Last night I took my fiancé to a reggae concert in the city. I got paid last week, and subsequently decided that eating three meals a day wasn’t worth the pain of missing this gig, so I sucked it up and bought the tickets (and paid Ticketmaster a lot of money in the process).
The reason for my excitement was that Lee “Scratch” Perry was playing in the city last night. I am a big fan of Jamaican music, and this man is one of the founding fathers of what is known as “Dub”, a genre that emerged from other forms of reggae during the 1970′s. More recently, Dub has further
developed and influenced electronic music. Anyone who has heard of Dubstep should be aware of the connection – The bass-line and the 140 beats per minute link the two genres, and show how music is always changing and evolving as new technology becomes available to producers and artists around the world.
Growing up, I used to listen to my dad’s record collection (He works for a label and has over 2000 cds!), and after stealing many of them I discovered Dub Reggae and in particular, Lee “Scratch” Perry and his band The Upsetters. As well as making his own music, Perry also produced songs for Bob Marley, an artist who I’m sure you have all heard of, or at least I hope you have!
At the age of 75, Perry is still going. Although he is producing less, and lives in Switzerland with his family, he still performs at the occasional event, such as the one last night at B.B. Kings Blues House. This was part of the Dub Invasion Festival that is taking place in New York RIGHT NOW, a week-long event that involves many local reggae dj’s and artists, hosting performances and workshops all over the city until Friday.
The concert itself was amazing, as Perry performed for just over an hour with a local band, playing many of his most famous productions such as “Chase the Devil” and “Sun is Shining”. I’ve never seen an old man with such energy and charisma – He left the stage with the parting words, “Jesus ain’t coming back, God sent me instead.”
Now should probably be the time to mention that Perry as often divided opinion as to whether he is a genius or completely insane. Personally, judging by last night, I believe he is both, but hasn’t there always been an historic connection between the creative and the abnormal mind?
Either way, I am feeling very lucky and privileged that I got to see one of the biggest icons of reggae perform in one of the greatest cities for music in the world.
Thank Christ, or should I say… Thank Lee “Scratch” Perry, for soccer and scholarships.
Here are a couple of Perry’s tracks, plus a sample of Dubstep for anyone looking to broaden their musical horizons. Make sure you have some good speakers!
