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Rebelution and The Green in Oakland

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Rebelution and The Green in Oakland

Rebelution and The Green in Oakland

By Lee Abel on Thursday, March 1, 2012 - Photos by Lee Abel - 3 comments

There is no place like home... California. Rebelution's Peace Of Mind Tour on February 18th.

Rebelution

The beautiful Fox Theatre in Oakland, California sold out early to enthusiastic fans of California’s leading homegrown reggae band. Originally formed in 2004 when they were in college in Santa Barbara, Eric Rachmany (vocals/guitar), Rory Carey (keyboards), Marley D. Williams (bass), and Wesley Finley (drums), have stuck together and carved out a niche for themselves. Their latest album, a 3 CD set (including dub and acoustic versions) entitled 'Peace of Mind', debuted at #13 on Billboard’s Top 200 chart, coming in #1 in Reggae and #1 in Independent albums. It also placed #4 on iTunes. Pretty impressive.

The energy and anticipation on the densely packed dance floor was palpable. The first opening act was hip hop artist Pep Love (who later joined Rebelution on stage). After a short set, The Green, a promising young reggae band from Hawaii, kept the vibes moving. And then, in a swirl of ganja smoke rising from the sea of faces and dancing among the colored lights, Rebelution took the stage. The crowd, even the guy in a bright yellow banana suit squished up against the stage barrier, sang along, swayed and danced and threw their arms up in the air.

Kris Royal on saxophone was a great addition to the night. I’ve seen Rebelution many times over the years, and was impressed with their development both musically and lyrically. They have melded the high-energy jams of a collage band with serious roots reggae and well crafted lyrics. I agree with Eric as he sings, the “Sky is the Limit, So out of my way, You can’t get me down”.