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Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad - LIVE UP!
Jammin Reggae Archives
Reviews
By Tom Orr
Under no circumstances should you be fooled by their odd name. Rochester, New York-based Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad is one of the hardest American reggae bands, and they prove it on this alternately kicking and laid-back set of live performances recorded in San Francisco and Colorado in 2008 and 2009. There's rock attitude in the urgency of their lead vocals, their sometimes brisk tempos and the way their guitars and keys occasionally stretch out, but the cues they take from one-drop reggae and dub are what really fuels the songs. They start off going from the funky pace of "Blacktoke" to the trancelike melodica instrumental "International Mother" without losing an iota of tightness and continue riding a wave of meaty, bass-anchored songs that sound remarkably clean for a live album yet don't skimp on toughness ("Pockets," "Work Very Hard"), insight ("Easy Way Out," "In These Times,") or pure vibes ("Dub One"). I suppose you could rightly call this reggae rock or, given the length of a few of the songs, jam band reggae, though it's better to think of it as simply a solid, satisfying combination of what Jamaican reggae has taught and what the American players and singers who comprise Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad have learned from it. And any band bringing reggae music to the masses as well as this crew deserves full attention and full support. While their blazing studio album Slow Down is also one you ought to investigate, seek out Live Up! for a jolt of energetic, dubby live reggae that really shows G.P.G.D.S. in action.
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