Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad at Gramercy Theater
NY Culture Examiner
8-25-09
By Layla Macoran
Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad pulled into Gramercy Theater Saturday to share their version of reggae with a modern edge. The slightly road weary Rochester crew, part of a bill that included headliners Rebelution, honored the roots by making sure all the elements were present: a wafting organ to back up adjoining Rhodes piano and clavinet; trippy beats from the drums; world conscious lyrics; grooving guitar. James Searl embraced dub with a vicious bass that could shake off whatever may ail you.
The award for most mellow performance of a melodica in New York on a hot Saturday night definitely goes to Rachel Orke. She seemed to be in complete peace, an almost enviable meditative state. One cannot discount such a feat, playing for a gathering of displaced fraternity brothers in the audience. This was one of the highlights of a solid and pumping forty-five minute set.
Something that often stands out the most at a reggae show is the audience. It’s full, excited, energized, receptive but frequently homogenous (through no fault of the respective bands). One wonders why such a rich style of music fails to be wholeheartedly embraced by the very people who created and inspired the sound. However, this is not a twenty-first century dilemma; the legendary reggae heroes, including Bob Marley, experienced the same lack of audience diversity in North America and were saddened.
Who knows if this will ever change, but bands like Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad should be respected, appreciated and supported for choosing to spread reggae’s message across cultural lines.
Check out GPGDS's tour schedule on their site giantpandadub.com
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