www.relix.com/blogcategory/Bands_On_the_Verge.html
ROCHESTER’S ROCKERS
Relix.com
Bands On The Verge
1-31-09
By Heather Simon
“It’s hard to find new reggae musicians in Jamaica anymore. The only way to
make a living is by playing covers for tourists,” tells Chris O’Brian drummer
for Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad. “We played there and the
locals, people born in Jamaica who’ve never left the island were thanking us for
bringing their ‘70s era roots-reggae culture back to them.”
GPGDS hails from Rochester “a reggae stronghold” and consists of Chris, his
brother, Matt O’Brian (guitar/vocals) and their good friends James Searl
(bass/vocals), Dylan Savage (guitar/vocals), Rachel Orke (Rhodes piano/clavinet/melodica)
and Aaron Lipp (Hammond B3 organ). Onstage songs are transformed into
psychedelic reggae jams as the band uses the dub section to “feel out the groove
and match the crowd’s energy.” Their harmonious wails and colorful lyrics mirror
the empowering sound of struggle felt in 1970s roots-reggae. GPGDS is currently
on the road with plans to play everything from college bookstore gigs to Reggae
On the Rocks in Colorado this summer, where they will share the stage with
Burning Spear and Steel Pulse. Come well-equipped reggae junkies: GPGDS are
relentless performers and have been known to play into the early morning. Chris
affirms, “We play as long as they let us!”
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