Mid-Winter Reggae Fest at Basement Transmissions
Warm up with some island sounds
Saturday, Feb. 11
The Mid Winter Reggae Fest is here to help you forget about those dreary winter days and get into the summer mood. Five bands will be performing reggae and reggae-inspired music throughout the afternoon to warm you up. To keep your feet moving in between bands, DJ Solid Gold is going to spin traditional island music in the style of rocksteady, ska, dub, roots, and dancehall. If you need a break from all that dancing, you can peruse some art and crafts from local vendors Georgia Buchner, Dylan Freeman, Jen Jen, and Joshua Makowski.
Kicking off the first Mid-Winter Reggae Fest is Naughty Frog, a three-piece reggae/punk band from along Lake Erie, with members located in both Buffalo and Erie. Next up is Land of Panda, the Akron, Ohio four piece that plays traditional reggae music. Lopka Roots keeps the party going; he is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Hawaii who brings a big island sound. Higher Vibration is a band from Erie, whose members originally started playing in a metal band, but veered towards their common love for reggae (however, their metal roots sometimes sneak into their music). Ending the event is FUBAR, a traditional style ska/reggae band from Irwin, Pa. who have played shows with The Toaster, Bumpin' Uglies, HR (Bad Brains), Tropidelic, and many others. They also recently played in the final Pittsburgh stop of the Vans Warped Tour.
The idea for this event came from Basement Transmission owner Bob Jensen last February on a typical winter Erie day: "It was so miserable outside that I thought to myself how nice it would be to have just one summer day right then. It was like a brain blast: we need to have a Mid- Winter Reggae Fest." Now, one year later, his idea has come to fruition with five great reggae-inspired bands playing on one bill.
Doors at 5 p.m., music at 5:30 p.m. // Basement Transmissions, 145 W. 11th St. // $12 // All ages // More info: facebook.com/basement.transmissions
