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Southern California Roots & Culture Tour: - Karma Lounge: (Ventura) Thursday March 26th
- Airliner: (LA) Saturday, March 28th, day
- Kaos Networks: (LA) Saturday, March 28th, night
- Blue Cafe: (Long Beach) Sunday, March 28th
- Little Ethiopia: (LA) Monday March 30th
- Sandbar: (Santa Barbara) Tuesday March 31st
All dates/all days
note: these prices subject to change based on availabilityTickets: $10.00  THURSDAY MARCH 26 - KARMA LOUNGE
281 W. Main St. Ventura
doors 9pm, showtime 11-1 (21 and over)
SATURDAY MARCH 28 (day show)- THE AIRLINER 2419 N. Broadway Los Angeles
Daytime Show (set 5:30pm to 7pm) / Showcase begins at 2:30pm
3 Opening Acts: Sister Asa, Twayis, Rakia, Libra Project / (18 and over)
SATURDAY MARCH 28 (night show)- KAOS NETWORKS
4343 Leimert Blvd Los Angeles
doors at 9pm with 11pm-1am set
Tribute to Black History Century - Obama
SUNDAY MARCH 29 - THE BLUE CAFE 210 N. Promenade Long Beach
doors 8pm / 21 and over
9:00 Jah Beloved
10:00 Libra Project
11:00 Roberto Gell w/Dub Station & I-Trinity
12:00 Winstrong w/Dub Station & I-Trinity
MONDAY MARCH 30 - MARATHON
1043 S. Fairfax Ave (LA - little Ethiopia)
doors 9pm, full show after 10pm
TUESDAY MARCH 31 - SANDBAR
514 State St. Santa Barbara
Showtime 10pm / 21 and over
If you would like to see these bands play at your club, please call : 617-771-5119
Thursday: $10.00 | Weekend: $10.00 | Monday: $10.00 | Tuesday: $10.00 | | | | | | |
Review of SoCal tour, written in April, 2009 Looking back after just a few weeks - and remembering getting off the plane coming home - I can safely say the SoCal minitour just completed was a success. Turnouts were uneven - a surprise, given the enormous promotion that went into it - but actually not bad, given that it was Winstrong's first time in the region, and Roberto Gell's official debut as well. The I-Trinity band is based in LA (drums, keys, guitars, percussion, and horn section), and was joined by Dub Station members (bass, 2nd keys, engineers) to create a loud and occasionally unwieldy 14-piece ensemble. The whole team hadn't worked all together before until 2 days before the first show. Intensive workouts, including horn sectionals, were essential to getting the ship up and running. Audiences were without exception excited to witness the events, which some of them featured spirited opening sets by hip hop artists Rakia, Libra Project, and others. David Gad of Jah Beloved also made memorable appearances. Perhaps most importantly, the club owners & bookers were impressed, and have already booked follow-up dates for I-Trinity & Roberto Gell. Behind the scenes, players got on mostly well, cooking together & feasting on the great local Jamaican restaurants' offerings. Lots of laughs and occasional sight-seeing (the tourist district of Santa Barbara, and the beaches: several of which keyboardist Cameron Greenlee surfed off of) were refreshing, particularly for those who hadn't been to California before. The venues themselves were interesting, and included a restaurant in Little Ethiopia, presided over by Ras Amon Ra (who serves up young coconuts after every gig, big & small in LA), and serving the best Ethiopian food I've had in years. Leimert Park (where Kaos Network was also hosting an Obama event featuring poetry readings) is one of the most self-sufficient and well-established African American neighborhoods in the U.S. The Airliner's deep in a Latin neighborhood, and had it's unique outdoor stage closed down recently due to fire code restrictions... Some additional scene-visits were also fruitful: the Dub Club, where Winstrong wowed both DJ and fans by taking the mic on "any rhythm." Church of Rasta, presided by "King O.G." (a righteous weekly jam session), was quite the hang out. And we stopped by Jamaica Gold's "Zabumba" night, where I met the legendary Q-Bwoy and old friend (and keyboardist) Antoinette (now touring with Pato Banton). A long morning visit to Jim Marshall's Rastafari Archives, was eye opening in many regards. He's got the largest collection of Haile Selassie memorabilia, from books & documents to photos & medals (we recorded our visit with him, and got some great photos). Our hope is to somehow support his efforts to safeguard his treasures and possibly create a museum. This tour was the first Dub Station's been on out West since 2006. This tour was the first collaboration of the full-force I-Trinity with its East Coast counterparts. This was the first co-headlined bill between Winstrong & Roberto Gell (and as mentioned, their official SoCal debut). And it seems to have jump-started a string of follow-up appearances, consolidating the momentum of the project and all its members, jostling for position in a new and vibrant market. The SoCal, and particularly the LA market, is very segmented. So to've made this sort of statement in that context, at this difficult time in the nation's economy, is something to be proud of! One Love & Respect to all fans, radio, and performers...Kyle Russell (KRucial Reggae). |
