Giant Panda at the Met
It might seem strangein a city with a prominent Jamaican presence such as NYCto justify going to see a reggae group that consists of twentysomethings from the suburbs of snowy Rochester, New York. (Its between Buffalo and Syracuse, in case that part of the state may as well be a foreign country to you.) But you might want to reconsider in time to catch [Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad] when they play the Met tonight at 10. Admission is free for college students (from ANY college on the planet, by the way).
The unorthodox setting alone would be worth the trip to the museum, but Giant Panda also serves as a sort of musical missing link towards understanding how reggae music became synonymous with jam bands thanks to generations of affluent, pot-smoking white youngsters crossing streams. Giant Panda may look the part, but they dig deep, and their sincerity sets them apart from the Trustafarian cliches that easily snag their peers.
In fact, the Dub Squad dug deep enough to take their act to Jamaica earlier this year. Its hard to pin down exactly what they brought back from that trip, but its clear that they went into it already heavily steeped in roots and dub. Their respect for these forms comes across in the live show with the refreshingly unpretentious air of a band that doesnt feel possessive of the artform it obviously loves. And the grooves will get you. Like an unseen bug, infectious keys, bass, drums and chocka-chocka guitar sneak up on you before you realize 1) that youve been bitten and lulled into a happy, dancing trance, and 2) how solidly constructed they are. But the kicker comes when vocalist Michael OBrian hits the high notes; then the music starts to sound like a friendly collision between Supertramp and reggae, and his crystalline voice washes over you like a soothing, medicinal tonic.