutes of continuous audience cheering, the band rocked an encore that was horn-laden, bass-heavy and bright. Those who stayed for it were treated to a less crowded dance floor on which they spread their arms and kicked their feet moving to the last song of the night.
It was apparent on that night why Groundation has been successfully touring the world without a video on MTV. Their reggae, dub and jazz style blends perfectly and never feels redundant, and their peace-loving message could never offend.