Cleveland Reggae

July 30, 2005, reggae in the center of downtown … a first for the City of Akron! Sprawling out in the center of Akron, the Lock 3 Entertainment Complex was a welcoming green sea of calm smack in the middle of a new, vibrant downtown. This venue is a great open-air atmosphere affordable and easily accessible. For the price of $8.00 a head (and no parking expenses), five hundred people or so more came to mash it up for a Day of Reggaein the heart of Akron with legends of the live music circuit, Israel Vibration.

Opening the show was Seefari from Dayton, Ohio and his 10 piece (or more) reggae band who were jamming under the canopied stage as spectators lounged in the golden sun, slowly soaking in his reggae vibes. The timid ones that lay out on the lawn took a little while to warm up to the sounds as he relentlessly delivered with passion. However, the bold that knew the reggae classics that he and his band skillfully covered were up in front of the stage grooving, enjoying to the maximum the rare fun in the sun that blessed Akron. Seefari, a seasoned and consistent performer in the southeastern Ohio reggae scene proved his commitment to the music, too. He willingly played a double set due to the fact that The Ark Band, who caught in traffic, was a no-show. The crowd didn’t seem disappointed, though; for Seefari was nothing short of a roots sound power that eventually brought man, woman, and child to their feet! As the sun set and Seefari’s band of horns, strings, bass, drums and things came to a powerful close a sense of hunger and anticipation hung in the crowd, setting the stage for more reggae music!

Israel Vibration (formerly a trio, now a duo) was just

the perfect rhythmic soundtrack for a sunset to music in Akron. With old style reggae harmonies, Cecil "Skeleton" Spence and Lascelle "Wiss" Bulgin, came on to the stage singing Feelin’ Irie. The crowd started jumping as they filled the air with their voices and melodies as sweet as their stage presence. I’m not very familiar with all of Israel Vibration’s discography yet from the albums I’d heard it was easy to notice that something was missing. The last Israel Vibration CD in my collection, Free to Move, included extra soulful dimension of Albert "Apple Gabriel" Craig. His was the fresh and effortless sound in the trio’s harmonies that I was most attracted to. But the duo was definitely not a disappointment. Rather than performing as a duet, Skeleton and Wiss (backed by a pair of sweet female harmonies) tag-teamed the audience with hits like Cool and Calm (Bulgin) and Never Gonna Hurt Me Again (Spence). It was great to see them still backed by Jamaica’s premier reggae band Roots Radics, who stand as legends on their own and feature none other than Earl “Flabba” Holt on bass. The combination kept Akron on it’s feet and packed the ‘dance floor’ in front of the stage, again with man, woman, and child alike, pumping fists, peace signs, and lighters in the air as Skeleton and Wiss gyrated and danced on their crutches, cool as ever!

As I was walking thru the crowd I was surprised when people were asking me, “Where can I find out about more upcoming reggae shows in town? Is there a reggae club in town?” Fortunate for those hungry reggae fans there was more reggae continuing into the night. I directed them across the street to the Lime Spider to catch the sounds of Cleveland’s Istan Black and the Sweets who have hosted many reggae shows there in the past. There is definitely a hunger for reggae in this small town and Israel Vibration helped to stoke the flames even higher. Hopefully Akron shall see many more days of reggae to come! Peace Tre’